Places You Must See in New Orleans with Kids
We’ve been to New Orleans 14 times since 2021. Girls’ weekends, a bachelorette trip, a rainy weekend and now a lot of trips with a baby in tow. Every time, we find something new, and every time we end up back at a few favorites.
New Orleans is not just for parties, there is a reason we moved here for the first two years of Finley’s life. The people are so nice. The food is delicious.
So these are the places to see in New Orleans that we’d send a friend to, from the big ones everybody talks about to a lakefront sunset most visitors never make it to. 🤍
Hungry? Here’s what to eat in New Orleans. Want it all day by day? Here’s our 3 day New Orleans itinerary.
Places to See in New Orleans, at a Glance
Screenshot this one:
- Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral, French Quarter: the classic photo, with Café du Monde and the French Market right there.
- The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, 514 Chartres St: an 1800s apothecary, leeches included.
- Royal Street and the balconies, French Quarter: walk it slowly and look up.
- The Marigny: the brightest houses in the city.
- The Steamboat Natchez, 400 Toulouse St: a jazz cruise on the Mississippi.
- The riverfront: the bridge, the boats and the skyline, for free.
- The streetcar: the red cars on Canal and the riverfront, the green cars on St. Charles.
- Audubon Aquarium, 1 Canal St: penguins, gators and a tunnel you can walk through.
- Audubon Park, Uptown: oak trees, a stroller friendly loop and the zoo at the far end.
- The lakefront and the Mardi Gras Fountain, Lakeshore Dr: the sunset spot.
- Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, New Orleans East: a free boardwalk trail through the woods.
Tours and Things to Note
Things to Note:
- Leave the stroller in the car for the Pharmacy Museum. It’s tight aisles, glass cases and a staircase to the second floor. We carried Finley the whole time.
- Check the days. The Pharmacy Museum is closed Sunday and Monday (except a 10 a.m. Sunday tour), and the Nature Center is closed Monday and Tuesday.
- The aquarium is cashless now, and kids under 2 get in free. Your ticket covers the Insectarium too, since they’re in the same building.
- Free stuff is everywhere. Jackson Square, the cathedral, the riverfront, Audubon Park, the lakefront and the Nature Center trails cost nothing. Spend your money on beignets.
Where to Stay in New Orleans
Staying the night? For a first trip, stay in the French Quarter so you can walk to everything. For something quieter, the Garden District puts the streetcar at your door and the Marigny puts you a short walk from Frenchmen Street. Here’s the map plus our top 3.
In a Rush? Here Are Our Top 3 Hotels in New Orleans
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hotel Monteleone: Right in the French Quarter on Royal Street, a block off Bourbon, with the spinning Carousel Bar and a heated rooftop pool. Click here for rates & availability
⭐️⭐️ Hotel Peter and Paul: An old church, rectory and schoolhouse in the Marigny turned into a hotel. Quiet, pretty and a short walk to Frenchmen Street. Click here for rates & availability
⭐️ The Pontchartrain Hotel: In the Garden District with the St. Charles streetcar right out front, Jack Rose downstairs and a rooftop bar. Click here for rates & availability
These are affiliate links. If you book through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
In the French Quarter
1. Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral
Start here. The cathedral sits right behind Jackson Square, and it’s the picture everybody pictures when they think of New Orleans. Walk the square, look at the art along the fence and go inside the cathedral if it’s open. It’s free. Café du Monde is right across the street, and the French Market starts just past it, so you know what happens next.
- Where: 615 Pere Antoine Alley, New Orleans
- Cathedral: free, open most days about 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (it’s a working church, so Mass comes first)
2. The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
This is the one I tell everybody about. It’s an old pharmacy on Chartres Street, packed floor to ceiling with wooden cabinets and medicine bottles. There are old glasses, scales, an old cash register and a jar labeled LEECHES. Out back there’s a little courtyard with a fountain. It’s small, so you can see it all in about an hour.
- Address: 514 Chartres St, New Orleans
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, guided tours at 10 a.m. (book online)
- Tickets: $10 adults, $7 seniors, students and military, free for kids 6 and under
The leeches, the birthing table, the old travel doctor items… There was so much in here, I am not medical, but was so curious about. The bright lights and things to look at kept Finley busy!
3. Royal Street and the Balconies
Skip Bourbon in the daytime and walk Royal and Chartres instead. The iron balconies, the hanging plants, the flags and the little courtyards you can peek into. This is the French Quarter I love. Walk slow and look up. Café Beignet has a spot right on Royal if you need a snack on the way.
