Do you find beauty in stucco and stone, poetry in ironwork and archways? Then welcome to the French Quarter, one of the country's most remarkable collections of living architecture and history. If you're like many visitors, you'll begin your rambles at Jackson Square, a lovely, cast-iron-fenced oasis of grass and flowering trees located between St. Ann and St. Peter Streets across Decatur Street from the river. Originally called the Place d'Armes, the square in the past served as both a military parade ground and the staging point for public executions. Its bloody history long behind it, Jackson Square is now a popular gathering spot and tranquil anchor for some of the best-preserved 19th-century architecture in the U.S. Encircling the square are the magnificent St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in the U.S., the two-hundred-year-old Presbytere 
and Cabildo 
, both of which house prized collections belonging to The Louisiana State Museum 
, and the oldest apartments in the U.S., a pair of handsome, 1850's-era red-brick structures called the Upper and Lower Pontalba buildings. In the Lower Pontalba, on the downriver side of the square, one can visit another adjunct of the Louisiana State Museum, the 1850 House 
, with its compelling depiction of life during New Orleans' heyday, or Belle Époque. The Louisiana Office of Tourism (http://www.louisianatravel.com) has an office here as well, and is an excellent information resource for visitors to the French Quarter. Downriver from Jackson Square on Decatur Street is the historic French Market (http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/1850ex.htm), which began its existence in 1791 as a farmer's market and continues to house vendors selling produce, fresh seafood, and assorted Louisiana delicacies 24 hours a day. The oldest in the U.S., the farmer's market has been expanded and today incorporates a bustling flea market as well. Just past the French Market lies the Old U.S. Mint 
(1835), which is now part of the Louisiana State Museum and houses interesting exhibits relating to the histories of both Mardi Gras and Jazz. The French Market and Jackson Square offer a delightful taste of the French Quarter but are merely a prelude to its architectural majesty. For many, the enchantment begins on Rue Royale - Royal Street, the Quarter's most fashionable boulevard throughout much of its past and an absolute must for lovers of history and architecture. Royal runs the length of the Quarter on the other side of the Cathedral from Jackson Square; here, one will find a virtually unbroken string of well-preserved Creole buildings dating to the early 1800's. Heading upriver (towards Canal Street and the CBD) on Royal Street, one encounters the LaBranche House (700 Royal) with its multi-storied tiers of lacy ironwork balconies, the striking Court of Two Lions (541 Royal), built in 1798, and The Merieult House (533 Royal), the oldest house on Royal Street (1792) and gateway to The Historic New Orleans Collection (http://www.hnoc.org). THNOC is a complex of historic buildings and courtyards that offers visitors a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era. Further down Royal one can view the richly crafted cast-iron balconies of the Coudreau Mansion (427 Royal) and the place where the cocktail was invented (437 Royal) before reaching the imposing Municipal Courts Building at 400 Royal. An entire block of old Creole homes and businesses was razed to built it in 1908, bringing attention to the need for preservation in the French Quarter. Even so, its majestic appearance and fine detailing now make it an architectural beauty in its own right. Some of the finest wrought iron in the Quarter is found at the old Bank of the United States (343 Royal), which dates to the early 1800's (most of the ironwork in the French Quarter is actually cast iron and dates to the 1850's when this type of adornment became wildly popular). Also of note on this end of Royal is the Bank of Louisiana (1826) at 334 Royal, now home to the Vieux Carre Commission and Police Station. You've just been on a virtual tour of half of one of the French Quarter's most captivating avenues. Now, we'll traverse its upper end, which in typical, topsy-turvy New Orleans fashion is actually downriver. Heading to the right after reaching Royal from the Cathedral, one finds the wonderfully Creole Dejan House at 824 Royal, which has changed little since it was constructed in 1813. The magnificent Cornstalk Fence at 915 Royal stands in eternal tribute to the man who in the 1850s commissioned the fence for his homesick Midwesterner wife. Their home burned shortly thereafter and was replaced with the present hotel, which offers a suitable counterpoint to the iron treasure. At 934 Royal stands the home of Civil War General P.G.T. Beauregard, who lived here with his son after the war. Farther along at 1105-1141 Royal one finds Architect's Row, a series of once-identical row houses built in 1832 and modified individually over time. Across from them, at 1132 Royal, is the Gallier House 
, a fabulous structure built in 1857 that now houses a superb collection of furnishings and decorative accessories from the 1860's. At the very edge of the Quarter on the corner of Esplanade and Royal stands the Gauche Villa, a sumptuous Italianate mansion built in 1856. (When the Quarter became too crowded, the wealthy Creoles built many fine mansions along Esplanade Avenue, which forms the downriver boundary of the French Quarter.) Our stroll down Royal Street has introduced you to much, but not all, of its glorious history. Even with all its magnificence, however, Royal represents a mere fraction of the grandeur of the Vieux Carre. Architectural jewels are sprinkled about the Quarter like doubloons thrown from a Mardi Gras float - to visit them all would take days, if not weeks. Of special note is the old Ursuline Convent 
at 1112 Chartres. Dating to 1727, it is quite possibly the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley. Its challenger is the recently reopened, Louisiana State Museum-run Madame John's Legacy 
at 632 Dumaine, which was built in 1727 and either rebuilt or repaired after the fire of 1788 (therein lies the controversy). Among the many structures of note throughout the Quarter are also the Mercier House (1806) at 630 St. Peter Street, the Formento House (1835) at 823 Chartres, and the DeLaronde House (1807) at 1021 Chartres. Arguably the most striking homeplace in the Quarter is the 175-year-old Beauregard-Keyes House 
at 1113 Chartres, which was formerly the home of both General P.G.T. Beauregard and author Frances Parkinson Keyes. Another contender is the Hermann-Grima House (http://home.gnofn.org/~hggh) at 820 St. Louis Street, an 1831 Federal mansion painstakingly restored to its former glory and now open as a museum depicting Creole life in the mid 1800's. Are you curious as to what we've overlooked? Well, we've intentionally saved a few interesting places for other itineraries - visit our other itineraries to indulge in fine food, enjoy good music, discover the world of art and antiquities, and more.