3 Families, kids 3-17 - what to do in NOLA?

We are cruising from New Orleans on April 30. We will arrive mid afternoon on the 29th. There are 6 adults and 8 kids from 3-17 years old. I want to have fun but not get too crazy since we will be tired from driving all night. (But we always travel that way, so it's not a huge deal.)

We will also be staying in town for at least 1 and hopefully 2 nights when we return from the cruise May 5.

Because I'm silly, I didn't think to look at the festival schedules and this happens to be Jazz Fest, both weekends. We do not want to take our kids to that. I'm a die hard Saints fan, so it's unfortunate this isn't football season.

We also probably want to steer clear of boat type things because we are going on a cruise, but what else would be fun for a big group with lots of kids?

All ages would enjoy the aquarium and insectarium. If it's Jazzfest, then there will be crowds everywhere though...just crowded, not necessarily rowdy in this area. Check out this site http://audubonnatureinstitute.org/

If you have a car, the MS Gulf Coast is only an hour away.

Hopefully you have booked your hotels as they are expensive and in short supply during Jazz Fest. Also don't discount how long it will take to get to some activities due to crowds and traffic so be sure to add some buffer time to your activities.

I have booked the hotel already, well for the day before the trip. We aren't sure yet if we are staying in NOLA on the tail end or if we will go some place else for a few days on our return trip home.

Thanks for the advice so far.

Check out Mardi Gras World. Both my kids loved it and they will provide pickup from some of the major hotels so you don't have to pay for a cab to get back and forth.

I want to go to Mardi Gras world - my kids are just kind of "meh" about it. They'll go if I want to but don't really care either way

I want to go to Mardi Gras world - my kids are just kind of "meh" about it. They'll go if I want to but don't really care either way

I took my 16yo son to Mardi Gras World in December. He was a little "meh" about it at first, but he ended up loving it. Especially since we were there for the Sugar Bowl and he was able to see some of the floats that we saw that morning in the Sugar Bowl parade that same afternoon.

You could tell your kids that Mardi Gras World is where they make the Chick-fil-A Cows that grace billboards all over. They were actually working on a new one when we were there.

Besides what was mentioned, I recommend the Children's Museum for up to age 12 or so (although my adult son would still love it). http://lcm.org/ It is very close to the port.

For older ones, I would recommend the World War II museum. The pavilion with the planes is amazing.

As mentioned above, we have a first class Aquarium next to the port and also a wonderful zoo.

Look through these posts (and also Gulf Coast departures section, too) for more ideas.

To add on to what Lynda59 said - if you are going to the zoo, I would suggest taking the streetcar to Audobon Park (I think that's the name). You can then walk through the park to get to the zoo. Just another fun thing to do and see a little more of the city while someone else does the driving. Last time I was at the zoo, there was a bus that would take you back to the streetcar stop so you could catch a ride back. Sadly, they discontinued the paddlewheel boat ride from the zoo to the Aquarium. That was a really nice way to get a "3fer" in terms of touring.

I know that the O.P. said that they want to stay away from, "boat type things," I am still going to recommend to ride the Steamboat NATCHEZ. http://www.steamboatnatchez.com.

First the original poster is from Cincinnati, Ohio where steamboats like the NATCHEZ use to call home. In fact, the NATCHEZ is modeled after a steamboat that ran most of her life between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the VIRGINIA. The NATCHEZ also has steamed up to Cincinnati twice during her lifetime, most recently for the last Tall Stacks, so there is another Cincinnati connection. She's not a diesel boat! The NATCHEZ is an honest to God steam driven paddlewheeler with engines that are nearing 100 years old. Visiting the engineroom is an educational and historic experience for everyone involved. I can give other reasons to ride the NATCHEZ; just let me close by saying taking a trip on the NATCHEZ is a great way to experience Dixie Land jazz on a Mississippi River steamboat as The Dukes of Dixie Land is the house band.

I don't think anyone would regret riding this boat.

Today, the website Eater did a list of 18 kid friendly restaurants in New Orleans. There are a bunch of good ones on the list, depending on where you are staying and how far you would like to travel.

http://nola.eater.com/maps/best-new-orleans-family-friendly-restaurants-food

Enjoy!

dctravel