The historic French Quarter in New Orleans is a fascinating neighborhood with a rich culture and history. Here are 99 riddles about this iconic part of the Crescent City, along with the answers.
Geography
Riddles about the location and layout of the French Quarter
Q: What is the official name of the French Quarter?
A: Vieux Carré, which means “Old Square” in French.
Q: Between what streets does the French Quarter lie?
A: Rampart Street to the north, the Mississippi River to the east, Canal Street to the south, and Esplanade Avenue to the west.
Q: What unique shape is the French Quarter laid out in?
A: A rectangle, which contrasts with the crescent-shape of most of New Orleans.
Q: What direction do most of the streets in the French Quarter run?
A: Either north-south or east-west, creating a grid layout.
Q: Which street divides the French Quarter into northern and southern halves?
A: Bourbon Street.
History
Q: What country founded and built the French Quarter originally?
A: France. It was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.
Q: What years was Louisiana a French colony?
A: 1682 to 1762 and 1800 to 1803.
Q: Why did the French build New Orleans where it is located?
A: Its strategic position near the mouth of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.
Q: What years was Louisiana a Spanish colony?
A: 1762 to 1800.
Q: Which famous American president negotiated the Louisiana Purchase in 1803?
A: Thomas Jefferson.
Q: How many major fires damaged the French Quarter in the late 1700s and early 1800s?
A: Two – the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 and another in 1794.
Q: True or false – the French Quarter avoided damage when New Orleans was captured during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
A: True. American forces successfully defended the city from the British on Chalmette battlefield, preventing the Quarter from being sacked.
Q: When did the French Quarter begin to emerge as a major tourist destination?
A: In the 1920s, when the city relaxed rules prohibiting vice activities like gambling and drinking.
Architecture
Q: What architectural style dominates building design in the French Quarter?
A: Spanish colonial, French colonial, and early American styles, with wrought-iron balconies, courtyards, and arched doorways.
Q: From which city was the French Quarter architectural style influenced?
A: Barcelona, Spain.
Q: What color are most of the buildings in the French Quarter?
A: Pastel and earth tones, especially yellow, pink, tan, and cream.
Q: What type of stone were most French Quarter buildings originally built with?
A: Limestone and other masonry, then later brick as fires destroyed the French-era buildings.
Q: Why do ironwork balconies dominate French Quarter architecture?
A: They were practical for air circulation in New Orleans’s hot, humid climate.
Q: Why are patios and courtyards common in the Quarter?
A: Spanish tradition placed value on private outdoor living areas within city homes.
Q: What modern architectural feature is banned in the French Quarter?
A: High-rises. Building heights are strictly regulated.
Q: What is possibly the most photographed site in the French Quarter?
A: The wrought-iron balconies of the Pontalba Buildings on Jackson Square.
Culture
Riddles about the French Quarter’s vibrant culture
Q: What type of music did New Orleans jazz originate from?
A: Dixieland jazz, which blends brass band marches, French quadrilles, ragtime, and the blues.
Q: Where is the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park located?
A: In the French Quarter near the riverfront.
Q: What genre of music developed from the African drumming traditions of enslaved people in Congo Square?
A: Zydeco and funk.
Q: Where did Louis Armstrong grow up playing jazz?
A: In the Storyville vice district just north of the French Quarter.
Q: Which famous New Orleans musician helped invent rock and roll?
A: Fats Domino.
Q: What Creole cuisine staple was invented at New Orleans’ French Market?
A: Pralines.
Q: Café au lait is a beloved New Orleans drink made with what ingredients?
A: Coffee with scalded milk.
Q: What old French tradition takes place on Mardi Gras Day in the French Quarter?
A: Maskers on horseback exchange gifts and trinkets during a street parade.
Q: When did the first Mardi Gras parade take place?
A: 1857, organized by the Krewe of Comus.
Q: How many beads are thrown by float riders every Mardi Gras season in New Orleans?
A: Around 25 million strands.
Literature
Q: What author lived in the French Quarter and set many novels there, including Interview with the Vampire?
A: Anne Rice.
Q: Which Tennessee Williams play is set in the French Quarter?
A: A Streetcar Named Desire.
Q: Who wrote the novel The Awakening, critiquing Creole society in the Quarter?
A: Kate Chopin.
Q: What William Faulkner novel depicts life in New Orleans’s Skid Row district?
A: Mosquitoes.
Q: Which French Quarter writer won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950?
A: William Faulkner.
Q: Which author set The Witching Hour and Lasher in the French Quarter?
A: Anne Rice.
Q: What words are inscribed on Oscar Wilde’s memorial sculpture in the French Quarter?
A: “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
People
Riddles about famous residents and visitors
Q: Which voodoo priestess became famous in the French Quarter in the 1800s?
