Simplest pleasures of life make for the most memorable moments and one of the best occasions to experience this is when travelling together as a family to New Orleans.

Sprinkled all over the city are countless parks, some expansive and others compact. But all come with a variety of activities that make for an ideal family outing. Be it bicycling in Audubon Park or relishing a picnic at New Orleans City Park or simply walking along the Mississippi River at Woldenberg Riverfront Park.

City Park

City Park also has a botanical garden spread over 12 acres and offers options for boating and fishing in Big Lake

Sprawling over 1,300 acres, with innumerable moss canopies and gigantesque oak trees, City Park is not just the largest outdoor attraction of New Orleans, but also its oldest as it dates to 1854. The park has several walking or biking trails as well as themed gardens and an amusement park. The City Park is also a favourite spot for live music concerts and a range of vendors that sell much more than just food and beverages.

For families with young children, City Park makes a perfect setting for a day’s outing, with numerous attractions such as Storyland, a storybook-themed playground with over 25 giant sculptures from the most popular bedtime stories. Children also love the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, with 15 different rides for kids of all ages. It includes a ride on the park’s historic, handcrafted carousel that is one of only 100 in the entire United States.

City Park also has a botanical garden spread over 12 acres and offers options for boating and fishing in Big Lake, besides 11 lagoons all around the park.

City Park is not just about outdoors, it also houses the oldest art institution of New Orleans, the NOMA which has a rich collection of works from all over the world, including America, France, and Japan. 

Louisiana Children’s Museum

This unique museum, focussed on children, is one of the newer additions to City Park. It has been designed as a social, cultural and learning resource for children and families. 

Educative, informative and entertaining, the museum has dozens of interactive exhibits that provide the children and adults alike ways to learn literacy, health and wellness, arts and culture, environmental education and STEM.

Audubon Park

The Audubon Park opened in 1898

Another historical park in New Orleans, the Audubon Park opened in 1898 and was built on the same site where the World Cotton Centennial was held in 1884. Like the City Park, Audubon Park, named after artist and naturalist John James Audubon, is popular for its oak trees, lagoons and vast green spaces that attract millions each year. It is ideal for not just for walking or cycling, but also for picnics and special family events as it has many covered shelters ideal for a family reunion or a simple gathering with friends and family. Located a short distance from downtown New Orleans, the beautiful sights of the park also make it an ideal location for organising a wedding ceremony. 

Woldenberg Park

The Woldenberg RiverFront Park is close to the French Quarter

Set along the mighty Mississippi River, America’s second largest river that stretches for almost 3,800 km, the Woldenberg RiverFront Park is an ideal location not just for walks or cycling, but also to just sit and enjoy the views of the river, which is traversed by numerous ships and boats, carrying people or cargo. As it is close to the French Quarter, it makes an ideal spot to sit back and relax and recoup your breath and energy after the tour of the French Quarter. The park has ample grass lawns and several wooden benches that are ideal for picnics or just enjoying the tranquillity of the moment.

The park is also the point for taking boat and dinner cruises on the Mississippi River. The City Park also serves as the main location for the annual French Quarter Festival and it also hosts plentiful of other events as well as concerts at the outdoor amphitheatre.

Jackson Square 

Jackson Square is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most recognisable sites of New Orleans

Located in the centre of the French Quarter, Jackson Square is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most recognisable sites of New Orleans. It gets its name from a bronze statue of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States, and is spread over an area of 2.5 acres. It is popular with not just locals and tourists but also with film makers as it has served as the backdrop in a number of popular feature films and television shows.

Lafayette Square

Lafayette Square was earlier known as Place Gravier

Another popular spot in New Orleans, Lafayette Square was earlier known as Place Gravier and has been the site for inaugurations, yearly pilgrimages by school bands and jazz concerts. It is also host to Wednesday at the Square, a free summer concert series featuring the top names in local music scene and is also home to a blues music festival organised every autumn.

Discover the beauty and heritage of New Orleans by visiting its parks! From historic City Park to scenic Audubon Park, immerse yourself in nature, culture, and adventure. To know more click here.