New Orleans with Kids: Top 10 Must Do & See
The Big Easy is mostly known for adult entertainment. Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, jazz music, and spicy creole food don’t exactly scream family fun. But in reality, there is a TON of fun to be had in New Orleans with kids! With the history, culture, and natural beauty of New Orleans there is so much to see and do for visitors and locals of all ages. Here are some of the best things to do with kids in New Orleans.
Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour
Of all the things we did while visiting New Orleans, this was hands down everyone’s favorite activity. I knew I wanted to do a gator tour while in New Orleans and I came across Jean Lafitte on Groupon. They offer great deals and have fantastic reviews. I now understand why they have so many positive customer reviews!
Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours is just 25 minutes from the heart of New Orleans in the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. They offer a number of tour options that get you out in the swap and exploring the backwoods of the bayou.
While visiting New Orleans with our kids, we did a Cajun-style boat tour. It lasted an hour and 45 minutes, just the right amount of time for the kids. We had a wonderful, Cajun tour guide who shared a ton of information and made us laugh the entire ride. The best part of the swamp tour was, of course, the alligators! Since it was December, we were a little nervous they’d all be hibernating, but we saw about ten gators!
6601 Leo Kerner Lafitte Parkway
Marrero, Louisiana 70072
(504) 689-4186
2. Louisiana Children’s Museum
In the heart of City Park in New Orleans, sits the wonderful Louisiana Children’s Museum. The museum offers over 56,000 square feet of space for your little ones to run wild right alongside their imagination.
There is so much for kids of all ages to discover and explore. Children under four will love the Play With Me Area where they are able to crawl through turtle tunnels, do tummy time in the sensory lagoon, play dress-up at peek-a-boo theater, read a story in Cypress Tree Book Nook, and so much more. Young foodies will have a blast following their food from farm to table by harvesting produce at the farm, shopping for goods at the market, then preparing their masterpiece in the creole kitchen. Kids of all ages will have a blast making their mark on the world by creating jazzy tunes in the Jammin’ House and creating new cities in the Build Big Dreams exhibit. If the weather is nice, don’t forget to head outside for even more fun! Kids can Dig into Nature in the Out in the Park exhibit, make sweet music in the Music Hummock, and play with other kiddos and caregivers under the Rainbow play Parachute.
For lunch, grab a bite to eat at Acon Cafe, located right at the museum. They offer freshly prepared options that are sure to please even the pickiest of palates. Little ones are sure to enjoy the mac and cheese or classic hot dog while caregivers will love the selection of fresh salads or maybe the delicious shrimp roll. There are games and activities available to take to your table to keep everyone entertained while waiting for their food.
15 Henry Thomas Drive
New Orleans, LA 70124
(504) 523-1357
3. Cafe Du Monde in City Park
If you are planning a family trip to New Orleans, chances are snacking on tasty beignets from Cafe Du Monde are on your list of things to do. The original Cafe Du Monde sits in front of Jackson Square, on Decatur Street in the French Quarter, and has been serving beignets and coffee since 1862. But, did you know there are close to a dozen locations all over The Big Easy?
Save yourself the hour you’ll be waiting in line at the Cafe Du Monde in the French Market and head to the Cafe Du Monde in City Park. We waited for only about ten minutes to get our warm, sweet treats and coffee! The absolute best part about going to Cafe Du Monde in City Park with kids is it sits right next to a large playground and on the banks of a lovely little duck pond. Take your beignets to go and head over to the playground and grab a picnic table next to the pond. It’s a beautiful place to enjoy your snack and let the kids burn off some energy!
56 Dreyfous Dr.
New Orleans, LA 70124
(504) 766-0250
4. Storyland
Just like LCM and Cafe Du Monde, Storyland is located in New Orleans City Park. Within the walls of Storyland, your children’s favorite storybook characters come to life! There are over 25 larger than life exhibits waiting to be climbed on, explored, and played on.
Children are able to climb aboard Captain Hook's pirate ship, journey with Pinocchio into the mouth of a whale, or scamper up and slide down Jack & Jill's Hill. They can ride on an old fire engine or they can test their agility by crossing a pond on stepping stones. Paid admission to Storyland also includes admission to Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. Storyland has been bringing children’s imaginations to life for over 35 years and is a must-see when in New Orleans with kids!
1 Palm Dr.
New Orleans, LA 70124
(504) 483-9402
5. French Quarter
Regardless of anything else you are planning to do in New Orleans, a visit to the French Quarter is a must. This historic area is the heart of the city and is home to unique creole architecture by the French and Spanish, wonderful restaurants, cute boutiques, art galleries, antique stores, candy shops, more. The French Quarter is probably best known as a place to wet one’s whistle and listen to some jazz music, and there is plenty of that going on too. If you’re walking through the French Quarter with kids, consider steering clear of famed Bourbon Street. We strolled the street for a block or two on a Sunday afternoon and there was nothing kid-friendly going on. It just gets more and more risque as the day goes on and turns into night!
There are a number of French Quarter children’s tours that offer the perfect way to see the area, have fun, and get some history. The Creole Kid’s Tour takes them on an unforgettable 19th-century adventure! The Creole Kids Tour takes kids back to the “Golden Era” of New Orleans, the 1830s. Or there is the Spooky Tour where kids use ghost hunting techniques, and tools, to interact with our past in an unforgettable way. There are even tours just for teens where older kids can explore New Orleans through the eyes of a teenager and discuss the general geography, history, and culture of New Orleans’ past and see how it’s influenced it’s present.
