Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
venue for festivals, art markets, and other events. One of the highlights of the
square is the New Orleans AIDS Memorial, a series of glass discs depicting
the faces of AIDS in the city.
THE OLD US MINT
In a neighborhood brimming with music clubs, there might not be a better place to
learn about the history of jazz—and listen to it—than the Old US Mint, one of 12
sites that make up the Louisiana State Museum.
Once used to mint both Union and Confederate currency, the Greek Revival-style
structure became a museum in 1981, boasting such permanent exhibits as “New Or-
leans Jazz,” which features instruments, sheet music, and memorabilia depicting the
history of the genre in New Orleans, along with a photography gallery showcasing
some of the city's premiere musicians.
Music at the Mint is a series of jazz concerts that take place throughout the year and
during some of the area's biggest events—including the French Quarter Festival and
Satchmo SummerFest, an annual tribute to Louisiana's own Louis Armstrong. Per-
formers have included the Barbarin Family of Jazz, singer-songwriter Alexandra
Scott, and rock band Rejected Youth Nation, part of the next generation of New Or-
leans music.
In addition to the jazz exhibits, the Old US Mint features an exhibit on the Missis-
sippi River and another on the internationally acclaimed Arts and Crafts pottery pro-
duced by students at Sophie Newcomb College of Tulane University from 1895 to
1940. In addition, the museum houses the Louisiana Historical Center, the New Or-
leans Jazz Club Collections, and the New Orleans Mint Performing Arts Center.
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Walk four blocks to North Peters Street. In the first block, just past Royal
Street, is the neighborhood's newest addition: the Indywood Cinema, a sort
of hole-in-the-wall independent movie theater housed in an old laundromat.
The theater specializes in Louisiana-made films and can be rented out for
parties. In the fall of 2014, part-time New Orleans resident Solange
Knowles—sister of Beyoncé—held one of her pre-wedding parties here. Also
