Best Outdoor Activities in New Orleans

A 16-acre haven of green located between the French Quarter and the Mississippi, Woldenberg Riverfront Park is a perfect place to unwind after a jaunt in the Quarter. Its arresting artworks, riverside promenade and frequent strolling bands and festivals offer visitors a truly unforgettable New Orleans experience. In the early morning, keep company with locals walking their dogs and jogging, cyclists and a cast of characters you'll only find in New Orleans. Park goers can stroll the Moonwalk path for stunning views of the busy port, the Crescent City Connection Bridge and the Toulouse Street Wharf. Many of the city's favorite festivals take place here.

This Slidell swamp tour in the stunning Honey Island swamp is just a hop skip from New Orleans by car, or they'll pick you up at your hotel. Thanks to no more than 22 passengers in flat-bottomed boats meant to navigate the picturesque bayou, the experience doesn't feel like a mass produced tour. Instead, this locally owned company prides itself on knowledgeable captain-guides full of inside info, guaranteeing an authentic eco-tour of one of America's most unique ecosystems. You are just about guaranteed to see alligators, wild boar, raccoons, snakes, owls, egrets, and more, all in their natural habitat, and just a few feet from the boat. The company offers a huge Cajun pavilion for guests waiting on tours and groups of up to 300 people for crawfish or seafood boils and parties.

Outdoor attractions are plentiful on this side of Lake Pontchartrain, a world away from the excess of New Orleans. The Global Wildlife Center is the Northshore's answer to Disney's Animal Kingdom, an eco-friendly 900-acre predator-free animal park that offers 90-minute covered wagon tours to view the 40 species, 2700 animals in all, which live in the park. You're likely to see giraffes, antelope, Father David deer, dromedaries and bison on your Louisiana safari, which includes feeding the curious critters from an open air safari-like vehicle. There is so much to do for families on this side of the lake that you might want to stay over for a night or two.

You'd get an argument from an more than 450,000 brightly clad fest goers that this one is the cream of the festival crop. A bold statement, but once you've been, it's tough to contradict. What's so special about Jazz Fest? Depending on who you talk to, it's a tie between the music and the food, followed by, in no particular order, the people watching, the after fest shows around town, and did we mention the food? Held on the oval of the Fairgrounds Race Course, a horse track that can be quite pungent when muddied, Jazzfest, the party usually happens for seven days at the end of April and beginning of May- although in 2021 it takes place Oct. 8-17 and includes the fest's first Wednesday headlined by the Rolling Stones.

Antebellum mansions and weeping willows line the streets of New Orleans' historic Garden District. See the beauty of this exquisite neighborhood, which was home to many of the city's plantation-wealthy and entrepreneurs, on an informative and relaxing stroll. The walking tour meets at the Garden District Book Shop and participants stroll past cemeteries, private gardens and famous residences. Expect to see the past and present homes of celebrities including Anne Rice, Trent Reznor, Archie and Peyton Manning; Nicolas Cage, John Goodman and Sandra Bullock. Call ahead for details; no reservations required, but plan to arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the tour starts.

New Orleans Segway offers visitors the chance to navigate the city on two wheels. Locally owned, these tours range from 1.5 to 3 hours, and bring you into neighborhoods including the French Quarter and the Marigny. Groups stay small and the guides earn high marks for local knowledge. There's even a haunted version - excellent for making a speedy getaway if ghosts get riled. This type of tour is great for people who want to get caught up on the city's history and nuances without having to spend the time and energy walking around.

A snowy egret watches cagily from the banks of Bayou St. John, strutting with his over sized yellow feet like a clown on parade. Maybe he's not used to seeing humans kayaking in his urban waterway, a sight that's becoming increasingly common, thanks to Kayak-iti-yat, a business owned by local partners Sara Howard and Sonny Averett. Founded in 2011, Kayak-iti-yat (a paddling riff on the local query, where y'at?) sheds new light on the city's charming Mid-City neighborhood bounded by the historic canal, once a vibrant transportation waterway connecting to Lake Ponchartrain. Sara and Sonny take turns leading the tours, which are geared mostly to novices, unless a wind whips chop into the usually placid canal. Bits of history and lore are shouted into the breeze, historic homes are identified and a growing confluence of birds remarked upon, from great blue herons to beady-eyed pelicans.

New Orleans is a city of neighborhoods, but too often, visitors never make it out of the admittedly gorgeous French Quarter. Flambeaux wants that to change, and offers themed tours, including Heart of the City, Creole Odyssey, Uptown, nightlife and Garden District, designed to show you a different side of New Orleans. Under pedal power and following in-the-know direction, you'll veer into into uncharted territory. Biking prowess isn't necessary, the route is naturally flat and the pace is leisurely. On the Uptown adventure, you'll spend three hours traveling from the French Quarter through the Central Business District, the Garden District, the Warehouse District and back. The guide will share info on the intersections of New Orleans various historic cultures after the Louisiana Purchase. The group will peddle past impressive ante-bellum mansions hear about who lived in them, and how the inhabitants impacts on American history.

In need of some fresh air and local color? Head to The Fly, the uptown riverside stretch of Audubon Park behind the zoo that teems with locals of all ages, shapes and sizes. Situated atop the levee with fabulous river views, there is vast open space and few rules or at least none that are enforced. So you'll see people drinking beer and barbecuing, boiling crawfish, playing Frisbee and softball, dogs romping, kids riding bikes and lovers picnicking and watching the ships travel the Mississippi. This is also the start of the 25-mile levee bike path - a super fun ride along the river. Audubon Park, a 340-acre urban oasis, is also home to the world-class Audubon Zoo, a 1.8-mile paved walking and biking path, a golf course, tennis courts and plenty of places to people watch.

The largest green space in New Orleans, City Park boasts 1,300 acres featuring colorful outdoor sculpture, excellent sports facilities and beloved attractions, such as the New Orleans Botanical Garden and the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), all surrounded by picturesque lagoons and sprawling lawns. Wander the two serene sculpture gardens behind NOMA, admission is free. Little ones love the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, home to an antique carousel, and the whole family can enjoy boating, biking or picnicking under the Spanish moss-draped live oak trees. There's also a lake for paddleboat rentals, and Storyland, a Mother Goose themed playground where kids can meet Three Little Pigs, Cinderella's Pumpkin, the Cheshire Cat and Snow White.