New Orleans w kids

[midtown 3348]

Anyone been with kids?   Some cheap flights $250 RT right before T-day.    I've been to NO probably 15 times as an adult but never really paid attention to kids activities. 

[4th&Five 41590]

How old?

The WW2 museum is great of course. The aquarium is good. Audubon park and zoo. My kiddos are still talking about du mond from a few months ago. 

[midtown 3348]

12 boy. 9 girl

[jimmyjazz 46131]

We've stopped off on trips to the Florida panhandle with our younger pair twice in the past few years.  First time they were probably 11/9 and second time 13/11.  We stayed in the French Quarter both times.  (I recommend Hotel Mazarin.)

The first time it was a little eye-opening but not anything that couldn't easily be explained.  The second time they were fully seasoned.

The food and music make it all worthwhile.  Other things we did that the kids loved were a riverboat cruise, a plantation tour, and a walking tour of the Garden District.  Of course, the WW2 museum goes without saying.

That said, just walking kids around the French Quarter, window shopping, watching street performers, eating beignets and whatnot -- it can't be topped.  Yeah, it's seedy.  Life is seedy.  Highly recommended.

Edited November 5, 2018 by jimmyjazz

[immortal13 4059]

1 hour ago, midtown said:

Anyone been with kids?   Some cheap flights $250 RT right before T-day.    I've been to NO probably 15 times as an adult but never really paid attention to kids activities. 

You don't want to go there with kids

[midtown 3348]

6 minutes ago, immortal13 said:

You don't want to go there with kids

Why?  One of the four unique cities in the US.   SA, NO, SF, and Bos.   Art, music, food, history, aquarium, vodoo stuff?   My kids have been to NYC twice and also wandered around one of the most dangerous cities in the world in San Pedro Sula.    Talk me out of it.  I've got these flight cued up with layovers in IAH and DFW where we can visit the Amex lounges and get away from the peons. 

Edited November 6, 2018 by midtown

[immortal13 4059]

I'm just speaking from experience. All of those place are great for kids but there are too many places in the French Quarter you can't go in with kids...clubs, music venues ect. If you are ok with skipping all that stuff, then go for it.

Edited November 6, 2018 by immortal13
I suck at proof-reading

[Brew 3049]

I would think the tour of Mardi Gras World would be interesting to kids. We went through it when we were there and they just let you wander through the warehouse at that time. 

I’m of the opinion it’s best to let kids see what’s going on in the world and explain it while you can. Better to learn some real world experiences now then figure it out with their college buddies, but I’m probably not taking mine down Bourbon street at night. If you want them to really see the world, give them the Bourbon Street 7 am tour.

[Foggy Notion 1202]

1 hour ago, midtown said:

Why?  One of the four unique cities in the US.   SA, NO, SF, and Bos.   Art, music, food, history, aquarium, vodoo stuff?   My kids have been to NYC twice and also wandered around one of the most dangerous cities in the world in San Pedro Sula.    Talk me out of it.  I've got these flight cued up with layovers in IAH and DFW where we can visit the Amex lounges and get away from the peons. 

Do it. My girlfriend is from NOLA so we make a couple trips there a year. We're actually heading there the day after Thanksgiving. 

City Park is another place to take the kids. If you're gonna be there through Thanksgiving weekend, you can catch Celebration in the Oaks which is like their version of Trail of Lights.

If the weather is decent, drive a few minutes out to Marrero or Slidell and take a gator swamp tour. We did that on one of our trips and the kids had fun.

I second the zoo and the aquarium, too.

[immortal13 4059]

5 minutes ago, Foggy Notion said:

Do it. My girlfriend is from NOLA so we make a couple trips there a year. We're actually heading there the day after Thanksgiving. 

City Park is another place to take the kids. If you're gonna be there through Thanksgiving weekend, you can catch Celebration in the Oaks which is like their version of Trail of Lights.

If the weather is decent, drive a few minutes out to Marrero or Slidell and take a gator swamp tour. We did that on one of our trips and the kids had fun.

I second the zoo and the aquarium, too.

The airboat gator trips are pretty cool.

[crash_davis 23115]

bolverk's girlfriend loves NO.  

[jimmyjazz 46131]

1 hour ago, immortal13 said:

I'm just speaking from experience. All of those place are great for kids but there are too many places in the French Quarter you have go in with kids...clubs, music venues ect. If you are ok with skipping all that stuff, then go for it.

We stayed at the Royal Sonesta a little over a year ago.  My kids had already been to NO, so they knew what was up.  We were checking in and heard some smokin' jazz coming out of the lounge.  Trumpet, piano, bass, drums.  My son is a trumpet player -- I said "hey you want to check this out while your mom and sister go upstairs?"  "Sure!"

This band was incredible.  True, hardcore theory bop.  I couldn't believe how talented they were.  Didn't cost a dime (although I had to tell the door guy that my kid wanted to hear the trumpet player).  I looked the guy up -- he had won a Grammy and was a professor at UNO.  Free.  Legit, world class jazz. Free.

Kids need to be exposed to that kind of stuff.

Oh, and in that vein, we took the kids to Preservation Hall for a jazz show.  Wow.  It's not cheap, maybe $50 a head, but that band was phenomenal and the room (packed) didn't have 50 people in there.  Go.

[bluto 4942]

Speaking from experience, you might want to look at the super dome event schedule Turkey day weekend

[Damor 1237]

Do it.

We took our boys (10 and 13) on a whim while driving home last summer, and it certainly made an impression.

The aquarium is good, but honestly I thought  the TX aquarium in Corpus was better.  I would rather have spent that time at the WW2 museum, which is one of the best I've ever seen.  We could probably have done two full days there.  If we'd planned ahead better, we would definitely have done Preservation Hall.

