New Orleans City Park, New Orleans

New Orleans City Park, New Orleans

Sprawling over 1300 acres, the City Park in New Orleans is home to the largest collection of mature oak trees in the world.

Sprawling over 1300 acres, the City Park in New Orleans is home to the largest collection of mature oak trees in the world. It is a fantastic place for kids, and one of the best places in the city for a family day out.

The Big Lake at the southern end of the park offers recreational boating, and is edged by a landscaped trail running through 25 acres of greenery with art installations, wildlife and wetlands. The Singing Oak on its banks has a set of ringing wind chimes as a musical art installation. The New Orleans Museum of Art stands on its banks, showcasing over 40,000 works from around the world dating from the Italian Renaissance to the present day. The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden features over 50 sculptures set in beautiful gardens.

Walk further along Victory Avenue for the New Orleans Botanical Garden which is home to over 2000 varieties of temperate, tropical, and semitropical plants. The New Orleans Historic Train Garden is a G-scale model railway on 45 mm gauge running through landscapes of typical New Orleans buildings made with vegetal materials. Replicas of the iconic streetcars wind around the tracks.

The Carousel Gardens Amusement Park has a beautiful merry-go-round with wooden 'flying horses' dating back to 1906, as well as an assortment of other amusement park rides including a miniature railway to ride around part of the park.

'Storyland', a children's playground themed around fairy tale characters, has been a favorite of local children for generations, and has added attractions in recent years.

Golfing enthusiasts as well as novices can appreciate the City Putt, a 36-hole mini golf complex with 2 courses - Louisiana Course which has themes from around the state, and New Orleans Course which showcases streets and historic sites from around the city.

During nights of the Christmas season there is an elaborate celebration with lights, additional rides, and music in the park called 'Celebration in the Oaks'.