Since our journey guides to Charleston with youngsters and Palm Springs with youngsters have elicited requests for extra journey concepts with youngsters, we’re again with an overdue recap of our 3-night journey to New Orleans. We’d by no means been to The Huge Straightforward earlier than and have been impressed by how family-friendly the town is. It’s not all booze, beads, and Bourbon Road! So right here’s a take a look at the place we stayed, what we did, and what we’re excited to do subsequent time we return – as a result of we will certainly return!
The 4 of us (nicely, 5 in case you depend our chihuahua!) went to NOLA for 3 nights in November of 2022. On the time, our youngsters have been 8 and 12 years previous. So sadly we are able to’t vouch for our solutions being a great match for toddlers or youthful kids. Though I’m certain ours would’ve liked the Louisiana Kids’s Museum and Storyland playground again within the day!
Why Trip In New Orleans With Youngsters?
New Orleans is a one-of-a-kind metropolis in america due to its numerous cultural influences, together with French, Spanish, and African heritages. It’s recognized for its music, meals, festivals, artwork, and even for ghost excursions & the historical past of voodoo. It presents all kinds of sights and actions for all ages, and its distinctive structure and flavors typically make it really feel such as you’ve traveled to a complete new nation!
We selected it for lots of the causes above, and now that we stay within the Florida Panhandle, it’s solely a brief drive away. We heard so many good issues about it from associates and neighbors that we rapidly added it to our “should go to” checklist after shifting right here.
When To Go to New Orleans
Unsurprisingly, the most well-liked time to go to New Orleans is round their world-famous Mardi Gras celebration (sometimes in February or March), however since we have been going with our youngsters and aiming for a extra laid again expertise, we selected a much less busy time for our inaugural go to (November). Coming within the late fall is an effective way to keep away from the new, muggy summer season months. Plus we bought to see some vacation decorations begin to pop up round New Orleans! A lot of stunning wreaths have been held on the historic previous properties too.
The one draw back to visiting in November was that it was a bit chilly and wet someday (which is why you’ll see heavy coats on in a few of these pics). Fortunately, by the top of our go to, we have been carrying shorts once more. Good factor we’re used to fickle climate right here on the Gulf Coast! However subsequent time we’d time our go to for September or October after we’re extra prone to get hotter climate.
The place We Stayed In New Orleans
Our household loves discovering walkable cities to trip in (that’s another excuse we liked Charleston a lot). So we selected to remain in this artsy Airbnb in Uptown New Orleans close to the Backyard District. It’s situated proper on Journal Road, one of many principal procuring districts in New Orleans. That meant we might entry tons of eating places, shops, and parks with out getting in our automotive. Plus, it solely a brief drive or steetcar trip to the French Quarter. It was an superior location!
The Airbnb itself was enjoyable and colourful, with plenty of cool murals and daring wallpaper. Our children liked drawing on the large whiteboard within the hallway and we appreciated that it was additionally dog-friendly. We suggest bringing a sound machine as a result of the entrance bedrooms face Journal St and there may be some avenue noise, however nothing loopy. The Airbnb is situated on the second flooring (the primary flooring is a shoe retailer) however we heard mainly nothing from under.
Our favourite a part of the Airbnb was undoubtedly its location. Not solely did we’ve got quick access to Journal Road, we additionally might simply peruse stunning areas just like the Backyard District, St. Charles Avenue, and Audubon Park. The structure within the Crescent Metropolis is simply so distinctive, we might’ve spent all day simply strolling round homes!
Once we come again, we’ll keep in an analogous space for certain – in all probability someplace between St. Charles Ave and Journal Road. The one purpose we’ll in all probability decide a special Airbnb is as a result of we all the time love making an attempt new homes!
What We Did In New Orleans With Youngsters
We are typically extra go-with-the-flow vacationers, slightly than cram-in-all-the-sights vacationers. A number of our 3-day journey to New Orleans was spent winding our method to numerous meals & locations, simply taking within the sights alongside the best way. However don’t fear, we hit up some must-see spots too. Right here’s a fast overview of our favourite kid-friendly actions.
Stroll & Window Store On Journal Road
Journal Road is a six-mile walkable stretch of eating places and outlets, each native and chain. We spent one night and the next morning leisurely exploring about half of it. From our Airbnb close to Napolean Ave, we largely walked East towards downtown. One among our youngsters’ favourite outlets was Lionheart Prints, thanks largely to this mesmerizing wall of colourful pens and markers.
We additionally all had a good time exploring H. Rault Locksmiths. Sounds unusual, I do know, however it is a practically 200-year-old locksmith that has fascinating collections of previous locks and different architectural salvage.
Our children particularly liked this bin of tiny novelty keys.
