New Orleans is such a beautiful city. We love the culture, the food, and the ambiance. My parents have a timeshare in New Orleans, and we have been able to join on a few trips, since Caden was born. I have been so many times myself, as a child and adult. The first time we went with Caden, he was 9 months old. I am lucky in that he was a pretty easy baby. He enjoyed the sites, napped a lot, ate, we did a few kid activities even though he really did not care at this point. Our next trip he was 1.5 and active, this time he was able to enjoy it a little more. Another trip he was 4 and a fully active kid at this point. Due to all the information I want to share I will break it down into categories so you can read what you want.
Our timeshare is by Harrah’s. We are walking distance to everything which is nice to not need a car when traveling with a little one. We do walk a lot and we may leave in the morning and be gone all day exploring. We usually go for a week at a time and have fun filling the days with all there is to do and eat! New Orleans is like any other big city, you want to stay on the crowded streets and avoid the dark allies. Just be smart.
I’m someone who loves schedules but in New Orleans I really enjoy going with the flow. As long as we have an idea of what is open what days and what activities are going on we just enjoy exploring or an activity in the morning, having lunch, then more exploring till dinner.
After a late dinner we head in. You can have alcoholic drinks while walking on the streets so we usually stop for a few while exploring. We use public transportation when we can or if it is a long walk, otherwise we walk everywhere. I recommend the Jazz Day pass if there is one that works for you.
Here is the link for RTA: https://www.norta.com/Fares-Passes/Purchasing-Options-for-All-Fares-and-Passes
Where to stay:
There are two areas when you think of New Orleans- the French Quarter which is in the heart of downtown and the west side of New Orleans Garden District, anywhere along the St. Charles Ave. street car route so you can easily get around. There is more density of restaurants and things downtown but if you are looking for a slower place the west side would be great for you. If it is all overwhelming, ask friends or a travel agent. My only suggestion it to make sure you have a recommendation from someone who has been there or knows the area. It may seem all good in pictures but may be different in person. There are a lot of nice hotels on Canal Street and Poydras. If you are looking for something authentic check out Hotel Roosevelt, the only downside is that it is further walking distance to the French Market. At Christmas, the hotel is decorated amazingly, and they have a gingerbread display. I’ve stayed at InterContinental New Orleans for a meeting. The rooms were big, modern, and spacious, a nice hotel that won’t break the bank and a good location. The Westin New Orleans is also in a great location with modern, spacious rooms.
Sleeping through the rain with the cover on his stroller 
Things to do with kids:
There are so many different things to do at different times of year. We generally go the first week of December. The city has several events that happen at Christmas for families: First there is Krewe of Jingle Parade that is a mini Mardi Gras parade that runs on Canal Street the weekend varies. It usually starts around 1pm and is a lot of fun, not too long. Christmas at City Park, Celebration in the Oaks– lights, lights, and more lights. You pay an entrance fee to go in last year it was $10 kids under 3 are free. There is a train ride for $5 a person, then there are ride you can pay $4 a ride or $18 for unlimited ride band. There was a tent with food options and pictures with a Cajun Santa. The St. Louis Cathedral Christmas concert series with shows on varying days 6-7pm that are free- arrive early due to limited capacity. Miracle on Fulton Street- a winter wonderland, lights, Santa, Reindeer. Ice Skating in the convention center.
Things that are fun any time of year:
- Audubon Zoo– set in the city you can get to it by the cable car. Tickets are $24.95 for adults (13-64), $19.95 for children 2-12, and seniors $19.95 (65+). Check for what days they are closed, they are not open daily. The zoo is a small zoo with elephants, giraffe, zebra, tigers, bears, and other small exhibits.
- New Orleans Aquarium with parakeet aviary and IMAX– set in downtown easy to get to. Tickets are $29.95 for adults (13-64), $24.95 for children (2-12), and 24.95 for seniors (65+). Check for what days they are closed, they are not open daily. The aquarium is fun offering sharks, a walkthrough glass tunnel, and many exhibits. You can pay to feed the parakeets in the aviary which was a lot of fun. You can also watch an IMAX movie- we watched Polar Express at Christmas time, one of our favorites.
- Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium (temporarily closed due to COVID) allows you to get up close and personal with insects. They have exhibits to hold insects and they have a butterfly garden you can enter.
