We are going to the New Orleans area for Spring break. (m)

[Lady_Dulcinea]

We have family down there, but I don't entirely trust my MIL's judgment of what all we should do. :tongue_smilie: Kids are 12, 8, 6, 4. We will have 7 days there.

We do want to do a swap tour - need to find a good one.

I was thinking Cabildo/Arsenal, Presbytere, Old U.S. Mint, but MIL doesn't think so.

Of course we will go to Cafe Du Monde as many times as I can. :drool:

MIL says the Aquarium - is there anything super duper about this one? We went to an NC Aquarium last year. I guess it will be a different 'ocean'.

DH and I will being doing the Jazz Dinner cruise on the Natchez Steamboat alone :thumbup: as a gift from MIL

So how about the botanical gardens, Gold Works, City Park(storyland), Mardi Gras World? Oh how about the Cajun Village in Baton Rouge? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Joni

[Mrs. H.]

Unless your kids are REALLY into aquariums, you can skip NO's, since you've obviously been to a large aquarium before. The walking tour of the French Quarter is really cool if you like history, architecture, etc., and a ride on the street car from the French Quarter down to the cemeteries is a must. NO has a large, beautiful park for picnics and such, and unless you think your dc are too old for it, the Audubon Zoo is cool.

I would definitely suggest the botanical gardens, there is a new theme park there (used to be called Jazzland, but I think they changed the name), the aquarium has an I-Max theatre, if you are interested in that, and there is a WW2 museum that we've been wanting to go to, but haven't made it yet (La. residents here).

I don't know anything about the Cajun Village, but if you like antebellum homes there are tons between NO and BR, and they all give tours.

Hope this helps, and enjoy your trip! Have some cafe au lait and beignets for me!

[WTMindy]

and we were only there for a day and a half, but we enjoyed just walking around the French quarter. Fortunately, the kids were too young to really read and notice the t-shirts. (BLECH!) They were captivated by the masks and beads in all the shops. Make sure you buy a mask. They are wonderful treasures, and the kids have theirs hanging in their rooms. We also made sure we ate local cousine as much as possible. We took a great bus tour of the local mansions and the cemetaries. Very cool. We went not long before Hurricane Katrina. My favorite part was the open air jazz horns playing in the plaza. I could have stayed there all day!

[*LC]

I've got a swamp tour for you. I grew up in the Honey Island Swamp, which is in Slidell across the lake from New Orleans. Paul Wagner, who was a neighbor of ours, has been giving tours for more than 20 years.

Here is a website with phone numbers
http://www.neworleansnorthshore.com/listings/moreinfo.php?ZID23=28512&page=attr&ClassID=3

Here is one with photos and a video.
www.honeyislandswamp.com (http://www.honeyislandswamp.com)


Here is a website on kids and New Orleans. It is small, but it might have some info that you want to read.

http://www.neworleanskids.com

Have a great trip.

LC

[mcconnellboys]

Cajun Village in Baton Rouge? I'm drawing a blank on that..... There's a pioneer type village, but it didn't used to be too great, except that the man who developed it had the most wonderful African art collection. It wasn't too well cared for, so I don't know if it's still viable, but it was cool.....

There's a good swamp tour out of Baton Rouge, and Lafayette, and.... well just about anywhere.....

There's a terrific Acadian Village (or used to be terrific, anyway) in Lafayette.

There are a million cool plantation home tours.

There are tours of Elysian Fields in NO! I've always wanted to do one of them!

There's Global Wildlife over around Slidell....

I think Mardi Gras World would be interesting to them....

Have fun,

Regena (who used to live in Baton Rouge)

[Colleen]

I'm partial to Uptown since that's where I lived, so I've got to recommend Camellia Grill. It's a local icon that just last year opened back up (after being closed since Katrina). Great character, good prices, and fun for kids since they get to sit on stools at the counter and be served (as opposed to sitting at a table, I mean). I'm not sure if the streetcar line is open all the way down to Carrollton yet, but you can just enjoy the ride through the Garden District and then walk the last stretch if need be. You might enjoy strolling a bit in Audobon Park, too, which is also in the Garden District. As someone else said, the zoo there is pleasant. I'd definitely do that over the aquarium.

Just hanging out in the quarter during the day would be fun, too. Meander around Jackson Square and listen to music. And what about a day trip to a plantation?

Oh, man, Doctor John, do I know what it means to miss New Orleans? Definitely!

Have fun!

[Jenny in Atl]

Don't forget to eat! Acme Oyster House... did they make it? Oh, the best Poor Boys on the face of this Earth! :drool:

[Mrs. H.]

It's crawfish season in Louisiana, so make sure you try some crawfish while you're there! Even if you hate it, or you're children are repulsed by them, it's an experience you won't forget.