Another favourite stops have been Peaches Data & Tapes and our daughter actually liked trying out Buffalo Trade. It had a very good vary of secondhand clothes after we ducked inside, and it ignited her love of thrift retailer procuring, which remains to be going robust two years later.
Discover The Backyard District
I’m in all probability utilizing the time period “Backyard District” a bit typically, however the neighborhoods between our Airbnb and St. Charles Avenue (which is a part of the Mardi Gras parade route) have been enjoyable to stroll round. Along with the charming properties, there have been random bookstores, cafes, and eating places that we’d pop into alongside the best way.
St. Charles Avenue reminded us a whole lot of the downtown space of our former city, Richmond, Virginia. There are stunning, enormous bushes, gorgeous homes, and – oh yeah! – an iconic streetcar that goes down the center of the highway!
I really went for a run yet another alongside the streetcar tracks and it was considered one of my all-time favourite runs. The tracks aren’t electrified and the road vehicles are comparatively sluggish & rare, so plenty of folks use the world (known as the “impartial floor”) for jogging or strolling. Clearly, simply keep conscious of your environment and step off to the aspect each time a streetcar is approaching.
Oh, and for any of my fellow MTV era youngsters on the market, chances are you’ll acknowledge that massive home a few pictures up because the one from Actual World: New Orleans.
Go to Audubon Park
New Orleans’ Metropolis Park is its largest and hottest public park, however our Airbnb was nearer to the smaller Audubon Park. It’s nonetheless a lot massive and is even dwelling to the Audubon Zoo. We didn’t have time to go to the zoo, however there’s nonetheless a lot else to get pleasure from within the park. They’ve bought playgrounds, fountains, tennis courts, a golf course, and an ideal paved strolling & biking path. There are additionally picnic shelters and big shady bushes to seize lunch underneath.
The southern finish of Audubon Park borders the Mississippi River so there are additionally views of the water with close by playgrounds and sports activities fields.
Experience A Streetcar
The St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line is the oldest repeatedly operated streetcar line on this planet… and it’s only a quick stroll from Journal Road. A trip is just $1.25 for adults and $0.50 for youngsters, so our complete household rode it to the French Quarter and again for under $7! You’ll be able to pay in money, or obtain the Le Cross app. There are many clearly marked stops alongside St. Charles Ave and the trip to the turnaround level at Canal Road took about half-hour.
Driving the streetcar felt like a step again in time and a pleasant leisurely method to see extra of the town. But it surely’s nonetheless an lively public transit system so be conscious of the locals utilizing it to get to work.
Expertise The French Quarter
NOLA’s French Quarter might be its best-known and hottest vacationer vacation spot. You would write a complete publish nearly issues to do, see, and eat within the French Quarter. We spent a day there after trying out of our Airbnb, and it was actually like visiting one other nation. Want we might have spent extra time there. We undoubtedly can be again.
Even within the daytime, there’s an thrilling vitality with artists, performers, and musicians on virtually each nook. We parked in one of many paid public heaps and spent a enjoyable couple of hours popping into outlets, exploring totally different streets, and listening to some nice stay music alongside the best way. We stayed between the river and Royal Road (pictured right here) as a result of we heard Bourbon Road (one block additional up) isn’t all the time as kid-friendly.
The historic centerpiece of the French Quarter is Jackson Sq.. The fenced sq. isn’t dog-friendly (we had our pup with us since we had already checked out of our Airbnb) however we nonetheless bought to benefit from the open-air artist market across the perimeter. Throughout the road is the enduring espresso and beignet store known as Cafe du Monde and the artisan cubicles of the French Market.
We have been within the French Quarter the morning earlier than Thanksgiving, so it was pretty busy with vacation holidays. For these unaccustomed to busy cities, it is perhaps a bit overwhelming. So that you may wish to plan for a much less busy day if you wish to keep away from crowds.
Examine Out The Audubon Aquarium
When rain washed out our plans one afternoon, we fortunately checked out the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas downtown for a enjoyable indoor exercise. This was in 2022 earlier than its current renovation added the Audubon Insectarium and butterfly backyard as nicely. However even then it had tons of enjoyable options like contact tanks, digital actuality experiences, and extra.
As an grownup, I additionally loved visiting an area aquarium that taught me a bit extra in regards to the distinctive ecosystems of Louisiana and the Mississippi River. In the event you plan to go to the zoo and aquarium, you should definitely purchase your tickets on the identical time – you’ll obtain a reduction!
The place We Ate In New Orleans
New Orleans has a well-known culinary scene, and the meals was nice! We simply discovered some nice eating places that all of us liked. That is undoubtedly not a fancy-foodie checklist of the most well liked “must-eat” eating places in New Orleans – however in case you’re touring with younger diners, these have been a few of our favourite locations to seize a chunk.