- French Quarter– This is an outdoor shopping area where local vendors set up their shop and you can find a wide variety of things from objects for your house, food items, jewelry, alligator back scratchers, paintings, clothes. Kids will love all the crazy things you can find. One stop we always make is to the food court area The Organic Banana to get a delicious Bloody Mary as we walk through. Yes, in Louisiana you can walk around the streets with alcohol. Gazebo Café also has a flavorful Bloody Mary.
- Walking around Jackson Square– Jackson Square is an area with artist, fortune tellers, hand readers, shops, and this is where you can ride in a carriage if you would like. Kids will enjoy the performers, dance along, listen the jazz, and do not forget Café Du Monde for yummy beignets. 1 order is 3 beignets, snag a table as soon as someone gets up.
- Carriage rides go through streets with a tour guide. You get on in Jackson Square.
- Performers– Performers are all over the city with music, dance, crazy statues, and more. If you enjoy the show drop a small donation. Do not take pictures if you don’t plan to give some money.
- Riverwalk Shopping– This is an indoor shopping mall that has more unique shops than a mall- there are some you would expect like Gymboree, Gap, or Foot Locker. Then there are others like the Praline Factory where they sing and give out samples, many Cajun cooking stores where you can buy seasonings to take home and cook up some authentic Creole cooking. At the end there is a food court that has lots of yummy options and our favorite New Orleans Original Daiquiris try the flavors, but I recommend 190 Octane, get a large! It is an orange flavor that is delicious and potent. There is a play area at the end past the food if you need to let your kids play for a bit. There is also an area outside the front called Harmony Park, that has fun musical instruments for the kids to play on.
- Louisiana Children’s Museum- located in City Park. Currently closed due to COVID. A fun interactive museum for kids. Dig into nature, Move with the River, and a play area for littles.
- City Park– There are 3 open parks for your kids to run and play. Storyland Open Wed. –Sun. 10am to 4:30pm (last entry at 4pm) On Fridays and Saturdays during Celebration in the Oaks Storyland will close early at 4pm with last entry at 3:30pm -$5/person -Kids 36” tall and under receive free admission -Friends of City Park receive free admission. Paid admission to Storyland also includes admission to Carousel Gardens Amusement Park (when the amusement park is open). Purchase ride tickets at the ticket booth inside Carousel Gardens.
- Swamp Boat Tour– Explore acres of authentic Louisiana swamps and waterways on a New Orleans swamp tour that gets you up close and personal with Alligators! Strap in, it’s one wild ride! The Ride -A thrill on the airboats and a scenic cruise on the pontoon. The History: Learn the story of the bayous and of New Orleans swamplands. The Wildlife: Interact with all the living creatures including gators, raccoons, wild hogs, birds, and much more! They have a pickup service if needed www.bayouswamptours.com
- Mardi Gras World– Tickets are $15 in summer. Explore the behind the scene makings of Mardi Gras floats. Open 7 days a week tours every half hour 10:30am-3:30. This is something I would do once or if you are curious about Mardi Gras but not something, I would not do more than once.
- Go to a Saints game– We usually plan this when we go. Join in with all the fans walking to the game decked in their Saints gear. The fans are so much fun! Kids of any age would have fun. If you don’t want to go to a game watch it at any surrounding restaurant.
Favorite Restaurants
- Dragos- #1 for Charbroiled Oysters, raw oysters, lobster dishes. We enjoy dining here several times during our week stay. We can not get enough of these charbroiled oysters. Others attempt but do not compare.
- Deanies Seafood- Fried Seafood Platter, Fried Softshell Crab, gumbo, raw oysters. This is a must go to restaurant for our family. The seafood platter is big, but they do have a smaller one as well. Some restaurants server bread before the meal this one serves boiled seasoned potatoes with butter, yummy! Anything you order you will not be disappointed.
- Mothers and Johnny’s Poboy- PoBoys. We usually make a stop at both during the week. For a little poboy lingo “dressed” refers to the fixings, like lettuce, mayo, tomatoes
- Court of Two Sisters- Creole Jazz Brunch. Thrus- Mon 9:00am-2:00pm You get a to try a lot and leave full on your favorites. There is a beautiful courtyard and jazz players for ambiance.
