Is New Orleans a Good Place for a Family Vacation?
Yes! Despite its reputation for raucous nightlife, New Orleans is a fantastic family destination, full of interesting museums, architecture, art, music and history. Inspire your young musicians at Preservation Hall or at The Spotted Cat on St. Claude Avenue. Watch the entertaining buskers in Jackson Square and along Royal Street. Check out a free concert in Armstrong Park. Ride the streetcar, go on a swamp tour or cruise on a steamboat. Hit the zoo or Storyland, check out the many museums and the aquarium or take a walking tour specially designed for young ears. Here, in a handy New Orleans family travel guide, are the answers to your questions about family travel in New Orleans and what you must see and do.
Is the French Quarter Family-Friendly?
Safe, family-friendly and fun, the French Quarter offers something for everyone. Of course, you’ll be dazzled by the neighborhoods elegant architecture and wowed by its storied history, but it’s the green spaces, casual, all-ages-appropriate dining, aquarium and live jazz that will have your family begging for more. A few favorites: Café du Monde for iconic beignets, meeting more than 15,000 marine creatures at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and a bevy of bugs at the Audubon Insectarium, biting into a New Orleans po-boy at Johnny’s Po-Boys, listening to live jazz at Preservation Hall and even, for the older kiddos, taking a ghost tour.
Is the French Quarter Safe?
A good question to ask when traveling with young family members. The crime in the French Quarter is typically of the petty variety – pickpocketing, purse snatching and scamming. Use common sense and extra caution during crowded times, such as Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. The safest areas are Burgundy and Dauphine. Muggings are rare, but do occasionally occur, so particularly around Bourbon Street after dark, keep your wits about you. And you expect aggressive con artists and panhandlers. Pay attention to your surroundings and your wallet close.
What Is the Best Month to Visit New Orleans?
To avoid high heat and humidity, plus the threat of hurricanes, the best month to visit New Orleans with your family is between February and May. There are celebrations happening everywhere you look and the temperatures are comfortable. December and January are the calmer months, if you prefer a quieter city experience. Want to save money on hotel rooms? Brave the heat of summer or fall.
What Is the Best Area for Families to Stay in New Orleans?
Consider these family-friendly neighborhoods, with countless accommodations options, when visiting New Orleans:
Convention Center/Arts District
Even if you’re not here for a conference, to which your family tagged along, a hotel in the Convention Center area or Arts District is ideal for sightseeing. You’re within walking distance of the French Quarter, the Aquarium of the America’s and the St. Charles Streetcar, which will take you to the Garden District. The Louisiana Children’s Museum, the National World War II Museum (don’t miss the on-site Jeri Nim’s Soda Shop for milkshakes) and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art are all in this neighborhood.
Uptown/Garden District
For a quieter neighborhood, urban nature and great food, choose a hotel in Uptown or the Garden District. Take a ride on the historic St. Charles Streetcar to get your bearings (a Jazzy Pass will give you unlimited access all day). The Audubon Zoo is nearby, with its rare and famous white alligator, as well as Audubon Park.
Mid-City/Esplanade Ridge
Feel what it’s like to be a city dweller with a stay in Mid-City or Esplanade Ridge, near the huge City Park. Take a tour of the Botanical Gardens, visit the Sculpture Garden or check out the masterpieces at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
French Quarter
For that quintessential New Orleans experience stay in the Vieux Carré – but we do suggest asking for a room that faces an inner courtyard to cut down on the noise from the Bourbon Street revelers. The kids will be fascinated with the street musicians, mule-drawn carriage rides, steamboats and, of course, those tempting beignet shops.
What Can Families Do in New Orleans?
Louisiana Children’s Museum
Make art, learn about the flavors of New Orleans, watch a puppet show or a short play, get the wiggles out on the climbing wall and dig in the dirt at the 30,000-square-foot Louisiana Children’s Museum. Kids can get an up-close look at the wildlife of City Park, bang on the steel drums in the garden and learn about the mighty Mississippi.
Take a Walking Tour of the French Quarter
French Quartour Kids offers a variety of fun and engaging walking tours for kids of all ages. Choose a spooky tour with kid-friendly ghost hunts in the French Quarter, a Creole kids tour that takes you back to the 1830s and even a music tour for kids that teaches all about Congo Square, Storyville and Rampart Street. Once your walking tour is complete, hang out in lively Jackson Square, surrounded by the historic St. Louis Cathedral and Pontalba apartments and watch street musicians while you feast on beignets.
Café du Monde
Indulge in the classic beignets of New Orleans at the iconic Café du Monde. These French-style doughnuts, square in shape, are generously covered in powdered sugar – and are mightily delicious. Get in line – it moves quickly – and order more than you think you’ll want!
Preservation Hall and Jazz Band
Treat the family to a night of live traditional New Orleans Jazz at Preservation Hall. There are concerts featuring local musicals just about every day and night of the year.
