Lafayette Square, New Orleans, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Lafayette Square is a public park in the Central Business District of New Orleans, just off St Charles Avenue. Laid out in the late 1780s, it grew into the civic heart of the city's American sector and still sits beside Gallier Hall, the former city hall. It is a shady, easy place to pause between the French Quarter and the Garden District.

The story behind it

The square dates to the Spanish colonial period and is one of the oldest public squares in New Orleans. It is named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution. In the nineteenth century, newcomers from the United States built up the area upriver of Canal Street, and this square became their main public space, a counterweight to Jackson Square in the old Creole city.

On its edge stands Gallier Hall, the Greek Revival city hall designed by architect James Gallier Sr. and completed in the early 1850s. For generations the square and the building have been tied together as the setting for civic ceremonies, and during Carnival season the hall is a traditional point along parade routes.

What to look for

• Gallier Hall's tall Ionic columns and temple-like front, a clear sign of how much the city wanted to resemble a Greek temple of government.
• The statue of Benjamin Franklin in the park, one of several monuments among the trees that show whom the city once chose to honor.
• The old live oaks and shaded benches, which make the square feel like a pocket of calm in the middle of the business district.
• The mix of old and new buildings around the edges, with nineteenth century masonry standing next to modern offices.

Tips for your visit

• Give it 15 to 30 minutes on its own, or longer if you want to sit and look at Gallier Hall from the benches.
• Morning and late afternoon are the most pleasant, with softer light and more shade in the warmer months.
• The park is open to walk through, but check current opening hours and event schedules, since concerts and festivals sometimes take over the space.
• The Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Contemporary Arts Center are a short walk away, and the St Charles streetcar line passes close by.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in New Orleans brings you to the square on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area. The app tells you about each place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

New Orleans Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. suits anyone who likes a mystery theme with their sightseeing. You walk to the square, hear about it from the app and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in New Orleans is a good pick for families, since children get a puzzle to solve at each place while you explore the streets together. One ticket covers the whole group.