Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve

The park operates a French Quarter Visitor Center at 419 Decatur Street (New Orleans), in the historic French Quarter. It interprets more generally the history of New Orleans and the diverse cultures of Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta region. It is named after French pirate Jean Lafitte and has six separate sites and a park headquarters. Three sites interpret the Cajun culture, the French citizens who were expelled from Canada by the British. These include the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette, the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center in Eunice, and the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux. The Chalmette Battlefield, National Cemetery and Visitor Center, six miles from New Orleans, is where the 1815 Battle of New Orleans took place. It is an integral part of both the history of New Orleans and of the nation. The Barataria Preserve in Marrero interprets the natural and cultural history of the region. The preserve has trails and canoe tours through bottomland hardwood forests, swamps, and marsh. An Education Center provides curriculum-based programming for school groups and a visitor center with a film and exhibits. The National Park headquarters and Visitor Center, located in the heart of the French Quarter, interprets the history of New Orleans and the diverse cultures of Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta Region.