New Orleans Bed and Breakfast

The contemporary culture of New Orleans is well-known. Travelers dreams of savoring coffee and beignets, of biting into their first Po-Boy, and of late nights saturated in live music. It is easy to turn these dreams into reality when visiting New Orleans.

Yet there is more to New Orleans than food and music. New Orleans has a rich history that is reflected in its beautiful architecture and told in its many museums. History and architecture enthusiasts should plan lengthy or frequent stays in New Orleans Bed and Breakfasts, in order to fully explore the history and architecture of this great city.

Indeed, the collection of the Louisiana State Museum is so large it cannot be housed in one building alone. Instead, the collection is spread throughout five properties in the French Quarter of New Orleans. One such property is The Cabildo.

Remarkable architecture of the French Quarter: Jackson Square, The Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral and Presbytère.

Built between 1795 and 1799, The Cabildo first served as the seat of the Spanish municipal government in New Orleans; members of the “Illustrious Cabildo”, or city council, met there for years. In later years this beautiful building was home to the Louisiana Supreme Court, and since 1911, it has been part of the Louisiana State Museum. Exhibitions focus on the early history of the state of Louisiana.

The Cabildo is generally recognized as the most significant historical building in Louisiana. It was here, in 1803, that the American government signed the Louisiana Purchase and acquired more than 800,000 square miles of land from the French. The new land stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, sparked the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and enabled citizens of the young country to move west.

See where this historic document was signed when next you stay in a New Orleans Bed and Breakfast. The Cabildo is located at 701 Chartres St., in the French Quarter. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closed for all legal holidays. For more information, please see The Cabildo.