New Orleans is a vibrant, historic city known for its music, food, culture and parades. The city has inspired artists, musicians and writers for generations. It’s also home to many mysteries and secrets waiting to be uncovered. Test your knowledge of New Orleans with these 63 riddles. How many can you get right? Read on for the reveals!
Riddles About New Orleans History
Q: I’m a bloody battle won by America’s first president. What historic New Orleans site am I?
A: The Battle of New Orleans. This 1815 battle was the last major conflict in the War of 1812. Led by General Andrew Jackson, the Americans defeated the British in Chalmette, just outside the city. Jackson’s victory propelled him to the presidency. The battlefield is now part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.
Q: I’m a loving cup awarded to the first Mardi Gras king. What am I?
A: The Golden Crown. In 1872, the first Mardi Gras king of Carnival, Rex, received a gilded goblet as his prize. Rex and his queen start off the iconic New Orleans parades every year.
Q: I’m a historic French Quarter restaurant once run by pirates. What am I?
A: Antoine’s Restaurant. Established in 1840, Antoine’s is the country’s oldest family-run restaurant. Its original owner welcomed privateers and possibly pirates like Jean Lafitte. The classic eatery still serves creative French-Creole dishes in an elegant setting.
Q: I’m a market built in 1813 for Native Americans that still stands today. What am I?
A: The French Market. This open-air market welcomed local Choctaw and other tribes to trade goods and food. Today, it continues a 300-year tradition of commerce, music and community along the Mississippi River.
Q: I’m an 1886 hotel with a bar frequented by literary legends. What am I?
A: The Hotel Monteleone. This historic hotel is home to the Carousel Bar and Lounge, a rotating bar that’s been visited by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and Truman Capote. The hotel remains popular today.
Riddles About New Orleans Culture
Q: I’m a spicy, fragrant stew with West African roots. What traditional NOLA dish am I?
A: Gumbo. This flavorful Louisiana stew blending meats or seafood with a dark roux and the “holy trinity” of onions, bell peppers and celery has origins in West African cooking. It’s a signature New Orleans dish.
Q: I’m a Mardi Gras member known for my elaborate costumes and balls. Who am I?
A: A krewe member. Krewes are the clubs and organizations that stage the elaborate parades and parties during Carnival season leading up to Fat Tuesday. Belonging to a krewe is a much-sought honor.
Q: I’m a spicy, marinated Creole salad named for a VPN. What am I?
A: Vpn Salad. This salad mixes crabmeat or shrimp with vegetables in a spicy vinaigrette named for the Virgina Private Network, or V.P.N. It was created at Casamento’s Restaurant.
Q: I’m a musical style born in Congo Square. Often called the root of all American music, what am I?
A: Jazz. The improvisational style evolved from spirituals, brass bands, ragtime and blues played by African Americans in New Orleans, with Congo Square as an important early venue. Jazz remains integral to the city’s identity.
Q: I’m an architectural style common in New Orleans combining French, Spanish and American elements. What am I?
A: Creole architecture. Buildings in the French Quarter and beyond blend French and Spanish styles like wrought-iron balconies with wide American porches into a unique architectural aesthetic.
Riddles About New Orleans Places
Q: I’m a legendary Above Ground Cemetery known for its elaborate stone tombs. What am I?
A: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. This oldest surviving cemetery has tombs above ground due to the low water table. It’s notable for its striking vaults and graves of voodoo queen Marie Laveau and others.
Q: I’m a grand mansion with ornate mirrors from Senegal. Who am I?
A: The Gallier House. Designer James Gallier Jr. built this 1857 French Quarter mansion for his family in the Victorian and Greek Revival styles. It has Senegal mirrors and still has many original furnishings.
Q: I’m a former monastery turned luxury hotel. Who am I?
A: The Roosevelt Hotel. This grand hotel originally opened in 1893 as Grunewald’s Hotel. But it took its current name after a major renovation in 1923. The iconic hotel has hosted many famous visitors over the decades.
Q: I’m an aviary and park home to flamingos and lush gardens. Where can you find me in New Orleans?
A: Audubon Park. This park is home to the Audubon Zoo and features the Audubon Riverview, peaceful greenspaces, natural beauty and creatures like flamingoes living there.
