Many people don’t often think of kids and New Orleans mixing together, but we found ways to enjoy the city, and we would definitely come back again. Be prepared for lots of walking and pack water and snacks! Also, if you have kids who are younger, pee when you’re at a place with a bathroom. A good tip for always, but especially for this city. For more on our drive and our stay at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, see here.
Bourbon Street
We decided to jump right into the crazy atmosphere on our first night. and drove to Bourbon Street for some people watching. It was around 6pm so we thought the partying would be a little more contained than later in the evening. We parked near canal street and paid $6/hr. Carter and Ellie held on tight to their respective grown-ups and we watched people dance and drink their way down the street. One of the highlights was street performers letting them play their buckets. (Of course, don’t forget to tip!)
We stopped for beignets at Cafe Beignet and listened to jazz music while sipping beer and hurricanes. Our original plan was to search for dinner later in the evening but Ellie fell asleep at the restaurant and we decided it would be easier to eat dinner there. Always be flexible! The service was quick and it felt very New-Orleansy to drink a hurricane, eat some yummy food, listen to jazz and people watch. A great first night!
French Quarter and Market
On our first full day in New Orleans, we adventured to the French Quarter. We parked at a lot next to the river (Premium 407) and Jackson Square. And of course, we immediately needed a potty break. Luckily the shops at Jax had clean-ish potties. Whenever you see a clean bathroom in this city, make everyone go! We went around 10am which was good timing to just barely beat the big crowds of people waking up from their previous debauchery. The lines for the main location of Cafe Du Monde were too long, so we skipped the main shop on this trip. Depending on how busy it is when you go, many people consider this a must-do.
We also took some pics by Jackson Square and talked about how he wasn’t a nice president. But, we said to the kids, he was pretty good at riding horses so some people made a statue of him. There were some cool street performers in this area and fantastic art lining the outside of the square.
A few blocks away from Jackson Square is an area full of food stands called The Shops at the Colonnade. The adults bought some alcoholic beverages, the kids snacked on some snowballs (snowcones), and we all sampled and munched on pralines, oyster, and alligator bites. We also did some window-shopping and oohed and aahed over fanciful masks and gorgeous art. At the open air market, we gave the kids $5 for souvenirs which they used to buy some fun mermaid/dinosaur bead necklaces and a pair of lacy fans
After the open market area, we ate lunch on the patio at Louisiana Pizza kitchen. Service was a little slow as businesses recover from Covid labor shortages. We ordered a jambalaya pizza and some pasta to share. The food at this restaurant was so yummy. We were also lucky to be able to watch a rehearsal by some musical performers across the street.
After our busy morning, we went back to the hotel for a short break. The kids and I spent some time relaxing by the pool while Ben went for a run. 🏃 Later in the evening, we adventured nearby to Zone Mash Brewery in the Mid-city area. The location was a little out of place in an industrial area of town but the beer garden was large and inviting. They often have music shows and numerous food trucks.
Our dinner this evening was one of the highlights of our trip. After the brewery, we searched google for “seafood patio” and discovered this fantastic restaurant: Bevi Seafood. The kids and I ate 5 lbs of crawfish and others in our group had fried catfish. Everyone was really happy with their meal. And the meal was a bargain! $4/lb crawfish and $12 seafood plates. The kids were still asking for more at the end. We saw some people come by and grab 20 lbs in a cooler. Definitely a highlight. The next time we come to this city, we will absolutely make a stop here again.
Audubon Zoo
For our final day in New Orleans, we focused on more kid-friendly activities. The Audubon Zoo consistently shows up on lists of top zoos. They truly have all the animals you would want to see. Sea lions, elephants, lions, bears, etc. There was some unique theming around the exhibits, and unique to this zoo were a few while alligators. We could have spent several more hours here. There are lots of kid friendly areas beyond the animals as well including unique play-spaces and digging areas.
City Park
This park was hopping with multi-generational parties on Memorial Day weekend. We had a great time people watching and exploring a few of the playgrounds around the park. We also watched some jugglers while Ben ran the 6 mile perimeter around the park They have mini-golf, a botanical garden, a small amusement park, and a recently opened children’s museum. Our favorite spot in the park was the Cafe du Monde stand for beignets and coffee.
After our adventure at the park, we went to Second Line Brewing, a brewery located a few blocks south of City Park. Breweries are some of our favorite places to go to with kids because there’s usually outdoor space, beer for Ben and snacks for everyone. Check their Instagram for food truck options that change daily. Ben was a fan of the coffee blond and porter beer choices.
Ike’s Snowballs is a shaved ice stand around the corner from Second Line Brewing next to City Park. There are lots of outdoor seating. Note that it is a cash-only stand. The shaved ice was yummy and smooth. Our flavors of choice were Root Beer+Mango, Cotton Candy+Peach and Sugar-free Strawberry. We also ate some boudin sausages and chips with our snowballs. The kids were not a fan of the boudin so we picked up some pizza from the hotel’s on-site restaurant when we returned.
This was our last activity in New Orleans before heading off to our next stop. We would love to return again to this fun city!