4. The Marigny
Just past the French Quarter, the Marigny is where you’ll find the brightest houses in the city. Bright colors on every block, with shutters and doors to match. Bring your camera and good shoes. This is also where Frenchmen Street is if you want live music later. There are so much more night life events here.
On the River
5. The Steamboat Natchez
We did the Natchez cruise on our rainy weekend in 2023, and it’s such a New Orleans thing to do. It’s a real steam paddlewheeler with live jazz, and you cruise the Mississippi as the city lights come on. Go peek at the big red paddle wheel while it’s turning.
- Where: 400 Toulouse St, at the river
- Evening jazz cruise: boarding at 6 p.m., cruising 7 to 9 p.m., $107.50 adults and $53 kids 6 to 12 with the Creole dinner buffet
- Daytime harbor cruise: from $43.50 without a meal (check out the GetYourGuide at the top for discounted tickets)
6. Walk the Riverfront
Before or after the boat, walk along the river. You get the big bridge, the boats going by and the skyline behind you. It’s free and a nice quiet break from the busy Quarter.
7. Ride the Streetcar
Riding the streetcar is half the fun. The red cars run along Canal Street and the riverfront, and the green ones on St. Charles roll past the big Garden District houses and Audubon Park. Sit by a window.
Audubon Aquarium
8. Audubon Aquarium
We’ve been to this aquarium four times now. Before Finley, with Finley at two months old, and again once he could walk. The walk through tunnel, the penguins, the big Gulf of Mexico tank with the sea turtle and the gators are our must sees.
Funny story: we took Finley at two months old. He was SO excited, he threw up, and he almost slept through the whole thing. That’s parenting, friends.
- Address: 1 Canal St, New Orleans
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, last ticket at 4
- Tickets: $45 to $55 adults, $40 to $50 kids and seniors, under 2 free (Insectarium included, cashless)
Uptown
9. Audubon Park
Audubon Park is all old oak trees and a paved loop that’s perfect for a stroller. The day we went there was a gumbo cook-off going on under the oaks, complete with a second line and umbrellas. So very New Orleans. The Audubon Zoo is at the river end of the park if you want to make a day of it.
- Where: 6500 St. Charles Ave, Uptown (the St. Charles streetcar stops right out front)
- Audubon Zoo: 6500 Magazine St, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, tickets about $30 to $40 for adults
Out by the Lake
10. The Lakefront and the Mardi Gras Fountain
This is the one most visitors miss. Drive out to Lakeshore Drive on Lake Pontchartrain and find the Mardi Gras Fountain, which has been there since 1962. It was Blaine Kern’s idea, and it’s circled by colorful tile plaques for dozens of Mardi Gras krewes. Then sit on the steps by the water and wait for the sunset.
- Where: Lakeshore Dr between Canal Blvd and Marconi Blvd
- Cost: free
The sunset was so gorgeous. We got to watch families fish, bring food to picnics, walk their dogs, and just hang out. Life outside with no technology.. It was beautiful.
11. Audubon Louisiana Nature Center
Out in New Orleans East, the Nature Center has a wooden boardwalk trail through the woods. We pulled Finley along in the wagon. The trails are free, and there are planetarium shows on the weekends for a few dollars.
- Address: 11000 Lake Forest Blvd, New Orleans
- Hours: gate open 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday
- Cost: trails free, planetarium $8 adults and $6 kids
Top Places We Haven’t Done Yet
These are next on our list. Tell me if you’ve been!
- Besthoff Sculpture Garden, City Park: more than 90 sculptures and it’s free. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter and until 6 p.m. April through October.
- Mardi Gras World, 1380 Port of New Orleans Pl: tour the warehouse where the parade floats are built, with a slice of king cake. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., tours every 30 minutes.
- Frenchmen Street at night, Marigny: little music clubs one after another. Bring a babysitter. 😉
New Orleans, We’ll Be Back
Jackson Square in the morning, leeches at lunch and a sunset by the lake. Those are the places to see in New Orleans, and we’ll keep going back.
Planning more? Here’s what to eat in New Orleans, our 3 day New Orleans itinerary, our rainy weekend in New Orleans, our New Orleans bachelorette guide and our Shreveport and Bossier City weekend.
Tell me if you go! Come say hi on Instagram and tell me your favorite spot in New Orleans. 🤍
Pin this post for your New Orleans trip!
Heads up: this post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read our full disclosure.
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