Is New Orleans family-friendly?

The Audubon venues give a day its shape. Start at Audubon Zoo in Uptown: its Louisiana Swamp exhibit puts alligators, a wooden boardwalk and the smell of damp cypress at toddler eye level, and in warm months the Cool Zoo splash area usually opens for a small extra fee. The zoo is about 6 miles from Canal Street, so lunch and a nap can happen on the ride back. For the gentler afternoon, head to Audubon Aquarium at the foot of Canal Street, cool, dim and faintly salty inside. The Gulf of Mexico tank, with its sharks and rays, tends to hold a 3-year-old longer than you'd expect. The insectarium now shares the aquarium building, and its butterfly garden is warm and sticky, with butterflies that may land on kids who stand still. The combined zoo and aquarium ticket bought online is usually cheaper than paying at each gate.

New Orleans scores 7.2/10 for family friendliness (see the TTDI Family-Friendliness Index), and City Park is a big reason why. The Louisiana Children's Museum moved to the park in 2019, covering 8.5 acres beside a lagoon, with a Mississippi River water-play area that will soak a sleeve, so pack a spare shirt. Next door, Storyland is a fairy-tale playground with a climbable pirate ship that works best for ages 2 to 7. Carousel Gardens runs a wooden carousel from 1906, and a miniature train loops through the oaks. Both have limited hours outside summer and holiday weekends, so check the City Park calendar before you promise anyone a ride. The Café Du Monde stand in the park's Casino Building sells beignets with a much shorter queue than the Decatur Street original.

The red Canal and Riverfront streetcars are newer and have lifts, so a stroller is no problem on those lines. The fare is $1.25 per adult, and children 2 and under ride free. The green St. Charles cars date from the 1920s, with steep steps and no lift: fold the stroller before you board and settle in for a 40-minute ride to the zoo on varnished wooden seats, windows open to the traffic noise. Live oak roots have pushed up the sidewalks along Uptown's Prytania Street and through the Garden District, so a carrier beats an umbrella stroller on those stretches. French Quarter sidewalks are narrow, with gutters and a step at most doorways. For changing tables, the aquarium, the Children's Museum, and the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk are reliable. In the French Quarter, plan on buying a drink so you can use a cafe restroom.

The Central Business District and Warehouse District are flat and within walking distance of both the aquarium and the Canal line, which makes them the sensible family base. Suite hotels on Poydras Street, such as Homewood Suites, usually offer two queens or a king with a sofa bed, plus a kitchenette and guest laundry; many French Quarter boutique hotels list a single queen, so confirm the bed setup before booking. For kids' food, Café Du Monde serves beignets three to an order, chocolate milk next to the chicory coffee, and before 9am the line is shorter. Monday red beans and rice is mild, and most po-boy shops will make a plain fried shrimp version without the lettuce and mayo. Shared fry oil is common in New Orleans kitchens, so raise shellfish and peanut allergies directly with staff. Four things to skip with kids: Bourbon Street after 6pm; Six Flags New Orleans, which has been closed since Hurricane Katrina in 2005; St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 with toddlers, because entry requires an hour-long guided tour in full sun; and the National WWII Museum for kids under about 10, who may find the Road to Berlin galleries frightening. Tonight it's 14.3°C and clear.