Summer is in full swing, and we bet you have some kids at home who are getting bored. Instead of handing them an iPad, take them out to do some fun activities around the city! Here are our top 20 picks of things to do this summer in New Orleans with your kids:
- Louisiana Children’s Museum Indoors and out, there are tons of hands-on ways to learn literacy, health and wellness, arts and culture, environmental education, and STEM.
- Audubon Zoo / Cool Zoo See rare and endangered animals in award-winning natural habitat exhibits. Highlights include the Louisiana Swamp exhibit, lions, elephants, and orangutans. (Additional fees for cool zoo)
- Audubon Aquarium Reach into the ocean at the Shark Discovery touchpool, see colorful fish in the Great Maya Reef tunnel, and watch a colony of African penguins play.
- Audubon Insectarium Experience the amazing animals that add beauty and diversity to our world! A must-see is the Butterfly Garden exhibit with breathtaking views of the Mississippi River and hundreds of butterflies.
- NORD Public Pools All pools are fully accessible and staffed with friendly, professional lifeguards. Check your local pool for hours.
- Story Time at a New Orleans Public Library: Read, sing, talk, write, and play together in a format designed for children from birth to 5 years old and their caregivers.
- Carousel Gardens Amusement Park Featuring 18 rides guaranteed to put a smile on your face and two cafes with food made fresh to serve, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park offers something for everyone. It is also home to one of the oldest carousels in the US, also known as the “Flying Horses”.
- Storyland is an outdoor, fairy-tale playground that is a child’s dream come true. It is filled with 18 larger-than-life storybook sculptures featuring classic characters from Grimm and Mother Goose nursery rhymes and trickster character-induced folktales from around the world. Children can have fun, play, and learn, all while running under the shade of City Park’s majestic oak tree canopies.
- City Putt City Putt is ADA accessible and located across from the entrance to Carousel Gardens, Storyland, and the Botanical Garden. The 36-hole mini-golf complex has two courses.
- Beignets and Stanley Ray Playground City Park Conservancy is committed to giving your family a safe and fun place to keep your kids active and experience outdoor play. The Park is filled with various playgrounds and play structures for kids of all ages to enjoy.
- Grab a Sno-Ball Some of these locations have more than just sno-balls. Many stands now have nachos and other snacks on hand, too. But, no matter where you are in the city – you can find a fantastic snowball nearby!
- See a movie at Prytania Theatre. The Prytania Theatre is over 100 years old and is the longest continually operated theatre in the South. It has been operated by the Brunet family for over 25 years, and they have been operating theatres in the New Orleans area for over 130 years! At any moment, you can find three generations of the Brunet family working in the theatre.
- JAMNOLA: Our immersive 17 exhibits of pure joy showcase the iconic art, music, food, and theatrics of the city through the eyes of over 30 local artists.
- Mardi Gras World When you begin your Mardi Gras World tour, you’ll get an overview of the history of Mardi Gras in New Orleans before continuing through our float den, where our artists work year-round to build spectacular floats and props. You never get this close to the floats while they’re rolling in Mardi Gras parades, and this is certainly the only place to see how these amazing pieces come to life each year.
- Music Box Village The Music Box Village is where play, imagination, experimentation, collaboration, community, and hard work come together as a whimsical village of artist-made interactive “musical houses.” Each installation is inspired by the unique musical and architectural culture of our home city of New Orleans and represents a collaborative process between artists based here and abroad.
- Sky Zone Trampoline Park Visit our park to jump, spin, flip, play, and a whole lot more.
- Bowling Grab your friends and take them bowling! Order tasty snacks and drinks, relax, and have a good time. There is also a program called Kids Bowl Free during the summer. All you have to do is register on their website, and you can bowl for free when slots are available! https://www.kidsbowlfree.com/
- Boulder Lounge Class The turtles youth team program strives to engage, educate, and empower young people through climbing. We focus on teaching youth how to cultivate a healthy relationship with their physical, mental, and emotional growth. Our youth team members learn healthy goal setting and how to define and achieve their own achievements of success.
- Clue Carré Clue Carré is New Orleans’ First Live Escape Game named after the French Quarter, aka the Vieux Carré. You and your friends, family, or colleagues are locked in a room together. Your Goal? Find the clues, crack the codes, and solve the puzzles to escape the room in 60 minutes or less.
- Train Garden The Historic New Orleans Train Garden is one of the Park’s hidden gems, tucked away in a vibrant, lush corner of the Botanical Garden. The Train Garden features typical New Orleans home and building architecture made with botanical materials, and replicas of streetcars and trains that wind around the track. Trains operate Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-4:30pm
Have a fun summer, and try to stay cool!
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