We had an absolute blast embarrassing the shit out of them one evening on Bourbon street.  They learned what vomit mixed with fecal/urine slurry and MD 20/20 smells like, and my wife made our older one get his picture taken in front of all the titty bars, then had them pose with a guy in leather hot pants, a crop top, and a cowboy hat.

At breakfast at Cafe Du Monde the next morning, the 10yo pointed wide-eyed at the newspaper headline that said 3 people were shot on that corner later that night.

It was pretty awesome.

[Mo Horn 8855]

Took our boys when they were young and had a great time. We stayed at a hotel out of downtown and rode the trolley. They had a blast. We chose to be out of the French quarter before dark. One of the country's great cities. 

[CooterBrown 18029]

Check Frontier. They had $15 tickets last week. $50 after fees and taxes.

[Mac8111 2116]

We took four kids for five nights summer.

Things we did:

Swamp tour with Cajun Encounters

Haunted History Walking Tour with Witches Brew

WWII museum

Aquarium

Wife insisted on the riverboat paddle boat tour. I hated it.

French market and Royal Street.

Jackson square

Ate a lot of food. (Willie Maes, Dragos, Johnnny , Stanley, Cafe du Monde , Impastatos).

Quick stop on Bourbon Street during the day and they saw all the street performers.

[Mac8111 2116]

You don't want to go there with kids

This is a horrible opinion.

[Js1 85576]

Just now, Mac8111 said:

This is a horrible opinion.

This is how kids grow up to be naïve, unexposed and weird as shit. 

[InkaUtexas 26108]

Yep, take em and figure out fun shit to do with them. There will be opportunities to still have a good drink or two in the evenings. 

 

[immortal13 4059]

6 minutes ago, Js1 said:

This is how kids grow up to be naïve, unexposed and weird as shit. 

Try reading, shithead. I didn't say because of what they might see or hear, but because of all the places you can't enter with kids. 

[GreenspointTexas 9664]

Take em to Sucre and District Donuts

[BottleRocket 647]

12 hours ago, bluto said:

Speaking from experience, you might want to look at the super dome event schedule Turkey day weekend

You're referring to Bayou Classic [Grambling v. Southern].  I had a lot of Wyndham points that were going to expire so the wife and I have hotel booked for four nights 11/21 - 11/25 for Thanksgiving weekend.  I've been to N.O. half a dozen times over the years.  Once during the Essence Festival weekend so I pretty much know what to expect.

We are considering the Thanksgiving meal at the horse races.  It's supposed to be pretty nice. WWII museum.  Perhaps a fan-boat gator tour.  Lots of eating.

I also double booked the same dates at the Galvez in Galveston.  So I'm torn as to which location would be better for Thanksgiving.   

 

*edit - didn't notice the kid qualification in the header.  consider me a kid.  

Edited November 6, 2018 by BottleRocket

[midtown 3348]

I was planning to fly in on Sunday and out on the Wed before Thanksgiving.  New Orleans is playing the Eagles at the Superdome but Im still finding very reasonable hotels.  Its an early game.  Do people generally stick around that night or do they tend to fly out?

Edited November 6, 2018 by midtown

[Felix 607]

Took my girls there for the first time spring break.  We had a blast and they loved just walking the quarter.  My youngest is into visual art and ended up buying 4 or 5 original pieces from street artists and galleries.  They loved the food.  We rode the street car through the Garden District and walked through the park to the Zoo one day.  It was a very tiring day, but it was pretty damned fun too.

Voodoo museum was a big hit.  We didn't do the WWII museum but that's on the agenda for next time.  We were there for five nights and didn't have any problem filling 4 full days.

[bluto 4942]

With that schedule scratch my previous post. And really, with kids, you wouldn't be dealing with the rough shit that comes along with the bayou classic weekend anyhow. 

[chitwood 155]

We did it for spring break 2-3 years ago and had a great time.  We got a airbnb near Audubon park.  Cool shotgun house.  Kids were 13, 13 and 11.  Did Bourbon Street during the day, Jackson Square, swamp tour, zoo, aquarium and WWII museum. Took the street car from end to end.  It was great.

Edited November 6, 2018 by chitwood

[Knoxtnhorn 6066]

Catacorner to Du Monde is a cool shop that has hundreds of different sodas.  Sounds kind of odd, but the kids really liked it + I got a Jolt cola.

[LonghornJones 837]

Carcosa from True Detective. The one with Alexandra Daddario.

[Reagan1k 3024]

Agree with a lot of what is said above.  WWII, famous eateries, couple of tours, few blocks of bourbon, take a tour.

Done right it is a great place to take kids and let them experience something unique.

Go wander around the artists in Jackson square.  Let the kids get their fortunes told, get a profile sketch, watch the artists, etc.

Boy 12 might like the old guns and memorabilia at James H. Cohen on Royal.

[msbesq 387]

Make sure you take them to Southern Decadence.

[HornOnTheBayou 8946]

5 hours ago, midtown said:

I was planning to fly in on Sunday and out on the Wed before Thanksgiving.  New Orleans is playing the Eagles at the Superdome but Im still finding very reasonable hotels.  Its an early game.  Do people generally stick around that night or do they tend to fly out?

I don't know if it's going to make a difference for you, but that game got flexed to 3:30. Announced yesterday.

[Teddyballgame 441]

We stopped in in NO otw to a Venice fishing trip with my brother and his 16 yr old son. While on Bourbon st a fine young lady in a nurses outfit grabbed me by the balls and poured about 5 test tube shots down my throat. That only cost me $40. That was a few years ago and my nephew still talks about it to this day. My vote is take them but avoid the chick in the nurses outfit with test tubes of god knows what unless your into that(I am)

[HenryJames 66171]

Username checks out.