Preservation Hall

"Give us the big picture: What’s the vibe of the place, what’s it like? Come the early evening, or Sunday afternoon, people start to line up outside the crumbling exterior of a building on St. Peters Street in the historic French Quarter. Through the iron gate lies one of the world’s most respected music venues and the spiritual home of New Orleans jazz, Preservation Hall. It’s not much to look at—just a small, square room with some seating and a small stage area—but a little local magic happens four or five times a day. What kinds of events can we see here? The house band is, unsurprisingly, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They're dedicated to preserving the traditions of New Orleans jazz as it was in its heyday a hundred years ago, and they play four or five white-hot, hour-long sets each night to the 100 or so people who pack the benches. Nice. How are the seats? The venue recently started taking reservations, and so you can book ahead online, or you can take your chances by lining up thirty minutes or so before the next show. Once you're in there, the seating is nothing fancy, but it only takes a couple of bars of music before everyone is on their feet anyway. It’s rough and ready, but completely charming and utterly New Orleans. Good for kids? Children are encouraged (the venue doesn't sell booze and so it’s one of the few places that kids can see indoor live music), and they usually sit up front on the floor. Anything in particular that makes this place special, from the programming to a unique feature it has? The Preservation Hall Jazz Band plays all over the world, but this is definitely the place to see them. Any jazz musicians of note that are passing through town are regularly invited to come and sit in for a gig or two, and you might even be lucky enough to catch names like, say, Robert PLant or the Foo Fighters. If we’re going to be in town, what—and who—do you think this is best for? You're guaranteed an amazing show no matter what time you come, and there’s always that chance that famous musicians will drop by unannounced, especially when large music festivals (such as Jazz Fest in the spring) are in town." - Paul Oswell