The New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park is relatively new as national parks go.

It was created in 1994 to pay tribute to a style of music that is uniquely American ... jazz. The park and its activities provide visitors with both the historical and contemporary perspectives of jazz in the city generally credited to be jazz's birthplace.

The park also celebrates the mixture of cultures of New Orleans that have created jazz. This includes American Indians, who were joined by the French, Spanish, and West Africans who settled in the area in the 18th century. And more recently, German, Italian, Haitian, and Asian-Pacific immigrants have contributed to the rich exchange of music, foods, languages, dances, and more.