Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is rumored to be the oldest bar in America. For many years, this structure, at 941 Bourbon St., has been a bar, but the legend is that Jean Lafitte and his pirates posed as blacksmiths here while using it as headquarters for selling goods they'd plundered on the high seas. The building is one of the few remaining examples of 18th Century French Colonial architecture in the city.

There are no electric lights on the inside and there's usually an old woman banging out Elton John covers on the piano in the back. The drinks are stiff and cheap.