Jackson Brewery, New Orleans, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Jackson Brewery is a large brick former brewery on Decatur Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It made Jax beer for more than eighty years and now stands as a riverfront landmark of shops, restaurants and residences, a few steps from Jackson Square and the Mississippi.

The story behind it

The brewery was founded in 1890 by Lawrence Fabacher as the Jackson Bohemian Brewery, and the company later became the Jackson Brewing Company. Its beer, Jax, became a local favourite, and for generations the neighbourhood smelled of malt and hops. Money troubles followed, and brewing here ended in 1974 when the company was taken over by Pearl Brewing.

The big building did not stay empty. It was converted into shops, restaurants and homes, so the old brewery now belongs to everyday life in the Quarter. Across Decatur Street, in the small green triangle of Bienville Place, a bronze monument honours Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, who founded New Orleans in 1718. He governed French Louisiana four times and died in Paris in 1767. The brewery and the founder's statue make a good pair: one stands for the city's working past, the other for its very first days.

What to look for

• Take in the sheer bulk of the brick building from across Decatur Street, and picture the vats and the steam that once filled it.
• Notice how the old industrial structure now holds shops and restaurants at street level, a sign of how the riverfront has been reused.
• Cross to Bienville Place and study the bronze figure of Bienville, cast in 1955 by the sculptor Angela Gregory.
• Look at the base of the monument, where two further figures, a Native American and a priest, stand below Bienville, and find the Le Moyne family coat of arms on one side.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes to look at the building and the Bienville monument, longer if you want to browse or eat inside.
• The exterior can be seen from the street at any time. For the shops and restaurants, check current opening hours.
• Morning is quieter, and the light on the brick is warm in the late afternoon.
• Jackson Square, the French Market and the Mississippi riverfront are all within a short walk, so it fits easily into a wider stroll of the Quarter.

See it on a quest

The old brewery is one stop on Ghost Hunt in New Orleans, a self-guided walk with a ghostly theme through this part of the city. You reach the place on foot, the app tells you about it as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot, so you look at the building and its surroundings far more closely than a quick photo allows. There is no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers your whole group.