 urn left on the next street, appropriately named Ursulines, then take another left on Decatur Street. Walk three blocks and turn right at Esplanade Avenue. The entire block to your right is occupied by the:  The Old United States Mint. The huge Greek revival style structure was built in 1835 by Philadelphian William Strickland at the urging of then-President Andrew Jackson, the Hero of the Battle of New Orleans. General P.G.T. Beauregard, a West Point trained engineer, helped stabilize the massive structure in the 1850s when it began to sink into the soft soil.
Operations to mint money for the fledgling United States began in 1838, and ended in 1909. From 1861 to 1862 it minted Confederate coins. When the city was occupied by Union forces in 1862, the building served as a prison for Conferate soldiers, and criminals were hanged in its yard. Now part of the Louisiana State Museum, the building houses a museum on jazz and the city's Carnival celebrations. Walk toward the river on Esplanade and turn right at North Peters Street. For the next five blocks or so, you will be strolling through what is today mistakenly called the French Market, but the original French Market stands roughly between Ursulines and St Ann Streets. The first large open-air shed between Barracks and Governor Nicholls is the:Community Flea Market, where just about anything is for sale,
such as jewelry, collectibles, local memorabilia, ceramics, records, and miscellaneous hand-made items. The next shed houses the: - Farmer's Market. Both of these buildings were added to the original French Market in 1936. In addition to various produce, the Farmers Market sells fresh seafood, and the mixture of smells overwhelms the senses. Keep walking along the river until you arrive at Ursulines Street. Here a beautiful gilded equestrian statue of Joan of Arc dominates the:
- Place du France, a small triangle set in the junction of Decatur and North Peters. The statue was given to the people of New Orleans by France in 1972 to celebrate the historic ties between these two countries, and was originally located at the foot of Canal Street
between the World Trade Center and the new casino. The long building on your left topped with cupolas is the original:
 French Market. Began as a Choctaw Indian trading post more than 200 years ago, the French Market was erected by the Spanish in 1791, and then replaced with a new, arcaded structure for butchers in 1813. The Bazaar was added to it in 1822, and the Vegetable Market in 1872. These buildings were then remodelled around the same time that the Farmers Market and the Flea Market buildings were built. In its heyday, the market sold products like fresh-baked goods, friuts, molasses, herbs, coffee, garlics, live chickens, fish, crabs, oysters, meats and cheeses. Novelties such as parrots, monkeys,
and even alligators in cages could be purchased here. The products available here today are nowhere near as exotic, but almost as varied, from postcards to tabasco sauce. At this point you've come almost full circle from the start of the tour, but if you continue past Washington Artillery Park and take a left at St Peter Street, you will finally come to the Mississippi Riverfront. Here you will join up with the boardwalk known as: The Moonwalk. This raised riverfront promenade was constructed in the 1970s under the administration of Mayor "Moon" Landrieu as a part of the campaign to open up the riverfront to more access. It is used by everyone from lovers to riverboat watchers. There are plenty benches
along its length, and ample lighting at night for an evening stroll. From the Moonwalk, head in the direction of downtown; you'll see the two bridges spanning the Mississippi River. When you get past the Jackson Brewery building on your right, you've entered the wide green landscape of: Woldenberg Riverfront Park, set up to bring the people back to the riverfront. Named after local businessman and benefactor Malcolm Woldenberg, it encompasses nearly 20 acres of newly-transformed green space. The park stretches from the Jackson Brewery buildings to the foot of Canal Street, and has a stage for small outdoor concerts, and numerous sculptures, like the colorful Aquatic Colonnade and the
Monument to the Immigrant. At the far end of the park near the foot of Canal Street is the:- Aquarium of the Americas. Part of the Audubon Institute, the aquarium is composed of 5 differently themed areas, with tanks ranging in size from the 400,000 gallon shark tank to smaller ones filled with starfish and sea urchins. The Caribbean Reef exhibit contains many colorful tropical fish, and the Tropical Rain Forest area includes waterfalls, tropical birds, and even piranhas. The Entergy IMAX Theatre, right next door, presents two to three of the latest IMAX movies on its five-and-a-half-story high screens. Walk up Canal Street to North Peters Street and turn right to head back into the Quarter.
North Peters will merge into Decatur once again, where there are many places to eat and shop. Your tour of the French Quarter ends at one of the best places to do both, at the:
 Jackson Brewery. before its transformation into a shopping mall in 1984, it was the home of Jax Beer from 1891 to 1974. Rescued from complete deterioration, it is a spectacular marketplace today, with many local shops and restaurants, in addition to upscale national chain stores. This completes your historic tour of the French Quarter, and it is hoped that you have learned much about this historically important district.
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