Bourbon Street travel guide - Bourbon Street travel tips & safety advice

The French claimed Louisiana as a colony in the 1690s. Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville was appointed as Director General in charge of developing a colony in the territory. He founded New Orleans in 1718. In 1721, the royal engineer, Adrien de Pauger designed the city's street layout.

He named the streets after French royal houses and Catholic saints. Bourbon Street paid homage to France's ruling family, the House of Bourbon.Lonely Planet review for Bourbon Street A red-brick slice of New Orleans in Napoli.

Smooth American and Italian jazz musicians perform virtually every night to a mixed-age crowd of head-swaying jazz aficionados. There was a move in the 1960s under District Attorney Jim Garrison to clean up Bourbon Street.

In August 1962, two months after he was elected district attorney, Garrison began raids on adult establishments on Bourbon Street. His efforts mirrored his predecessors’, which had been largely unsuccessful.

He was much more successful than those who came before him, however. He forced closure on a dozen nightclubs guilty of prostitution and selling overpriced alcohol. Following his efforts, Bourbon Street was populated by peep shows and sidewalk beer stands.