National World War II Museum
This massive museum might teach your kids more in one day than a week of history class at school. All ages will be impacted by the interactive exhibits, war artifacts, solider and civilian stories and airplanes from World War II. Learn about the Normandy Invasion, the battles of the Pacific Islands and America’s role on the Home Front. Experience what it’s like to go to war when you tour the immersive Union Pacific Train Station exhibit. And marvel at the reproduction of the Higgins boat that brought the Allied soldiers to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
One of the best aquariums in the United States, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas boasts 15,000 sea creatures from almost 600 species. On the banks of the Mississippi River, the aquarium features a Caribbean Reef tunnel for a diver’s-eye view of the marine life, a Seahorses Gallery and the rare and endangered white alligator from a Louisiana swamp (only 18 of these creatures were ever discovered). Touch a shark, come eye-to-eye with an anaconda and giggle at the colorful and exotic birds of the rain forest.
Audubon Zoo
Sister to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, the Audubon Zoo features 58 acres of animal habitats, including Jean and Panya, the resident elephants, a Komodo dragon, a rare white tiger, bears, monkeys, orangutans, elks and more. Animals have been on the site since the 1884 World Exposition in Audubon Park and you’ll notice elements of yesteryear as you walk through the zoo, including Monkey Hill, built to show the kids of New Orleans what a hill looks like! Check out the Cajun houseboat the alligator-full lagoon, walk across a rope bridge and ooh and aah at baby animals in the nursery.
Audubon Louisiana Nature Center
Considered one of the top five urban nature centers in the United States, the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center is an eye-opening, hands-on experience for families. It’s just 20 minutes from downtown, but feels worlds away with its three miles of forest trails, greenhouse, Judith W. Freeman Astronomy Center and more. Learn all about the state’s flora and fauna in a beautiful setting.
Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
Sensing a theme? Pretty much any attraction that starts with the word “Audubon” in New Orleans is a worthy destination for families. The butterfly exhibit is the largest of its kind in the country, plus there are countless exhibits about all kinds of creepy crawly things.
New Orleans City Park
You’ll know New Orleans City Park from visiting Café du Monde, but plan to stay awhile to enjoy the rest of this 1,300-acre green space, an alternative to Audubon Park. Play and picnic beneath century-old oak trees and moss canopies, walk the trails, wander the gardens, go hiking, attend a concert or visit the amusement park. Check out the storybook-themed playground, Storyland, with Captain Hook’s pirate ship and the whale from Pinocchio, and don’t miss the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park’s historic carousel.
New Orleans Museum of Art and Sculpture Garden
Budding artists will love the New Orleans Museum of Art and Besthoff Sculpture Garden, one of the finest art establishments in Louisiana. Look for French and American art throughout the family-friendly museum, including works by French Impressionist Edgar Degas, Picasso, Renoir, Matisse, Monet, Georgia O’Keefe and others. The five-acre sculpture garden is dreamy to walk through, with its notable installations, yes, but also its lagoons, 200-year-old live oaks draped with Spanish moss, magnolias, camellias and bridges. In addition to the art gallery, there are kid-focused art workshops and classes.
Take a Swamp Tour
Louisiana’s mysterious swamplands are part of its legend and lore, so join a bayou or swamp tour to learn all about them – you might even see some gators! Just a half-hour outside New Orleans, you’ll find Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Reserve, where you can walk along the Mississippi River and search for wildlife. Another fun option is to paddle around on the Bayou St. John, learning about the local history and seeing various neighborhoods along the way.
Cruise on the Steamboat Natchez
Kids ages 6 and under ride this historic steamboat for free, so make plans to hop aboard and take a sightseeing tour or opt for a fun dinner jazz cruise. Take a peek at the engine room to see the inner workings of the 100-year-old steam engine.
Play in the Park
Need to run the kids? Head to Crescent Park, 20 acres of landscapes gardens and walking paths on the riverfront. Bonus: The views of downtown are lovely from here. Or, visit the 32-acre Louis Armstrong Park in the Treme neighborhood near the French Quarter.
Get Cultured
Want more art, music and dance? Visit the
Where Should My Family Eat in New Orleans
After all that sightseeing, you’ll have some hungry kiddos on your hands. Read through our New Orleans family travel guide for restaurant choices and satisfy their little palettes and your more refined tastes, enjoying everything from Louisiana Creole cuisine to po boys:
Molly’s Rise and Shine
Start the day right with a Grand Slam McMuffin, Sweet Potato Burrito and a virgin bloody mary at Molly’s Rise and Shine.
Barracuda
Pick up tacos – and possibly hit the margarita garden – for a quick lunch at this neighborhood taco stand.
Willa Jean
At Willa Jean, kids are always welcome, while parents will appreciate the modern, yet charming dining room serving an ever-evolving lineup of Southern-inspired dishes.
District: Donuts. Sliders. Brew
It’s all in the name – join the hipsters at this Magazine Street hotspot for its unusual menu dominated by coffee, specialty donuts and sliders (donut flavors change daily). As for the sliders, they come in cheeseburger, fried chicken, tofu and other varieties.
Dat Dog
A New Orleans institution, you’ll find Dat Dog locations in Marigny, the garden district and Uptown. Pick up a local or international sausage and hang around a bit for the friendly, fun atmosphere.
High Hat Café
Treat the family to a traditional southern meal – think BBQ shrimp, fried catfish, hush puppies and gumbo – at High Hat Café. The catfish is US-raised and the shrimp and fish is all hyper local.