Things to do in New Orleans with Kids (5 & 8)
June 24, 2023 7:17 AM Subscribe
What to do with two kids in NOLA this weekend that doesn’t involve the Audubon museum or aquarium?
It’s gonna be hot, it might rain, but outdoor activities still an option. Something inside would be great too. Major activities that we’ve done before and don’t want to repeat: walking around French Quarter, taking a carriage tour, taking a bus tour. Moderately pleasant activities are fine, this is not a big trip. We have a car. Audubon and aquarium are out only because we’ve visited them both several times, they’re awesome.
It’s gonna be hot, it might rain, but outdoor activities still an option. Something inside would be great too. Major activities that we’ve done before and don’t want to repeat: walking around French Quarter, taking a carriage tour, taking a bus tour. Moderately pleasant activities are fine, this is not a big trip. We have a car. Audubon and aquarium are out only because we’ve visited them both several times, they’re awesome.
City Park: sculpture garden would be fun for all ages, you can take paddleboats on the lake, small amusement park with rides, huge and ancient live oaks, etc. Also a kids' museum but I haven't been so I can't specifically recommend it.
JAMNOLA: art exhibit rooms each designed by local artists, most with a NOLA theme, interactive, meant for taking fun selfies and such.
Audubon Zoo, if you're zoo people.
Swamp airboat tours, this is the right season for seeing active alligators! (You can drive out if you have wheels, or some of them do pickups at hotels). Relatedly, they might get a kick out of alligator po'boys or sausage, gator-based dishes are available at lots of places especially ones that cater to tourists.
This is my go-to events calendar when I want to do something, it has a family-friendly category.
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:41 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
JAMNOLA: art exhibit rooms each designed by local artists, most with a NOLA theme, interactive, meant for taking fun selfies and such.
Audubon Zoo, if you're zoo people.
Swamp airboat tours, this is the right season for seeing active alligators! (You can drive out if you have wheels, or some of them do pickups at hotels). Relatedly, they might get a kick out of alligator po'boys or sausage, gator-based dishes are available at lots of places especially ones that cater to tourists.
This is my go-to events calendar when I want to do something, it has a family-friendly category.
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:41 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Walk along the Mississippi; the French Market backs on to it. Learn some facts, it's a mighty and important river. I was there pre-Katrina, there were sculptures along the river.
Walk in the french quarter, listen to great music.
posted by theora55 at 8:52 AM on June 24, 2023
Walk in the french quarter, listen to great music.
posted by theora55 at 8:52 AM on June 24, 2023
Oh, and anti-recommendations:
-Steamboat tours on the river are dumb, it's pretty much industrial. Unless your kids are in a watching-barges kick I'd recommend against.
-I find ghost tours dumb, though the kids may have fun if they're the right age and temperament for that sort of thing. May not be suitable for young children though, especially since the story of Madame LaLaurie is (at its core) historical, and horrifying.
Bonus day-trip rec: if the kids are old enough and you have a car, go out to the Whitney Plantation, which is (unfortunately) one of the few plantations that focuses on the lived experience of people who were enslaved rather than being run by lost-causers. Actually if you have enough time and your kids are middle school or higher, I'd strongly recommend taking a morning to go if you have half a day. It's incredibly moving and informative; one of my long-standing interests is Black history and I still learned a lot.
posted by tivalasvegas at 9:04 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
-Steamboat tours on the river are dumb, it's pretty much industrial. Unless your kids are in a watching-barges kick I'd recommend against.
-I find ghost tours dumb, though the kids may have fun if they're the right age and temperament for that sort of thing. May not be suitable for young children though, especially since the story of Madame LaLaurie is (at its core) historical, and horrifying.
Bonus day-trip rec: if the kids are old enough and you have a car, go out to the Whitney Plantation, which is (unfortunately) one of the few plantations that focuses on the lived experience of people who were enslaved rather than being run by lost-causers. Actually if you have enough time and your kids are middle school or higher, I'd strongly recommend taking a morning to go if you have half a day. It's incredibly moving and informative; one of my long-standing interests is Black history and I still learned a lot.
posted by tivalasvegas at 9:04 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
I thought the steamboat ride was kinda cool! It's also literally the coolest way to be outside in NOLA in the heat.
Second the City Park sculpture garden. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is also really great and pretty small. Look at photos of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum to see if it's something your kids would be into.
Finally, take the streetcar down St Charles or anywhere else scenic. You can download the app and buy tickets. Sitting in an old timey wooden street car and looking at mansions is a great way to kill an hour.
posted by umwelt at 9:43 AM on June 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
Second the City Park sculpture garden. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is also really great and pretty small. Look at photos of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum to see if it's something your kids would be into.
