Creole architecture is a tradition unique to Louisiana, incorporating a unique blend of styles taken from the Caribbean, Africa and Western Europe (primarily France). A home built in the
Creole style is going to have: a broad roof, a wide porch with French doors and windows along its length, a lack of hallways in the interior and a vibrant, colorful painted exterior. Creole homes have a wooden frame with bricks used for support. For safety reasons, Creoles built their kitchens outside of the home, in order to reduce damage should a fire break out. Two great examples of Creole Architecture in Louisiana are the Hermann-Grima house and Laura Plantation. The former is a Creole Townhouse in the French Quarter and the latter is a restored Creole Plantation.

The many windows and lack of hallways is a Caribbean influence. They allow the house to cool via unrestricted cross ventilation. In the summer one would open up all the windows and the house would stay nice and cool. Growing up here, even though I didn't live in a Creole house, my mom always did this to keep our house cool without having to turn on the air conditioning. It's more effective without hallways but even with them it'll work to keep the heat out. Broad, flat roofs were common on Spanish homes, and were brought to the Creole style by them. French doors and windows are, obviously French. The lively paint-jobs these houses received is typically credited to African influence. The Creoles liked to keep their houses brightly colored to set them apart from Anglo-American homes, which were almost always stark white.

Creole Architecture evolved into New Orleanian Architecture, and its influence can be seen in many buildings today that were built after the Creole-dominated period of Louisiana's history. Shotgun houses, an architectural trademark of New Orleans have similarities with Creole houses.
One of the most noticeable similarities is the importance of color. You'll never see a row of shotguns all painted white. Secondly, while shotgun houses lack a porch with many windows, they're built straight for the same reasons a Creole house is build without hallways. Shotgun houses are easy to cool via cross-ventilation.

The buildings here in New Orleans are very special due to the unique history this city has. Try to really look at houses when you pass them, and pay attention to their architectural qualities and where you'd think certain techniques and qualities come from. If you like art, you can get a lot of enjoyment out of just glancing at a house.