French Truck Espresso
We walked to breakfast at French Truck Espresso one morning (the placement on Dryades St) and had the yummiest breakfast on their patio. The children had waffles and my solely remorse is that Sherry and I hadn’t began ingesting espresso but as a result of it smelled scrumptious in there! We’ll be again.
Dat Canine
One other place I’m excited to return to is Dat Canine, which is a cool scorching canine spot with actually cool out of doors eating. It was fairly low-key on the chilly November evening we went, however we are able to think about it being tremendous full of life and enjoyable in higher climate. I bought their particular Thanskgiving-themed scorching canine and it DID NOT disappoint!
There are a number of areas in New Orleans, however we went to the Freret Road location. Their footage on-line offer you a good suggestion of its vibe.
Cafe Beignet
You’ll be able to’t come to New Orleans and never get beignets. Cafe du Monde might be probably the most well-known spot to get these heat powdery pastries, nevertheless it had a very lengthy line so we ended up grabbing some from Cafe Beignet, which has a handy location on Canal Road close to the top of the streetcar line.
I’m no beignet connoisseur however my evaluate can be 5 stars, no complaints. And it was actually enjoyable to trip a streetcar and hop off for some New Orleans beignets. Another iconic New Orleans dishes embody gumbo and crimson beans & rice, so we’ll should get some after we return.
Sucré
To maintain our youngsters’ energized on our day strolling Journal Road, we popped into a ravishing candy store known as Sucré (there are different areas within the metropolis too). We shared some gelato and macarons for a pleasant sugar enhance, whereas absorbing its Artwork Deco decor.
La Boulangerie
One other cease on Journal Road was a French bakery cafe known as La Boulangerie that’s recognized for its breads and pastries. It was fairly busy, however we have been in a position to snag a desk outdoors and deal with ourselves to (extra) yummy carbs.
Barracuda
My principal remorse from our journey was getting takeout from Barracuda Taco Stand (to eat at our Airbnb) as a substitute of eating in individual. The climate was a bit chilly so dragging everybody out to a “margarita backyard” on a darkish November evening didn’t sound engaging. However after I went to choose up the meals it appeared like a enjoyable place to hang around (they usually had out of doors heaters!). The meals was nonetheless scrumptious after we ate it at our Airbnb, however I want we had gone to the restaurant. Subsequent time!
Empanola
Empanola was a cute little empanada place on Journal Road that provided us some fast gasoline on our procuring day. There have been a ton of flavors of empanadas to select from, they usually have been heat and scrumptious.
Different Child-Pleasant Actions In New Orleans
We will certainly be going again to New Orleans! There’s a lot we didn’t get an opportunity to do but (and plenty of stuff above that we wish to do once more!). So listed here are among the issues we’d add to our itinerary subsequent time:
Mardi Gras World
This self-guided tour grants you behind-the-scenes entry to the artist studios the place the extravagant Mardi Gras parade floats and decorations are made. It seems like an effective way to expertise Mardi Gras with out coming throughout that wild week of precise Mardi Gras.
Metropolis Park
The most important inexperienced area in New Orleans is Metropolis Park, situated north of Downtown. It’s twice as giant as New York’s Central Park and has every part from an Artwork Museum, Botanical Backyard, and Sculpture Backyard to sights like mini golf and even a small amusement park.
Nationwide WWII Museum
The sprawling Nationwide World Battle II Museum could not appear to be a spot to take your youngsters, however the TripAdvisor evaluations are stellar for folks of all ages. Households say its enjoyable, interactive, instructional, and eye-opening. It seems like one other nice rainy-day different to the Aquarium!
Riverboat Cruise
A number of firms, like Steamboat Natchez, provide daytime and night cruises alongside the Mississippi River full with stay jazz music and a meal. This looks as if a enjoyable method to see the town on an enthralling previous paddlewheel boat.
Swamp Tour
Barely outdoors the town are boat and kayak excursions of the swamp the place you possibly can spot wildlife, together with alligators. Cajun Encounters appears to be a preferred choice as a result of their flat-bottom boats aren’t as loud as airboats. In addition they provide transport from the French Quarter.
Ghost Tour
This ghost tour firm presents a family-friendly tour that guarantees a enjoyable glimpse into New Orleans’ haunted aspect with out being too spooky. It appears like a cool method to be taught some historical past whereas protecting the children entertained.
Issues To Do In New Orleans With Youngsters: A Abstract
In the event you’re somebody who likes having a listing of issues to do, here’s a fast bulleted abstract of all the sights, eats, and actions we mentioned above.
Different Child-Pleasant Journeys We’ve Taken
In the event you’re involved in our tackle different locations or are searching for family-friendly journeys, you may also get pleasure from these posts:
