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FALL IN THE CRESCENT CITY With 135 festivals a year, there is always a reason to celebrate in the Crescent City. You can pop a bottle of bubbly for pop music, poboys and playwrights, like Tennessee Williams. Catch a "Streetcar Named Desire" and scream out your order for a Stella at Pirates Alley, where the famous author once lived in the French Quarter. Respectful revelers can still head to New Orleans this fall to enjoy local food, music, art and culture when the weather is ideal for al fresco adventure. New Orleans City Park (neworleanscitypark.com) offers a beautiful respite in the spectacular urban oasis. Guests can pedal bikes along the shore or paddle boats on Big Lake. Admire alpacas and exotic animals at Audubon Zoo or play catch with your best friend at NOLA Dog Bark. The New Orleans Botanical Garden, also located onsite, is open Wednesday through Sunday, and its Kitchen in the Garden serves chef creations from the outdoor cooking station for takeout for physically distanced dining in the garden on Wednesday evenings and Sunday brunch. Sip on a signature snowball from a traditional stand at the Great Lawn and order beignets and espresso to go from Cafe Du Monde for an authentic local experience. JazzFest might have been cancelled this year, but the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation still plans to present the 15th annual Crescent City Blues & Barbecue Festival on Oct. 16-18. Bring your lawn chair and pick a safe spot to soak in the ambiance and sop up the spicy sauce in historic Lafayette Square Park. The festival is a free, award-winning event with two stages of music, a dozen of the best barbecue vendors in the region and a huge arts market. jazzandheritage.org/blues-fest. APERITIF AT ANTOINE'S RESTAURANT Cheers to Antoine's Restaurant, the birthplace of world-famous Oysters Rockefeller. The oldest family-owned restaurant in the country and the oldest business in New Orleans is celebrating 180 years in 2020 with special events and menus. Antoine's features 14 dining rooms of varying sizes and themes, all steeped in history. Three of the private rooms bear the names of Carnival krewes — Rex, Proteus and Twelfth Night Revelers, with the bar named after the Krewe of Hermes. The walls are adorned with photos of Mardi Gras royalty and memorabilia, including crowns and scepters from years long past. The long and narrow wine cellar, which Wine Spectator recently recognized with its coveted Award of Excellence, measures 165 feet long, 7 feet wide and holds approximately 25,000 bottles when fully stocked. It is a legendary space and can be viewed from a small window on Royal Street. Antoine's Restaurant, 713 Saint Louis St., antoines.com. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 | maconmagazine.com 91