Originally explored by the French, New Orleans was ceded to the Spanish in 1762. Spain returned the city to France just in time for Thomas Jefferson to buy it in 1803. The local accent is a combination found nowhere else and New Orleans' internationally famous jazz fuses African rhythms and modern brass. The city's main streets follow the curves of the Mississippi River, hence its nickname the Crescent City. You can see Spanish courtyards and Victorian verandas and watch Carnival or Mardi Gras, almost always in February.