This year's Tales of the Cocktail, a five day event that celebrates and explores the history and spirit of the cocktail with great chefs, mixologists, best-selling authors and celebrities has a special participant. Pisco, a brandy from Peru will present two seminars that sound very interesting. Find out about this and much more about Tales of the Cocktail.

The Official ESSENCE Music Festival After parties will happen on July 3rd and 4th, 2009. Your host will be IDRIS ELBA! There will be a DJ on Friday and live performances on Saturday. Also 6 full bars, good food and celebrity guests. The after parties will be held at The Metropolitan, 310 Andrew Higgins Drive, Doors open from: 10:30 PM - til. Get advance tickets at the Essence website.

Lisa Price's "pop-up" store in the French Quarter will be the scene for some beauty panel discussions and demonstrations at Essence Fest. Read on.

Add another fun event this weeked for Essence Festival. On Friday, July 3rd Picou's Fine Art and Serenity Spa will host an artist's reception at Hotel Le Cirque. Featured artist Charles Bibb's work fuses African, African American, and Native American cultural themes to make powerful cross-cultural statements.

A great way to beat the heat on your trip to New Orleans is to check out the museums. The museums in New Orleans are varied and interesting. There's something for every age and interest.

• The New Orleans Museum of Art
• The National World War II Museum
• The Ogden Museum of Southern Art
• The Children's Museum
• The Pharmacy Museum
• The Voodoo Museum
• The Southern Food and Beverage Museum
• The Contemporary Arts Museum
• The Historic New Orleans Collection
• Museum of the American Cocktail
• The National Jazz Historic Park

The Ogden is a wonderful place to learn about and enjoy southern art while you cool off. Find out more.

Celebrate the 4th of July in New Orleans. As always, New Orleans has a big party planned that includes a specular fireworks display, free concerts, special discounts, steamboat cruises, and some special suprises for Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.

• The Fourth of July in New Orleans
• Go Fourth on the River
• Special Cruises on the Steamboat Natchez
• The 2009 Free Concert Schedule

The Essence Music Festival is held in New Orleans every year over the 4th of July weekend. There are great concerts in the Superdome, extra fun at the Superlounges, empowerment seminars, and a market place in the Convention Center. It's a major event and not to be missed.

• Essence Music Festival
• Music Schedule
• Seminar lineup
• SuperLounge lineup
• Marketplace
• The Official After Parties.
• Best hotels for Essence
• The Louisiana Superdome
• The Convention Center

This weekend you can get great Louisiana seafood, Creole tomatoes, and hear Cajun/Zydeco music all at once in the French Quarter at the Vieux To Do. Find out about all three festivals.

• The Creole Tomato Festival
• The Seafood Festival
• The Cajun/Zydeco Music Festival

The Audubon Insectarium opened last June and has been an extraordinary success. My grandchildren love it, and you children and grandchildren will also. This weekend marks the first anniversary or "ant-iversary" of the Insectarium and there are lots of fun events planned. Get the schedule.