Two blocks outside the French Quarter, Frenchmen Street between Esplanade Avenue and Royal Street is the most concentrated live music corridor in a city famous for live music. On any given night, the Spotted Cat Music Club, the Frenchmen Art Market, d.b.a. New Orleans, and the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro are all running simultaneously within a two-block walk.
Unlike Bourbon Street, Frenchmen caters to musicians and serious fans — the crowd is local-heavy, the cover charges are often minimal or nonexistent, and the music runs until 2 and 3 a.m. on weekends. Street parking in the Marigny neighborhood surrounding Frenchmen fills by 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and the one-way streets of the Tremé make circling difficult even for locals. A party bus drops your group at the Esplanade end of the strip, waits nearby, and picks everyone up at whatever hour the last set ends.
The nearest major intersection for bus drop-off is Esplanade Avenue and Chartres Street.