(504) 975-5355
If you want to skip the tour and explore the French Quarter for yourself, make sure to take the kids to Jackson Square and The Presbytère, grab some gelato at La Divina Gelateria, and maybe take a horse-drawn carriage ride down Decatur Street.
6. The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
Located along the banks of the Mississippi River, just a few blocks from the French Quarter sits one of the best aquariums in the country. The Audubon Aquarium is home to 15,000 sea life creatures, representing nearly 600 species, living happily in this state-of-the-art facility.
The aquarium has a number of exhibits that get kids up close and personal with some fascinating creatures of the sea. The shark touch pool allows visitors to touch baby sharks, a rarely found white alligator, playful sea otters, funny penguins, hundreds of species of fish found all over the world, and much more. Marvel at the gigantic sharks and rays in the 400,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico Exhibit. Watch for sea turtles throughout the aquarium as coordinator of the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program, The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, prepare many of them for release to the wild.
The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
1 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 565-3033
7. Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
This unique and fascinating museum is a must when in New Orleans with kids. Voted one of the best museums in the country by CNN, the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium is North America’s largest museum devoted to insects and their relatives.
Discover why insects are the building blocks of all life on our planet and along the way, you’ll be shrunk to bug size in the Underground exhibit. Wander through a mysterious Louisiana swamp, inspect the Insects of New Orleans, learn more than you ever wanted to know about Termites, witness the magic of Metamorphosis, and catch some cool bugs from prehistoric times and modern day in the Main Hall.
The Butterfly Garden and Insectarium reside in the 170 year old U.S. Custom House on Canal Street in the heart of downtown New Orleans. While exploring the museum, make sure to take a look around at some of the original architecture as well.
Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
423 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 524-2847
8. Cemetery Tour
A trip to the cemetery may sound like a strange way to spend the day with the kiddos, but when in New Orleans, it is a must! Burying the city’s residents when it sits below sea level has its challenges. Early French settlers decided to entomb the departed in elaborate marble chambers above ground rather than actually burying loved ones. These fascinating and beautiful tombs have become a focal point of the city. Cemeteries in New Orleans are slightly spooky and packed with history as they are the final resting place for important figures in American history such as voodoo queen Marie Laveau, musician Al Hirt, and Civil War general P.G.T. Beauregard.
There are a number of guided cemetery tours offered in New Orleans. The most popular and oldest cemetery in the city, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 (1789), is only accessible by guided tour. Other popular cemeteries in New Orleans ready to be explored include Metairie Cemetery, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and Greenwood Cemetery & Mausoleum.
We opted for the unguided, free tour of Greenwood Cemetery & Mausoleum while in New Orleans with our kids. It’s located not far from City Park and was the perfect way to end our day spent in the park. It was way less crowded than some of the other, more well-known cemeteries in the city.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
425 Basin St
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 596-3050
Greenwood Cemetery & Mausoleum
120 City Park Ave
New Orleans, LA 7011
(504) 482-3232
9. Mississippi River Cruise
Creole Queen
The 880 passenger Paddlewheeler Creole Queen is New Orleans’ most luxurious daily excursion riverboat on the Mississippi River. There are a number of cruise options offered on the Creole Queen including the Historical Cruise, great for kids. This cruise, offered twice daily, is narrated by a local historian who takes guests on a journey through the story of the city as we sail downriver to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and the historic Chalmette Battlefield. Highlights of the tour include the founding of the city by the LeMoyne brothers, the expansion of the city into the “French Quarters” of the Treme and Marigny, the Louisiana Purchase, and the critical Battle of New Orleans. A one-hour shore excursion at the battlefield features a guided tour and talk by National Park Rangers
#1 Poydras
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(504) 587-1719
Steamboat Natchez
Get the kids out on the waters of the Mighty Mississippi with a tour on New Orlean’s only steamboat, Steamboat Natchez! The authentic steamboat offers a two-hour cruise departing from the French Quarter.
The Harbor Jazz Cruise is offered twice a day. The cruise offers Live narration of historical facts and highlights of the port, music by the Duke Heitger's Steamboat Stompers Jazz Trio, full bar, and optional casual buffet lunch, prepared fresh onboard. If you are looking for a unique and delicious way to spend your Sunday, hop aboard the Steamboat Natchez for their Sunday brunch cruise. Take in the sights from the deck, listen to lively jazz music, and feast on the buffet including items such as chicken and sausage gumbo, shrimp and grits, and a waffle station.
400 Toulouse Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 586-8777
10. Mardi Gras World
While the actual events at Mardi Gras might not be kid-friendly, Mardi Gras World in New Orleans sure is! Mardi Gras World, formally Kern Studios, has been building floats for Mardi Gras since 1947. Tours began in the 1980s after so many private tours were continuously asked for over the years.
Today the tour of Mardi Gras World offers a history of Mardi Gras and a walk through the den where artists work year-round to build some of the largest and most amazing parade floats and props in the world. Get up close to the floats, meet the artists, try on costumes, and end the tour with delicious King Cake!
1380 Port of New Orleans Place
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 361-7821
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