A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"What's Happening in New Orleans" is from the January 2007 issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.

New Orleans is back in business and eager to see you. The French Quarter, Garden District, and Central Business District all feature full services and welcome tourists wholeheartedly. So plan a visit to the Big Easy. You'll be glad you did.

How To Get There
New Orleans's Louis Armstrong International Airport is open and handles 109 daily flights for nine different airlines. Amtrak makes daily runs (including the City of New Orleans and the Crescent), and the ports have reopened to cruise traffic. Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean are all back, with more to come soon.

Hotels
All your favorites await. Choose from 178 accommodations, including the Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street ($140), the always-wonderful Windsor Court Hotel ($210), the Maison Dupuy Hotel on the Rue Toulouse ($109), and the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on Canal ($179). The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans on Canal just reopened in December.

Restaurants
Are you craving a beignet from Café du Monde? Or a bowl of hearty gumbo from Acme Oyster House? Maybe a muffuletta from Central Grocery. Happily, those stellar spots are open for business.

And all the big boys are back in action: Commander's Palace, Brennan's, Galatoire's, Arnaud's, Antoine's. Even the delightful, 101-year-old Angelo Brocato ice-cream shop reopened in September of 2006. To top it off, 18 brand-new restaurants have opened since Hurricane Katrina.

Attractions
More good news! The aquarium and zoo are up and running again, as are the National World War II Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Louisiana Children's Museum, and many tours. Shopping is back, too, in The Shops at Canal Place, the Riverwalk Marketplace, and The Shops at Jax Brewery, as well as stores in the French Quarter and on Magazine Street.

All the things you have loved about New Orleans in the French Quarter and Garden District are open and ready for visitors. Come on down, and enjoy.

For more information: www.neworleansonline.com or www.neworleanscvb.com.