Like its famed dish gumbo, New Orleans is a rich and spicy stew of culture. It's a town where French, Spanish, Cajun, Caribbean and Creole cultures combine deliciously.

The unique cuisine, music and architecture make the Crescent City like no other US town. And you don't need a car - New Orleans is known as the country's most walkable city.

On a walking tour of the French Quarter, you'll find much more than cocktail bars and souvenir shops on Bourbon Street. You'll learn the history of the area, see the buildings and get a real sense of the unique New Orleans spirit. The houses have large balconies framed by iron-lace shutters and elaborate, leafy courtyards. At night, gaslights light the way for horse-drawn carriages. It's a spectacle like you've never seen. You can understand why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie call it home.

‘Oh yeah, you often see them cycling around,' Christine DeCuir from the New Orleans visitors' bureau says. ‘Here no one bothers them.'

That laissez-faire attitude is prevalent through the city, with a large helping of Southern hospitality on the side.

Unique vitality

In the French Quarter you won't see signs of Hurricane Katrina, as the land is on high ground. But a drive out to the suburbs is a sobering reminder of the mass devastation the hurricane unleashed in 2005.

You'll see many houses still boarded up, branded with a cross and numbers. The numbers mark the dead in the house - both humans and pets.

At the Louisiana State Museum, you can look back on pictures of the devastation and realise what a credit it is to the town that it's bounced back. It's a special vitality unique to the city. The locals even joke about it - souvenir T-shirts are emblazoned with slogans such as Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was gone.

And tourists are flocking back - in the past year the number has almost doubled from the year before.

Birthplace of jazz

You can see the infamous levees yourself aboard a steamboat. Feel like Mark Twain aboard the historic Steamboat Natchez as you take a dinner jazz cruise on the Mississippi.

Streetcars still rattle along, past Southern mansions in the Garden District. At $1.35, this could be the cheapest and most breathtaking tour you'll ever take. Then jump off the streetcar and explore the antique shops on Magazine Street.

The streetcar named Desire has long gone, but Tennessee Williams fans should visit in March for the festival celebrating the playwright's ‘soul home'. There's even a shouting competition for who can yell ‘Stellaaaaaahhhhh!' the loudest.

Book lovers should have a drink at the Carousel Bar at the historic Monteleone Hotel. It was once a haunt of Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner and Truman Capote.

Of course, New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and has produced an enormous amount of rhythm and blues, and funk too. Harry Connick Jnr is a New Orleans native and the town breathes music - from zydeco dance at the Mid City Lanes Rock'n'Bowl to jazz at legendary Preservation Hall.

The Mardi Gras season in January and February defines the city with its colour, music, camaraderie and downright craziness. King cakes - pastries with a plastic baby hidden inside - are consumed, songs are sung and beads are strewn across the city. If you can't be there during the event, check out its history when you visit the Louisiana State Museum.

See the spooky side

Only in New Orleans can you take a tour of a cemetery and visit an authentic voodoo temple. The cities of the dead are fascinating. And you'll learn about voodoo rituals from a high priestess. Visit on All Saints' Day (November 1) as family of the deceased picnic among the tombs.

It's America's most eccentric town and will definitely leave its mark on you.

New Orleans Must-eats

Forget the diet just for a few days! After all, English novelist William Makepeace Thackeray noted, ‘New Orleans seemed to me the city where you can eat and drink the most and suffer the least.'

Cafe du monde

A visit to New Orleans is not compete without the famous chicory coffee and square doughnuts known as beignets from Cafe Du Monde. Visit www.cafedumonde.com.

Brennan's

A three-course meal for brekkie? It's the custom at the home of Bananas Foster. Expect turtle soup, fried shrimp, crepes and many more New Orleans specials. Click your way to www.brennansneworleans.com.

acme oyster house

A local institution, and not just for oyster lovers. The po-boy and gumbo are absolutely sublime! Don't let the queue stop you - the wait is worth it. Visit www.acmeoyster.com for more.

The Court of two sisters

Locals and tourists come here for the famed Jazz Brunch Buffet, where you can eat in a leafy courtyard with a huge array of Creole food and jazz music. For more info, visit www.courtoftwosisters.com.

Many tourists have signed up to help the city of New Orleans in its recovery and restoration. The ravages of the hurricane aren't seen in the more touristy areas, but in the suburbs you can still see the boarded-up houses with caravans out the front. Harry Connick Jnr has spearheaded the Musicians' Village, with housing for the city's misplaced musicians. Brad Pitt's Make it Right Project is rebuilding the city's Lower Ninth Ward, the most devastated area. Visit www.makeitrightnola.org.