NEW ORLEANS FOR CHILDREN - Attractions

It’s summer. It’s hot, humid and sticky outside. But you’re only in New Orleans for so long and you’ve got to do something. BigEasy.com has come up with a few suggestions to cope with the heat. Below are some ideas for summer fun in the Big Easy.

AQUARIUM OF THE AMERICAS

One of the best ways to beat the heat is to head to the water. To do this in the Big Easy, go downtown by the river but stop short and go to the aquarium, which is equipped with A/C, and oceans of water. Just the idea is cooling.

Drop by some of the creatures from cooler waters to maximize the effect. The Penguins have no problems with icy waters. Though for a little more animation, check out the playful California sea otters, Buck and Emma. Their diet even includes shrimp frozen in ice blocks.

As one of the nation’s top five aquariums, Audubon’s exhibits include creatures from all waters, including the Caribbean and Amazon. Visitors can explore the deepest depths and farthest corners of the globe all with the ease of being located in one place.

Some of the seas’ stranger wonders include exquisitely small and delicate sea horses, electric eels and many other species.

AUDUBON ZOO

Who doesn’t love a newborn? They're cute, everyone just wants to cuddle and play with them. Our newest newborns are baby nutria in the Swamp Nursery. Also fairly young are Polina and Katya, amur leopard subs in the Asian Domain as well as four young racoons that can be found in the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit. Watch the two mosey around the dusty plains of the African Savanna Exhibit.

In addition to Satchmo, the zoo houses the baby bobcat Choctaw, the baby howler monkey Grito and the baby white-winged wood ducks.

There is a train that allows visitors to breeze around the grounds to major stops. Some exhibit areas are even indoors in the cool comfort of other climates.

The Audubon Zoo is one of the top-ranked zoos in the country and has so many different animals from some many different areas of the world you wont have to wonder why it’s a must-see.

Of course the zoo has the standard elephants, lions, tigers, giraffes, gorillas, monkeys, flamingoes, reptiles and birds. And, of course, there’s dragons, alligators, and bears, oh my!

ENTERGY IMAX THEATRE

The wonders of nature are magnified at Entergy IMAX Theatre, where larger-than-life adventures explode with the help of the world's most advanced motion picture technology. Entergy IMAX Theatre is located next door to Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, and is one of only six in the world with its spectacular flat screen, single projection.

IMAX film is a super-high definition film that can be projected on huge screens with amazing color and clarity. While many of the features at the Entergy IMAX Theatre reflect the Audubon Institute's interest in the natural world, summer and special features include all sorts of action and adventure works.

Also in the mix are the films Ocean Wonderland 3D, Sharks 3D, Into the Deep 3D and Volcanoes of the Deep Sea. Most films are one hour.

AUDUBON LOUISIANA NATURE CENTER

Audubon Louisiana Nature Center is an interactive facility that is dedicated to discovering the wonders of the natural world and bringing them to people of all ages. The Nature Center offers visitors unique opportunities to come face-to-face with the local environment. Visitors come to the Nature Center to learn about nature through hands-on exhibits, exciting programs and trails that meander through the forest.

Among the Nature Center’s features are the Interpretive Center and the Judith W. Freeman Astronomy Center. The Interpretive Center houses hands-on exhibits, biofacts, and live animal displays.
The Judith W. Freeman Astronomy Center houses the largest planetarium in the New Orleans area. The Center takes visitors on a fantastic voyage through the nighttime skies. Weekday shows for groups and weekend shows for the public teach spectators about the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper and everything in between.

In addition to its permanent facilities, the Nature Center sponsors various programs throughout the year, including overnight programs, science discovery activities, canoeing, wilderness hikes and summer camps. The Nature Center is one of ten Audubon facilities dedicated to celebrating the wonders of nature.

BLAINE KERN'S MARDI GRAS WORLD

Blain Kern’s Mardi Gras World is a bees’ nest of floats and float makers. One of Mardi Gras’ largest float building enterprises is a year-round site of construction and home to some of the best known signature floats. While some are on continual display, others are always being broken down, refit with new props and repainted. The constant buzz of construction isn’t the same as the excitement of a parade, but it’s what makes Mardi Gras go round.

