Jazz Festival in New Orleans

By all accounts, New Orleans has had a rough year. But despite the hard times, or maybe because of them, the shows and celebrations of festival season roll on. This past weekend was the French Quarter Festival, a locals' favorite, and next on the agenda is the famed two-weekend collection of great music and even better food, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

The majority of the regular food vendors are returning this year, food director Michelle Nugent told USA Today.

Many had fled the area, and some had lost their homes and livelihoods. "It took about a month to track them all down," Nugent says. "Everybody had a story."

Most of the hotels in New Orleans have reopened. New Orleans for Visitors guide Sharon Keating also suggests checking into B&Bs in the Garden District and the French Quarter. Shuttles are available to ferry guests to and from the Fairgrounds where the festival takes place. Take note: the historic St. Charles Avenue streetcars that usually roll from Uptown and the Garden District to the French Quarter are still out commission, and will be for several more months. The Jazz Festival rolls on this weekend and next.