1. Absorbing History and Architecture
Hop on St. Charles Avenue, Canal Street, or Riverfront streetcars to explore the more than 300-year-old city that is split by the Mississippi River and surrounded by lakes, bayous, and bays. Admire the architecture in over 20 historic districts, more than any other city in the USA.
See mansions on St. Charles Avenue, opulent estates in the Garden District, and a revolving carousel bar at Hotel Monteleone. In the heart of the French Quarter, you’ll want to linger in lively Jackson Square.
After admiring artists’ work hanging on the iron fence and, perhaps, getting your fortune told, cross the street to visit the 18th century St. Louis Cathedral, the USA’s oldest continually operating cathedral. For a different perspective, tour the area aboard the Natchez steamboat or the Creole Queen paddle wheeler.
2. Best New Orleans Amusement Park You Can Visit
2.1. Six Flags, Amusement Park New Orleans
It’s hard to believe Six Flags Amusement Park Photo by Jennifer Shishmanian on Unsplash New Orleans was ever anything but abandoned. The brief span of its active life, from its opening date on May 20, 2000, to its impromptu and unexpected closure on August 21, 2005, is eclipsed by the 17 years it has spent vacant since.
Now, with roller coasters wreathed in Smilax thorns and the ever-present threat of alligators lurking in the underbrush, it feels more like a fictionalized version of an amusement park – perhaps the hideout for a villain, or the setting for a nightmare.
It seems inconceivable that an entire 220-acre amusement park would be left to fade back into a swampy jungle like some forgotten Aztec ruin, and yet it simultaneously feels inevitable: Six Flags New Orleans has the atmosphere of something that materialized in our world solely to serve as a shadowy reflection of the commercialization of fun.
It peers at us through the thicket, with the steel spines of its roller coasters arching above the trees like the fossils of gargantuan serpents, challenging us to confront the reality that in less than a month a symbol of prosperity, hope, and optimism can transform into a grim reminder of a tragedy that ended over 1,800 lives.
2.2. Carousel Gardens Amusement Park
Situated within New Orleans’ beautiful City Park, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park is a delightful escape for visitors of all ages.
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”.
Season Passholders get the best bang for their buck! Sign up for our digital-pass platform to be able to purchase, register and store your passes and daily tickets on your mobile device.
2.3. Adventure Quest Laser Tag
For those seeking a unique and interactive adventure, Adventure Quest Laser Tag is the place to be. Adventure Quest Laser Tag is the ultimate fun center for birthday parties, corporate events, and functions featuring a 6,000 square feet multi-level laser tag arena set in Mayan ruins! They also offer cosmic golf, bumper cars, and the hottest arcade games in town.
Adventure Quest laser tag features a 6,000 sq ft multi-level laser tag arena set in a Mayan ruins theme. You can also enjoy our 9-hole cosmic mini golf played under black lights and bumper cars!
We also have the hottest arcade games in town including Dance Dance Revolution and Deal or No Deal! Click here to check it out! Whether you are looking for the most memorable birthday party or just a day of non-stop action and laughs, Adventure Quest has something for everyone!
2.4. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
Located on the Mississippi River adjacent to the French Quarter, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is consistently top-ranked and voted as one of the top five in the country in the USA Today “10Best” reader poll, and ranked as one of the top things to do in New Orleans.
The Aquarium transports visitors to an underwater world from the Caribbean to the Amazon Rainforest, to the waters that give New Orleans its lifeblood: the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.
With more than 3,600 animals from more than 250 species, including endangered species, such as African penguins, and rare animals, such as white alligators, the Aquarium offers you an experience you’ll never forget.
2.5. Cool Zoo
Cool Zoo, the wild and wet splash park, is one of the top water parks in New Orleans. It is the hot spot for kids to cool down at Audubon Zoo. Highlights include jumping water spouts, a huge alligator water slide, a spider monkey soaker, water-spitting snakes, and now featuring Gator Run, a lazy river.
Make sure to pay a visit to the Roman Candy cart, to grab a stick or two of their famous, handmade taffy. For after-hours fun, rent out the Cool Zoo for your private party!
