Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Named after the  swashbuckling pirate and hero of the Battle of New Orleans, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is home to six historical sites that highlight the diverse wildlife of the bayou, tell the story of Cajun culture and honor the soldiers of the War of 1812. Scattered outside New Orleans, the park offers many activities for visitors, including boat tours of Bayou Lafourche, musical performances and living history programs.

British and American troops clashed at the Battle of New Orleans on Chalmette Battlefield, one of the six sites at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. A resounding American success, this was the last large-scale battle of the War of 1812. On January 8, 1815, General Andrew Jackson led his outnumbered and hastily assembled troops to victory, cementing the idea that American democracy was here to stay. The United States, so proud of its triumph, treated January 8 as a national holiday — much like the Fourth of July today. 

Located on the Chalmette Battlefield, the national cemetery is one of the oldest resting places in New Orleans — established by the U.S. government in 1864 to bury Union troops who died during the Civil War. The cemetery has since expanded, and there are now over 14,000 headstones marking the graves of veterans from the War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, both World Wars, Korean War and Vietnam War.

Today, visitors can learn more about the famous battle through a series of programs and self-guided tours of the grounds. One way to get a bird's eye view of the grounds is to climb the 100-foot-tall Chalmette Monument. Citizens laid the cornerstone for the monument in 1840, on the 25th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, but construction stalled during the Civil War, and it wasn’t completed until 1908.