The prop shop itself is an experience. At the hangar/warehouse, giagntic heads of famous actors and mythical characters sit next to a huge King and Queen Kong. Look over here for an Elvis sighting. Look over that way and Shakespeare smirks.

Through the maze of props is the artists’ work area where you can see the detail that goes into making the floats, sculpting the heads and the other art projects that transport parade goers to another world.

The tour also includes a short video, visit to the costume room and King Cake, a Mardi Gras staple.

Getting there is half the fun. Take a short ferry ride across the river from the bottom of Canal Street. A free shuttle meets every ferry.

RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Sometimes people are disappointed to learn that the Jackson Brewery is no longer a brewery, but, for unexpected surprises, Ripley's Believe It Or Not is a great place to find instead. Originally Robert Leroy Ripley opened up "Odditoriums" filled with exotic, documented facts and artifacts. His first opened in Chicago in 1933. His own life was a sort of odyssey as he went from playing baseball to drawing cartoons to searching the world as a travel writer, visiting more than 200 countries. As he collected items, he opened the museums of curious things. The New Orleans gallery has 500 exhibits in 14 galleries and has plenty of local oddities highlighted.

RIVERBOATS

It might not be right for swimming, but the Mississippi is just right for taking a cruise. Algiers Point, across the river from the French Quarter, marks the sharpest turn in the entire Mississippi River. The currents churning between the banks are fast and ever-changing.

New Orleans is still one of the nation’s largest ports. The river still holds the allure, romanticized by writers like Mark Twain, of the heyday of steamships. The paddlewheelers ruled the Mississippi from here to points north like Memphis, Louisville and beyond.

It’s still possible to get a sense of riverboat adventure and strong breezes on paddlewheel boats. Even as the giant red paddlewheels churn the muddy waters, the boats cruise gently up and down river. There are harbor cruises of various durations and even dinner jazz cruises to explore between the banks.

See Details & Buy Mississippi Cruises Online

SIX FLAGS NEW ORLEANS

Summer begs for kids-of-all ages corny fun of an amusement park. Well, in New Orleans you can get your kicks at Six Flags. Ride the Batman roller coaster with its hairpin turns and loops. Act like a kid and spin until you’re sick. Or you can act like a parent and take your kids (or yourself) to the kiddy section with the slower rides.

All of the carnival standards are here, from silly tricks that earn prizes to thrill rides to burgers and fries. There are flume rides to splash down on when temperatures rise and other contraptions that will spin you far too fast in controlled mayhem. Ahh, an amusement park.

Six Flags has a promotional affiliation that puts Batman Coasters in many parks and Loony Toons on patrol for random hugging and waving but the park takes a few New Orleans turns. Cajun country and Mardi Gras inspire some designs and hearing a little brass band music isn’t out of the picture.

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TOURS

There are so many tours in New Orleans it is almost frightening. There just can’t be that much history to go around. Or, is there?

In addition to the normal cultural and historical tours, there are several with special flavor. So if you are looking for off the beaten path tours, you have plenty to choose from. See Details & Buy City Tours Online

Among the options are a movie site tour, which takes you to the filming sites of Runaway Jury, JFK and The Big Easy, while dispensing trivia about the locations and the movies. Then there are the culinary and cocktail tours. It’s not that it’s hard to find bars in the French Quarter, but the stories of drinking in New Orleans are historical as well as abundant. If you want to see the darker side of New Orleans, opt for the ghost, vampire and voodoo tours. Since they typically depart at night, they will give you a break from the heat as well. See Details & Buy Haunted Tours Online

PLANTATION COUNTRY

It wouldn’t be summer without a road trip. Head out to plantation country for a look at Louisiana’s sugar cane farms and historic plantations. Less than an hour away along River Road and some of the largest homes and most recognizable images of the South.

These homes are the ones you see in pictures depicting the Antebellum and historical South. One of the most recognizable is Oak Alley, with its wide double row of ancient live oaks leading from the house to the river levee. It is the most photographed plantation in Louisiana. See Details & Buy Oak Plantation Tour Online

Plantation country has a variety of pretty homes from the Greek revival styles to Creole homes to the wedding cake home of Nottoway.

For more of a road trip, go further out to Poche Plantation in Convent and the many in St. Francisville. Both areas have bed and breakfasts to extend your trip and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside.