A dark green door sits on Dauphine Street between St. Louis and Toulouse, next to a white mansion with Corinthian columns. No sign announces what’s behind it. Just a small plaque you’ll miss if you’re not looking. The door stays locked during the day, and walking past you’d never know seven cottages and what might be the oldest pool in New Orleans hide on the other side.
Audubon Cottages opened after two great fires destroyed most of New Orleans in the late 18th century. Naturalist John James Audubon lived in one of the cottages in the first half of the 19th century while working on his bird illustrations. His influence shows up everywhere now, from nature prints on the walls to verdant courtyards surrounding a heated saltwater pool set in original brick.
Seven one- and two-bedroom suites spread across standalone cottages, each opening onto private or semi-private courtyards with running fountains, exposed brick, and enough foliage that you forget you’re one block from Bourbon Street. Most cottages share their courtyard with one other unit. All show their history through exposed brick, wooden-beam ceilings, hardwood floors, and fireplaces. Bathrooms are fully modern with walk-in showers. Cottage 2 has a jacuzzi.
Every unit includes a kitchenette stocked for cooking, plus flat-screen TVs, Keurig machines, refrigerators, and free WiFi. Some cottages have grandiose portraits and antique tapestries. Others use buttery walls with bird paintings or whitewashed brick supporting botanical drawings. The spaces feel like someone’s carefully maintained residence rather than hotel rooms…