New Orleans, LAHoliday Bars

Snake and Jake's is a red-lit Uptown dive bar that stays decorated for Christmas all year, not just in December, with haphazard strings of lights and retro ornaments crowding the small horseshoe bar. The name itself nods to two earlier owners' signs that got combined rather than taken down. It keeps the same late-night dive bar hours and a simple drink menu built around a house shot-and-beer special. There is no seasonal switch to flip here since the holiday look never comes down.

Barrel Proof is a whiskey-focused bar on Magazine Street that gets a full winter wonderland makeover each holiday season, with over-the-top decor filling the room. The regular whiskey list stays on hand, but the bar adds a dedicated slate of holiday cocktails for the run, with a portion of proceeds supporting a global eye care charity. Expect a packed house looking for kitschy Christmas cheer through the end of December. The space reverts to its usual whiskey bar look once the new year begins.

Rib Room is the longtime French Quarter restaurant and bar inside the Omni Royal Orleans, known the rest of the year for prime rib and a wood-paneled, old-line New Orleans feel. Each winter its bar promenade gets pulled into a holiday pop-up with over-the-top decor and a dedicated set of seasonal cocktails and a spiked hot chocolate built by an outside guest mixologist. The regular dinner menu and jazz programming continue alongside it. The space reverts to its usual clubby dining room look once the pop-up ends for the season.

The Bower is a Magazine Street restaurant and bar that gives its bar and covered, heated patio a full Christmas takeover each December, with dense holiday decor spilling outside. The regular drink program gives way to a dedicated lineup of specialty holiday cocktails in seasonal glassware, and the kitchen next door adds a separate holiday lunch menu on select dates. It draws a festive crowd for both a casual bar visit and a sit-down holiday meal. Everything reverts to the standard bar and dining room once the season wraps.

The Press Room is the lobby bar inside The Eliza Jane hotel, a library-like space with books and a fireplace that gets a different holiday costume each winter. The regular cocktail list steps aside for a dedicated set of seasonal drinks built around the room's cozy, book-lined atmosphere, with twinkling lights added throughout. The transformation runs from mid-November into the new year. The rest of the year it operates as the hotel's everyday lobby bar.