Finally, take the streetcar down St Charles or anywhere else scenic. You can download the app and buy tickets. Sitting in an old timey wooden street car and looking at mansions is a great way to kill an hour.
posted by umwelt at 9:43 AM on June 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
Go to City Park, eat some beignets and let the kids play at the playground.
posted by Night_owl at 9:53 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Night_owl at 9:53 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Would they do a quick cemetery walk? The Lafayette cemeteries just look so cool and different than any cemetery where I live and my whole group found it fascinating (it’s broad daylight and not creepy.)
I loved the steamboat as it was my once in a lifetime opportunity to not just see but be ON the mighty Mississippi. And we had a good guide, but honestly being on a big ol riverboat was fun in and of itself.
posted by kapers at 11:54 AM on June 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
I loved the steamboat as it was my once in a lifetime opportunity to not just see but be ON the mighty Mississippi. And we had a good guide, but honestly being on a big ol riverboat was fun in and of itself.
posted by kapers at 11:54 AM on June 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: One that I'm sorry I missed on a recent trip is Music Box Village, which looks great and is definitely on my list for next time. It's got interactive "musical architecture" which incorporate instruments you can play, as well as performances. WWOZ video glimpse.
There's also a 2nd line parade tomorrow afternoon; the one I went to a few weeks ago was so much fun. A big crowd gathers in the street with booths selling sno-balls (and liquor for the big kids), lots of gorgeous colorful costumes, kickass brass band music and dancing. It lasts for hours as it winds through residential streets but you can start at the beginning, follow the band and dancers for a while, and then peel away when the little ones have had enough.
City Park, for sure. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is free and is a blast; you wander and find new, odd and interesting pieces as you round each bend, and there's a path connecting the two sides that's actually lower than the water in the central lake. Fun. Other things I biked past but didn't directly experience in City Park but look fun for kids, some mentioned above: multiple playgrounds, the amusement park ($25/kid, $15/adult chaperone), the Louisiana Children's Museum, the paddleboating mentioned above, beignets at a Cafe du Monde location...could be a fun day.
Dunno if I'd recommend taking a 5- and 8-year-old to the National WWII museum, unless they've shown an interest; it's a lot of reading and listening - completely fascinating and emotionally moving, of course, but I suspect they might become disinterested after an hour. There is a special exhibit up now through September 24 about Walt Disney Studios' WWII work, with some cartoon excepts, but it, too, is a lot of reading and absorbing mostly aimed at adults. (Btw, I found it impossible to take in the whole thing in one day, though they do offer a $7 re-entry ticket if you bring your receipt back within a week).
The Whitney Plantation was incredibly moving and important and well worth the hour drive outside the city; it hits with an emotional power I haven't felt since I visited the National Lynching Memorial in Montgomery. A must-see for everyone visiting the area, but also may not hold a 5-year-old's interest as you wander the grounds and look at the memorials and exhibits. Bring a hat and sunscreen if it's sunny.
posted by mediareport at 11:59 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
There's also a 2nd line parade tomorrow afternoon; the one I went to a few weeks ago was so much fun. A big crowd gathers in the street with booths selling sno-balls (and liquor for the big kids), lots of gorgeous colorful costumes, kickass brass band music and dancing. It lasts for hours as it winds through residential streets but you can start at the beginning, follow the band and dancers for a while, and then peel away when the little ones have had enough.
City Park, for sure. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is free and is a blast; you wander and find new, odd and interesting pieces as you round each bend, and there's a path connecting the two sides that's actually lower than the water in the central lake. Fun. Other things I biked past but didn't directly experience in City Park but look fun for kids, some mentioned above: multiple playgrounds, the amusement park ($25/kid, $15/adult chaperone), the Louisiana Children's Museum, the paddleboating mentioned above, beignets at a Cafe du Monde location...could be a fun day.
Dunno if I'd recommend taking a 5- and 8-year-old to the National WWII museum, unless they've shown an interest; it's a lot of reading and listening - completely fascinating and emotionally moving, of course, but I suspect they might become disinterested after an hour. There is a special exhibit up now through September 24 about Walt Disney Studios' WWII work, with some cartoon excepts, but it, too, is a lot of reading and absorbing mostly aimed at adults. (Btw, I found it impossible to take in the whole thing in one day, though they do offer a $7 re-entry ticket if you bring your receipt back within a week).
The Whitney Plantation was incredibly moving and important and well worth the hour drive outside the city; it hits with an emotional power I haven't felt since I visited the National Lynching Memorial in Montgomery. A must-see for everyone visiting the area, but also may not hold a 5-year-old's interest as you wander the grounds and look at the memorials and exhibits. Bring a hat and sunscreen if it's sunny.
posted by mediareport at 11:59 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
(Apologies, I missed that Music Box Village is closed for the summer.)
posted by mediareport at 3:18 PM on June 24, 2023
posted by mediareport at 3:18 PM on June 24, 2023
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French Market
It's been so long since I visited, and I wasn't there with kids, but those two are indoors-ish, and could work.
posted by kellyblah at 8:13 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]