Q: I’m a historic New Orleans market painted in vibrant colors. Who am I?
A: The St. Roch Market. This one-time food market built in 1875 was later abandoned. But it reopened in 2014 as a bright, airy food hall maintaining historic details.
Riddles About New Orleans Words and Sayings
Q: I’m a Mardi Gras doubloon bearing iconic krewe symbols. What am I?
A: A Throw. These silver, gold or colored aluminum doubloons have krewe motifs and are tossed to parade crowds. People collect and display them to commemorate their Carnival experience.
Q: I’m the famous Mardi Gras call demanding a gift. What am I?
A: Throw me something, mister! Revelers traditionally yell this phrase, asking for beads or other trinkets tossed by krewe members riding parade floats.
Q: I’m a word for the raised burial vaults in New Orleans cemeteries. What am I?
A: Cities of the dead. The unique above-ground tombs of local cemeteries led people to call them “cities of the dead.” Their rows do resemble tiny city blocks.
Q: I’m slang for a neighborhood corner store in New Orleans. What am I?
A: A neutral ground. In local parlance, the median or neutral ground divides traffic lanes. Corner stores set up on these medians took the name “neutral ground.”
Q: I’m the famous Louis Armstrong song named for doing this in New Orleans. What am I?
A: Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans. Armstrong’s 1947 song penned by Louis Alter is a jazz standard paying homage to the city the trumpeter loved. Its title wonders about missing life there.
Riddles About New Orleans Symbols
Q: I’m a regal symbol of Carnival also representing justice and power. Who am I?
A: Rex. The Rex Organization and its monarch symbolize Carnival royalty and justice, with purple, gold and green as signature colors. Rex’s appearance starts Mardi Gras parades on Fat Tuesday.
Q: I’m a voodoo icon believed to grant wishes at my tomb. Who am I?
A: Marie Laveau. This voodoo practitioner is buried at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Devotees leave offerings at her grave to ask favors and mark three X’s requesting she grant their wishes.
Q: I’m a winged goddess symbolizing victory in New Orleans. What am I?
A: The Nike of Samothrace. This marble statue of Nike tops the grand staircase at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The goddess’ outstretched wings seem fitting for a city defined by triumph.
Q: I’m a golden French symbol atop a historic New Orleans hotel. What am I?
A: The fleur-de-lis. A gilded fleur-de-lis, the symbol of French royalty, adorns the Hotel Monteleone. It symbolizes the city’s French roots and the monarch’s one-time rule of Louisiana.
Q: I’m a historic live oak tree named for a Civil War general. What am I?
A: The Robert E. Lee Oak. This more than 500-year-old oak outside Newman School was named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, who once admired it. It remains an iconic New Orleans tree.
Riddles About New Orleans Events
Q: I’m a daylong street party when riders grab cheap beads by the ton. What am I?
A: Mardi Gras.Float riders throw an estimated 3.5 million pounds of plastic beads during Carnival season parades culminating on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras day. Crowds beg for them shouting “throw me something, mister!”
Q: I’m a family-friendly Sunday celebration in the Faubourg Marigny. What annual event am I?
A: The Crescent City Classic. This huge 10k road race founded in 1979 draws over 20,000 runners of all ages and skill levels. Racers and fans alike enjoy the festive neighborhood vibe.
Q: I’m a spooky vampire-themed festival held in October. What am I?
A: The Vampire Ball. Part of the annual Halloween New Orleans Vampire Festival, this elegant gothic ball invites guests to dress up in their vampire best while partying in a cemetery crypt.
Q: I’m a spicy September food fest highlighting Louisiana’s hottest pepper. What am I?
A: The Tabasco Pepper Festival. Held on Avery Island, this festival honors the famed Tabasco pepper sauce made there. Fans can sample Tabasco-infused edibles and buy products on site.
Q: I’m a music fest held amid the fall’s bright colors. What am I?
A: Festival Acadiens et Créoles. This annual festival celebrates Cajun and zydeco music, food and heritage against a backdrop of fall leaves. It takes place at Girard Park over a October weekend.
Riddles About New Orleans Food and Drink
Q: I’m an icy specialty drink made with rum, banana liqueur and pina colada mix. What am I?
