Get an intimate jazz experience at Preservation Hall in New Orleans

Preservation Hall

Since 1961, this French Quarter venue has been trumpeting traditional New Orleans jazz in cozy, acoustic concerts. Even when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band tours the world, live performances still take place at home, utilizing the Hall’s collective of more than 100 ace practitioners of the craft. The band performs three 45-minute shows nightly at 8, 9 and 10 p.m., excluding holidays and special events. All ages can attend, and the venue holds about 100 people. Lines typically begin forming one hour before each showtime. Special reservations offer limited bench seating on the first two rows, and the ability to skip the general admission line. The hall doesn’t serve food or drinks, but you can bring in whatever liquid you like as long as it’s in a plastic container. Hey, it’s New Orleans.

726 St. Peters St., New Orleans. 504-522-2841, preservationhall.com, @PresHall.

Tipitina’s

One of the Big Easy’s legendary live music venues, named after a Professor Longhair ditty, Tipitina’s keeps crowds grooving on its black-and-white checkerboard floor nearly 40 years after it first opened. It has been the birthplace of a slew of live albums, with Phish, the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Galactic and the Blind Boys of Alabama all capturing performances there.

501 Napoleon Ave., New Orleans. 504-895-8477, tipitinas.com, @Tipitinas.

Blue Moon Saloon & Guest House

Honky-tonking since the early ’00s, the Blue Moon digs roots music and books its acts accordingly. Its Wednesday night Cajun jam finds area musicians taking the stage as locals try some fancy footwork. Need to sleep off the libations? Book a room in the guest house.

215 E. Convent St., Lafayette, La. 337-234-2422, bluemoonpresents.com.