Often described as the more family-friendly version of Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street is most popular for its jazz, dancing, and art scene, and it is home to iconic music establishments like The Spotted Cat, Snug Harbor, and Maison. Evenings, in particular, are loud and lively, with brass bands playing on the streets, poets reciting original works, and dancers moving from one live band to the next. Despite all the bustle of the main thoroughfare, Frenchmen Street also hosts an evening art market. The Frenchmen Art Market, located next to the Spotted Cat, features original art, jewelry, and crafts by both local and regional artists. Walkable from the French Quarter and many other surrounding neighborhoods, Frenchmen Street is also accessible by streetcar, the main mode of public transportation in New Orleans.

Located in the 7th Ward of New Orleans, Frenchmen Street is most famous for its three-block section in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood that is home to some of the city's most popular live music venues, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. Unlike Bourbon Street, its French Quarter counterpart, Frenchmen Street is a favorite amongst locals who prefer the street’s more low-key character. Beginning at the bank of the Mississippi River, Frenchmen Street extends northward into residential neighborhood of Gentilly, which, before being subdivided in 1806, had been the plantation of a wealthy Creole leader. Like the rest of the city, Frenchmen Street features many century-old cottages that are a central attraction for tourists, historians, and architecture enthusiasts.

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