2.6. Scout Island Scream Park
City Park’s Scout Island is made up of towering oaks, swampy woods, and placid lagoons, which makes for a spooky atmosphere after dark. Once again this year, it will transform into New Orleans’ only Halloween festival called Scout Island Scream Park.
The park will be loaded with creepy monsters, dazzling illusions, intricate costumes, special effects, and animation to create the ultimate haunted experience. Scout Island Scream Park will be family-friendly during the day, with a pumpkin patch and hay rides, but will transition into a terrifying adults-only event after dark.
2.7. Storyland
Storyland is an enchanted playground that has been in New Orleanians’ backyards since the 1950s. In Storyland, children can climb aboard Captain Hook’s pirate ship, adventure into the mouth of Pinocchio’s whale, or scamper up Jack & Jill’s hill.
This outdoor, fairy-tale playground is a child’s dream come true 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.
2.8. New Orleans City Park
Serving as New Orleans’ largest outdoor attraction since 1854, City Park is one of the oldest parks in the country. With its iconic oak trees and picturesque moss canopies, this 1,300-acre green space brings in millions of visitors each year. People come from near and far to enjoy the beautiful trails and scenery, as well as the endless amount of vendors, museums, and activities within the park itself.
With multiple themed gardens, biking and walking paths, live concerts, an amusement park, and the World’s largest grove of mature live oak trees, City Park has something for everyone!
2.8.1. Just for Kids
Families love to bring their kids for a day of outdoor fun at City Park because everything is kid-friendly. In fact, the park holds a few attractions created specifically with kids in mind.
For young ones who love a good fairy tail, Storyland is a storybook-themed playground with over 25 giant sculptures from all your favorite bedtime stories.
Kids also love the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, where you’ll find over 15 different rides for kids of all ages. You can even take a ride on the park’s historic, handcrafted carousel which is one of only 100 in the country!
2.8.2. Cafe Du Monde
The French Quarter favorite has found an additional home in New Orleans City Park. Before a visit to NOMA or a family-friendly day at Storyland make a visit to Cafe du Monde for a taste of the perfectly powdered pastries that New Orleans is well-known for.
2.8.3. Golf of all kinds
In addition to its spacious 18-hole golf course, City Park offers a New Orleans-themed mini golf course called City Putt. City Putt has two courses, one with a New Orleans theme and one with a Louisiana theme. Each course is 18 holes. And if that’s not enough, the park has its Disc Golf course, taking players through scenic routes of live oak trees, lagoons, and bridges.
2.8.4. Botanical Garden
The New Orleans Botanical Garden has grown and developed since the 1930s. Open year-round, the gardens hold 12 acres of colorful flowers, greenery, and art. You can also explore The Helis Foundation Enrique Alferez Sculpture Garden, an 8,000 sq. foot sculpture garden with works from Enrique Alferez.
2.8.5. Fishing and Boat rental
At City Park, you can explore the area by land or by water! There are 11 lagoons located around the park with bass, catfish, and perch in abundance for fishing opportunities. Around Big Lake, you can also rent a bike or paddleboat to explore the park in different ways.
2.8.6. The New Orleans Museum of Art
Wrapped inside the borders of City Park stands the exquisite NOMA, the city’s oldest art institution with famous works from all over America, France, Japan, and more! And just outside of the museum, you can take a walk through The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, a five-acre garden with over 60 uniquely designed sculptures displayed among the 200 hundred-year-old oak trees.
2.8.7. The Festival Grounds
First opened in 2012, the Festival Grounds is a 50-acre space with sports fields, a bike path, an exercise area, wetlands, and other areas used for recreational activities year-round. And come festival season, the Grounds are a popular spot to host springtime events from private parties to live concert series!
In addition to these points of interest, City Park has an endless amount of trails, bike, and running paths, green space, and many other hidden gems worth exploring. Check out the listings below to see some of the variety offered! Check out their website, here.
3. Conclusion
New Orleans is a city that never fails to captivate its visitors, and its amusement parks add an extra layer of excitement to the experience. Whether you’re seeking the thrill of roller coasters, the charm of antique carousels, or the adrenaline rush of laser tag, New Orleans has it all.
So, pack your bags, put on your adventure hat, and get ready to embrace the magic and excitement of the amusement parks that await you in the Big Easy.
