New Orleans with Kids — Family Guide

New Orleans is one of the most interesting cities in America for kids — the music is everywhere, the food is extraordinary (and kid-friendly), and the experiences are unlike anything else in the country. Street parades, alligators, beignets, and streetcar rides make NOLA a family adventure.

Can’t-Miss Experiences

Beignets at Café Du Monde — Hot beignets covered in powdered sugar. Kids get covered in powdered sugar. Everyone laughs. It’s the quintessential New Orleans family moment. Open 24 hours.

Streetcar ride — The St. Charles streetcar line runs through the Garden District under a canopy of live oaks. It costs $1.25 and feels like time travel. Kids love riding the vintage cars.

Swamp tours — Airboat or pontoon boat tours through the bayou with alligators, turtles, and Spanish moss-draped cypress trees. Most operators welcome children. The airboats are exciting; the pontoons are calmer and better for younger kids.

Attractions

Audubon Zoo — One of the best zoos in the South. Louisiana swamp exhibit with alligators in a natural setting, a lazy river-style splash park, and the Endangered Species Carousel. Accessible by streetcar.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas — On the riverfront downtown. Gulf of Mexico exhibits, a Caribbean reef tunnel, and sea otters. Walkable from the French Quarter.

Louisiana Children’s Museum (City Park) — Interactive exhibits designed for young children. The outdoor play areas and gardens are as good as the indoor exhibits.

Steamboat Natchez — A sternwheel steamboat that cruises the Mississippi River. The brunch cruise has live jazz. Kids love being on the river watching the city slide by.

Parks

City Park — 1,300 acres. Storyland (fairy tale-themed playground), Carousel Gardens Amusement Park (vintage rides), and the Botanical Garden. NOLA’s answer to Central Park, but with more live oaks and less crowding.

Woldenberg Park (riverfront) — Walk along the Mississippi River from the Aquarium to the French Market. Street performers, benches, and views of barges and cruise ships.

Kid-Friendly Food

Willie Mae’s Scotch House — Fried chicken that even picky kids will devour.

Parkway Bakery — Po’boys. Get the roast beef “debris” for yourself and a fried shrimp po’boy for the kids.

Café Beignet — Less crowded than Café Du Monde, same beignets, and easier to get a table with children.

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