- Mr. B’s Bitstro- BBQ Shrimp, Shrimp and Grits, Bread Pudding. On the pricier side but plenty of delicious options to make you happy. They have seasonal options as well.
- Central Grocery and Deli- Muffuletta Grocery store and deli- they claim to be the creator of the muffuletta
- Desire Oyster Bar- Shrimp and Grits, raw oysters, poboys Mom raves about the Shrimp and Grits here, when you find a favorite you must go back
- Franks Restaurant- Corn and Crab Bisque, muffulettas We stopped in once because it was raining. To our surprise the soup was delicious and the muffulettas were loaded.
- Brennan’s- Banana’s Foster made in front of you. A little fancier price range known for breakfast eggs
- Camellia Grill- Diner atmosphere Pecan Pie A la Mode we take the cable car on St Charles to the end and enjoy the pecan pie for an afternoon snack. Great breakfast options.
- The Original French Market Restaurant and Bar- gumbo, red beans and rice, boiled crawfish when in season Great options to try, gumbo is authentic.
- Cafe Du Monde French Market beignets delicious any time of day
Things you should consider packing for a trip to New Orleans
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Summers are hot and very humid! New Orleans gets a lot of rain sometimes it just a sprinkle and sometimes it’s a downpour! Since you will be doing a lot of walking you want to be prepared. I highly recommend panchos and umbrella to walk and protect your clothes. You also want to have make sure you have comfortable walking shoes.
This stroller has excellent reviews, has a large canopy, fully reclines, and only 14 lbs. There are attachments and a rain cover. I took the rain cover to New Orleans and used it daily! Then you can add a universal mommy holder for cups, snacks, keys, phones. I have also taken my full size BOB. Just a hint if the restaurant has limited area to keep your stroller you can ask a nearby hotel bellman if they can hold it while you eat.
If your child is like mine, they are heaters when they sleep. I used to always carry a stroller fan with me. I have recently discovered this one and it’s amazing. It has a long battery life, you can use it for endless possibilities, it oscillates, and it is super quiet. I even took it to the beach and had it clipped on my chair. It is multi rotational to get the perfect angle, it is speed adjustable, charges with a USB, and if you are into essential oils it has a sponge you can add. I personally bought it to take to the gym after I showered I could never get cool enough to put on make up but with this I could get ready without sweating. It could easily clip on to the stroller or car to cool down you little one. I have used it plugged in all night without any issues.
Waterproof items to help when it rains.
This is the perfect no frills backpack. I like that it has a chest strap to help take the load off. While it says waterproof- I’ve had mine for a few years and that layer has rubbed off but I always put it under the poncho anyway.
These shoes are not the prettiest but I they are comfy! I wear them at Disney and when I know I will be walking a lot. I have two pair!
If you are looking for a good travel camera with a flip screen and excellent zoom I recommend the Sony DSCHX80/B. I love it so much I thought I lost it and bought another one to replace it, then later found it so now I have 2. The picture quality is great! The battery life is quite long and I can send pictures directly to my phone to upload to social media sites. I don’t always want to take my big camera on vacations, this is the perfect fill in.
For a good external battery charger for your backpack I’d look at this one. It can charge all your devices has multi in so you can use whatever cord you have to charge it and multi out so you can charge multiple devices at one time. Especially walking around the city using your phone for navigation and pictures you will want a charger with enough capacity to charge multiple times.
I keep this device on my nightstand with all the cords I need, when I travel, I unplug this device and take it with me. This keeps me from leaving cords that I need and makes it convenient to only need one outlet for all my separate devices to charge. I have all my charging cables in one place: my phone, camera battery charger, Fire Tablet, Fitbit, an extra micro usb cord, and my external battery charger. This way I don’t have to worry about adapters. The nice thing about this USB tower is that it has a smart sensor that charges each device to its optimal speed. I put everything on the charger at night and load it all in my backpack in the morning.
One last thing if you are looking for a great looking travel friendly purse, I have been using this one. It’s a simple cross body design. There are lots of pockets to keep whatever you may need. The zippers clip so you won’t get easily pick-pocketed. There is not enough room for my full size wallet but there are card holders it is RFID secure. I can put an external battery, phone, and camera in it. There are different sizes and bags if this one doesn’t work for you. I take this one anywhere I don’t take my backpack. It’s perfect for holding the phone and camera when I don’t have pockets like going on walks at the park.