A: Marie Laveau.
Q: What decorator and preservationist restored many French Quarter buildings?
A: Thomas Jayne.
Q: Which Louisiana governor was assassinated at the Hotel Monteleone in the 1930s?
A: Huey Long.
Q: What celebrity chef owns several French Quarter restaurants?
A: Emeril Lagasse.
Q: Which former first lady of the United States was born in the French Quarter?
A: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Q: What royal couple famously visited New Orleans and the French Quarter in the 1980s?
A: Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Q: Which civil rights icon once lived on Orleans Avenue in the Quarter?
A: Thurgood Marshall.
Q: What founder of the Mormon church sent missionary elders to the French Quarter?
A: Joseph Smith, Jr.
Q: Which jazz legend was a busker as a child in the French Quarter?
A: Louis Armstrong.
Q: What writer and philanderer often stayed at the Hotel Monteleone?
A: Ernest Hemingway.
Places
Riddles about landmarks, attractions, and sights
Q: What is the oldest cathedral in North America?
A: The St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square.
Q: Which street is home to the famous Café Du Monde?
A: Decatur Street.
Q: Where can you find a life-size bronze statue of Ignatius J. Reilly?
A: In front of The Ignatius Apartments, the former location of the disused D.H. Holmes Department Store described in A Confederacy of Dunces.
Q: What former convent is now a luxury hotel?
A: The Hotel Monteleone.
Q: Which former525-seat playhouse operates today as a nonprofit theater?
A: The Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre.
Q: What was the Old Absinthe House frequented by Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain?
A: A bar and drinking establishment.
Q: Where can you find a life-size bronze statue of Louis Armstrong?
A: Outside the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint.
Q: What venue was formerly the Louisiana State Supreme Court?
A: The Cabildo on Jackson Square.
Q: What landmark building houses Madame John’s Legacy?
A: The Louisiana State Museum.
Q: Which historic market building stretches for 6 blocks from the Mississippi River to Ursulines Avenue?
A: The French Market.
Crime
Riddles about the French Quarter’s seedy criminal history
Q: What mafia boss consolidated power over the French Quarter’s vice trades in the 1930s?
A: Carlos Marcello.
Q: Which mayor openly took bribes from Bourbon Street strip clubs and other businesses?
A: Mayor Andrew Theo “Whispering Andy” Morrison in the 1940s.
Q: What illegal activity did the Storyville red light district offer before it closed in 1917?
A: Legalized prostitution.
Q: How were undercover brothels referred to in the French Quarter?
A: Blue Books, for the guides listing their services discreetly marketed to tourists.
Q: What crime syndicate gained control over most French Quarter bars and strip clubs in the 1980s?
A: The Dixie Mafia.
Q: What nickname was given to 1920s mob boss Sylvestro “Silver Dollar Sam” Carolla?
A: The Vice Lord of the French Quarter.
Q: Which mob-connected French Quarter boss was murdered at Matranga’s grocery store in 1951?
A: Carlos Marcello.
Q: What happened at the Old French Opera House on Bourbon Street in 1881?
A: Assassin Charles Ford shot police chief David Hennessy, sparking anti-Italian sentiment and lynchings.
Q: What illegal activity did notorious New Orleans madame Norma Wallace partake in?
A: Running a high-end Bourbon Street brothel in the 1960s-70s and providing escorts to politicians.
Q: Which street was the site of the 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson attack that killed 32 gay bar patrons?
A: Chartres Street.
Food & Drink
Riddles about French Quarter bars, restaurants, and cuisine
Q: Pat O’Brien’s bar is famous for inventing what rum-based cocktail?
A: The Hurricane.
Q: What drink is traditionally made with absinthe, sugar, and water?
A: The Sazerac.
Q: Which famous restaurant claims to be the inventor of Oysters Rockefeller?
A: Antoine’s.
Q: What French Quarter restaurant invented Bananas Foster?
A: Brennan’s.
Q: Which restaurant first combined coffee and chicory, introducing it as a New Orleans tradition?
A: Café du Monde.
Q: What delicacy are the pralines sold at French Market renowned for?
A: Sugary pecan candies.
Q: Which classic cocktail is made from brandy, curaçao liqueur, lemon juice, and sugar?
A: The Sidecar.
Q: What is the signature drink of the Grasshopper bar?
A: A grasshopper cocktail made with crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and cream.
Q: What is the name of the classic New Orleans cocktail made from bourbon, lemon, and powdered sugar?
A: The Vieux Carré, named after the French Quarter.
Q: What bakery and coffee shop is famous for its beignets?
A: Café du Monde.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed these 99 riddles covering the history, culture, cuisine and more about the fascinating French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions!
