Family Guide to New Orleans
-prepared by Liz Billings Schafer, University of New Orleans, and Jenny Creevy, Law Library of Louisiana New Orleans is a very family friendly place to visit. In almost every neighborhood in the city, there are places where kids and adults can have fun and learn something too! From the Warehouse Arts District to City Park, everyone can find something exciting to do. Please call and verify times of operation as these vary from day to day.
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| In the Warehouse Arts District (within walking distance) | |
Louisiana Children's Museum |
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| Explore and experience 30,000 square feet of hands-on fun, engaging exhibits and exciting programs - all designed with curious kids (and grown-ups) in mind. Special features of the children’s museum include seasonal art programs and a child-sized television studio. Parents with young children will appreciate the museum’s “First Adventures” area -- a large space set aside for children from birth to 3 years old to climb, crawl, hide, play and explore. Learning has never been more fun! | |
Ogden Museum of Southern Art |
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The museum is home to the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art in the world, and is a unique and innovative destination to "See the South." Featured exhibits scheduled to be showing during the convention include photographs of Southern authors and Herman Leonard’s photographs of jazz musicians. “The O,” as it is known locally, has an excellent web site that allows visitors to preview the museum’s collection and plan their trip in advance (great for families who only have time for a short break from the convention). |
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Contemporary Arts Center |
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As its name suggests, the CAC features modern art in a variety of formats. In addition to visual arts, the center exhibits theater, dance, music and performance art. Families will enjoy the Entergy KidsFree Gallery, which displays works by local children. As the convention gets closer, check the calendar to see exhibits and performances planned. |
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National World War II Museum |
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| The country's official World War II museum, this remarkable attraction illuminates the American experience during the WWII era with moving personal stories, historic artifacts and powerful interactive displays. Originally founded to focus on D-Day and the war’s European theater, the museum now highlights all aspects of the conflict. Families of WWII veterans will find the museum especially meaningful. | |
New Orleans Glassworks and Printmaking Studio |
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| This attraction is the largest facility for contemporary glass blowing, architectural glass casting, scientific glass flame working, stained glass, fine silver alchemy, copper enameling, printmaking, paper sculpture and bookbinding in the entire South. It is most appropriate for children at least 10 years of age. | |
In or around the French Quarter (within walking distance) |
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Aquarium of the Americas |
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| The Aquarium of the Americas offers exciting exhibits and a wonderful aquatic animal collection. Children will especially enjoy seeing the penguins and sea otters; the penguins are fed daily at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., the sea otters at 2 p.m. The aquarium is the site of the convention’s Family Social Hour on Saturday afternoon. | |
Entergy IMAX Theater (at the Aquarium of the Americas) |
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| Showings at the IMAX theater focus on the wonders of the natural world. One of the current offerings is “Hurricane on the Bayou,” a film produced by the Audubon Nature Institute. The film tells the story of Hurricane Katrina and the impact that Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands has on hurricane protection. It also shows the survival of a region, the rebirth of nature and the spirit of humanity. | |
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Note: The zoo, aquarium, and IMAX theater are all operated by the Audubon Nature Institute. Therefore combination tickets are available at discount rates. For an especially memorable family experience, consider a riverboat cruise to the zoo. The seven-mile trip up the river from the aquarium is relaxing and educational, as the staff onboard provides information about the bustling Port of New Orleans along the way. Information about zoo cruises is available at www.steamboatnatchez.com/aquazoo.html. |
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Ripley's Believe it or Not New Orleans |
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| Located in Jax Brewery, which was converted to a shopping mall in the mid-1980s, the museum has a wide range of mind-boggling exhibits, including local oddities and a replica of London’s Tower Bridge made entirely of matches. The Ripley’s web site has a printable coupon for discount admission. | |
The Cabildo and The Presbytere, properties of the Louisiana State Museum |
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| The Cabildo and the Presbytere sit on either side of St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, forming one of the most recognizable groups of buildings in New Orleans. In 1803 the Louisiana Purchase transfer took place in the Cabildo, and it has remained one of the state’s most important historic sites since. The building was the home of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1868 until 1910. Today the property’s exhibits focus on the diverse people and cultures of Louisiana from Native Americans through the Reconstruction era. | |
| The Presbytere was designed in 1791 to match the Cabildo. It currently houses a permanent exhibition entitled “Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana.” Based on original research, the exhibit traces Carnival from its ancient origins, to the nineteenth-century emergence of New Orleans' parades and balls to the present-day, statewide extravaganza that attracts millions. Children are sure to enjoy the interactive features, including a simulated ride on a Mardi Gras float. | |
| Take a streetcar from the Hilton: | |
New Orleans City Park |
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| One of the largest municipal parks in the nation, City Park suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina. It has recovered remarkably well, and many of its attractions are now open. Young children will particularly enjoy Storyland, a play area based on fairy tales and nursery rhymes, and the small amusement park featuring a miniature train that travels through the park. Both attractions are only open on weekends and both accept only cash. | |
New Orleans Museum of Art |
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The New Orleans Museum of Art, the city's oldest fine arts institution, has a permanent collection of more than 40,000 objects. The collection is noted for its extraordinary strengths in French and American art, photography, glass, African and Japanese works. The adjacent sculpture garden consists of 50 sculptures situated on a beautifully landscaped site featuring lagoons, live oaks trees and pedestrian bridges. It is a wonderful place for children to explore. |
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| Note: If making a streetcar trip, be sure to stop at Angelo Brocato’s Italian Ice Cream Parlor for a treat. Located at 214 N. Carrollton Avenue, right on the streetcar line, the shop features gelati, Italian ices and pastries made on site daily. | |
Take the ferry across the river: |
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Mardi Gras World |
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| Mardi Gras World offers a glimpse at the world’s largest float design and building facility. A warehouse that operates year-round, Mardi Gras World supplies more than 80 percent of the floats for parades in New Orleans. All tours include free king cake (a Mardi Gras delicacy no visitor to New Orleans should miss) and coffee! The ferry across the river to Mardi Gras World departs from the foot of Canal Street (between the Riverwalk mall and the aquarium) at no charge, and the facility offers complimentary van service to and from the ferry terminal. | |
In Uptown New Orleans (taxi or bus required) |
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Patchwork Players at Tulane University |
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| Tulane’s improvisational children’s theater has offered its own versions of beloved children’s classics for 23 years. They will be performing The Emperor’s New Clothes July 10 - 14 and July 17 - 21, with both morning and afternoon shows. | |
Audubon Zoo |
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| One of the country’s top-ranked zoos, the Audubon Zoo blends the exotic excitement of animals from around the globe with the serenity of its lush gardens. The zoo’s Louisiana Swamp Exhibit introduces visitors to some of the state’s unique creatures, vegetation and food. Don’t miss the white tigers or the huge gift shop full of items that are both fun and educational. Strollers and wagons are both available for rental. | |
In Metairie, near the airport (taxi or bus required) |
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| New Orleans Zephyrs Baseball 6000 Airline Drive Metairie, LA 70003 (504)734-5155 |
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| The Triple A affiliate of the National League’s New York Mets play in suburban Metairie, Louisiana. They will be in town throughout the convention, and the Friday night game features a post-game fireworks show. | |
| Updated June 8, 2007 |
