The Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge is the only revolving bar in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. The bar is inside the

Hotel Monteleone Hotel Monteleone is a family-owned and operated hotel located at 214 Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. The hotel includes the only high-rise building in the interior French Quarter and is well known for its Ca ...

and overlooks

Royal Street Royal Street (french: Rue Royale; es, Calle Real) is a street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. It is one of the original streets of the city, dating from the early 18th century, and is known today for its antique shops, art ga ...

in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Installed in 1949, the 25-seat circular bar turns on 2,000 large steel rollers, powered by a motor. The bar rotates at a rate of one revolution every 15 minutes. In addition to the rotating bar, an adjoining room includes booths and tables with live entertainment offered nightly.

History

In the early days of the Carousel Bar, Hotel Monteleone was home to the Swan Room, a nightclub where celebrities such as

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

and Louis Prima performed.Hotel Monteleon

Retrieved on 26 January 2015. It wasn’t unusual for the performers to join their friends for a nightcap after their shows. The bar was renovated in 1992, which was when the current carousel top was added.

Fiber optics An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means to ...

were installed in the ceiling to create the appearance of stars in the night sky. One shooting star crosses the room at regular intervals. In 2011, Hotel Monteleone started an extensive renovation and expansion, and Criollo Restaurant was added.

Notable patrons

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

and

Winston Groom Winston Francis Groom Jr. (March 23, 1943 – September 17, 2020) was an American novelist and non-fiction writer. He is best known for his novel '' Forrest Gump'' (1986), which became a cultural phenomenon after being adapted as a 1994 film of ...

(author of ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and ...

'') are among the famous authors who have enjoyed drinks at the Carousel Bar. More recently,

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

, Dennis Quaid,

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...

, the longtime politician Zack Milkovich, and

Sally Struthers Sally Anne Struthers (born July 28, 1947) is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton) on ''All in the Family'', for which she won two Emmy ...

have been spotted at the Carousel.

Literary references

and its Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge have been mentioned in a number of works of American literature, including the following: * '' The Rose Tattoo'',

Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festiva

Retrieved on 26 January 2015. * '' Orpheus Descending'', Tennessee Williams * ''

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood {{Infobox book , , name = Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood , title_orig = , translator = , image = File:DivineSecretsOfTheYaYaSisterhood.jpg , caption = First edition , author = Rebecca Wells , cover_a ...

'',

Rebecca Wells Rebecca Wells (born February 3, 1953) is an American author, actor, and playwright known for the ''Ya-Ya Sisterhood'' series, which includes the books ''Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'', ''Little Altars Everywhere'', ''Ya-Yas in Bloom'' ...

* ''

Little Altars Everywhere ''Little Altars Everywhere'' is a 1992 short story collection by Rebecca Wells which chronicles the adventures of the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Ya-Ya Sisterhood—four eccentric women—and their children, affectionately called the ...

'', Rebecca Wells * '' Band of Brothers'', Stephen Ambrose * ''A Piece of My Heart'', Richard Ford * '' A Curtain of Green: And Other Stories'', Eudora Welty * '' Capote: A Biography'', Gerald Clarke * '' Owls Don't Blink'', A.A. Fair ( Erle Stanley Gardner) * “

Night Before Battle Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...

,”

* '' The Voice of the Seven Sparrows'',

Harry Stephen Keeler Harry Stephen Keeler (November 3, 1890 – January 22, 1967) was a prolific but little-known American fiction writer, who developed a cult following for his eccentric mysteries. He also wrote science fiction. Biography Born in Chicago in 1 ...

Famous cocktails

Two famous

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

s were invented by Carousel bartenders: * '' Vieux Carré Cocktail'' – 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 barspoon Bénédictine, 1 oz Rye Whiskey, 1 oz Cognac, 1 oz Sweet Vermouth. Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain and serve up with a lemon twist, or, serve on the rocks with a lemon twist. * ''The Goody'' – One ounce each dark rum, light rum, Orgeat, pineapple juice, 2 ounces orange juice. Mix well and serve in a tall glass over ice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carousel Piano Bar and Lounge 1949 establishments in the United States Drinking establishments in New Orleans French Quarter