A: A Hurricane. This boozy concoction garnished with fruit is a signature New Orleans libation. The Hurricane was invented at Pat O’Brien’s bar in the 1940s.
Q: I’m a fried po’boy sandwich stuffed with oysters from the Gulf. What am I?
A: An oyster po’boy. These sandwiches fill French bread with fried Gulf oysters and dressings. Locals and tourists alike flock to po’boy shops like Parkway Bakery for this local favorite.
Q: I’m a sweet pastry made into a king cake for Mardi Gras. What am I?
A: A braided dough. King cakes feature a rich braided dough baked with sugar and icing in the Mardi Gras tricolor of purple, green and gold. A plastic baby is hidden inside.
Q: I’m a cold soup made of pureed vegetables. Many New Orleans restaurants serve me with crabmeat. What am I?
A: Vichyssoise. This classic chilled soup gets a Gulf twist when blended with Louisiana crabmeat. It’s a refreshing appetizer for hot New Orleans nights.
Q: I’m a doughnut stuffed with sweet praline filling. Who am I?
A: A beignet. Café du Monde’s beignets are fried, sugar-coated squares filled with praline or other flavors. Enjoy this treat with chicory café au lait.
Riddles About New Orleans Legends
Q: I’m a legendary New Orleans voodoo priestess who mysteriously disappeared in the 1880s. My grave is still visited today. Who am I?
A: Marie Laveau. Known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Laveau practiced a religious mix of voodoo, Catholicism and African traditions. Devotees continue leaving tributes at her tomb.
Q: I’m a revered 20th-century New Orleans musician known as “Satchmo.” My influential gravely singing helped shape jazz. Who am I?
A: Louis Armstrong. This musical icon got the nickname “Satchmo” and spread New Orleans jazz across the world. He grew up immersed in the city’s rich musical culture.
Q: I’m a world-famous New Orleans chef who brought Creole cuisine like trout amandine to the masses in the 1980s. Who am I?
A: Paul Prudhomme. As chef at Commander’s Palace and then with his restaurant K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, Prudhomme made local specialties like blackened redfish global hits.
Q: I’m a legendary pianist who appeared in the first jazz recording ever made in 1917. Who am I?
A: Jelly Roll Morton. Morton started as a storyville pianist before touring and later recording his composition “Jelly Roll Blues,” the first jazz song on record.
Q: I’m a bizarre New Orleans legend about a secret society of gay men. What strange tale am I?
A: The Upstairs Lounge fire. In 1973, this suspected arson killed members of a secret upstairs gay club. The unusual tragedy fueled wild urban myths about gay culture in New Orleans.
Riddles About New Orleans Creatures
Q: I’m an alligator over 50 years old living at the Audubon Zoo. What’s my name?
A: Methuselah. A rare albino alligator, Methuselah is unusually old for his species. He’s lived at the zoo since the 1960s.
Q: I’m the oldest gorilla in the world and just had my 65th birthday. Who am I?
A: Trudy. This western lowland gorilla is the world’s oldest living gorilla in captivity. Trudy has resided at the Audubon Zoo since 1977.
Q: I’m a slimy creature named for its resemblance to a monocle. Often found in Louisiana swamps, what am I?
A: A ram’s horn snail. These greenish-brown snails have a spiral shell opening resembling a monocle lens. They populate freshwater wetlands and marshes statewide.
Q: I’m a small, fanged Louisiana snake named for the diamonds on my back. What am I?
A: A diamond-backed water snake. These semi-aquatic snakes have distinctive diamond markings running the length of their brownish or olive bodies. They live throughout Louisiana near the Gulf.
Q: I’m the state reptile of Louisiana. I have dark bands on my jaw as a juvenile. What am I?
A: The alligator snapping turtle. Yes, Louisiana named the prehistoric-looking alligator snapping turtle as its state reptile. They have jagged jaws and spikes on their shells.
Conclusion
How did you do with these New Orleans riddles? This historic melting pot city offers endless mysteries waiting to be uncovered. Its rich culture spans centuries from its founding to the modern day. There are countless more riddles yet to be asked about the captivating landmarks, legends, traditions and characters of New Orleans. Which piece of its compelling past, present or future inspires your curiosity most? Let these playful puzzles spark your imagination about the secrets of the “Big Easy” and its one-of-a-kind spirit.
