“Daddy, you’re right. New Orleans – and Bourbon Street – is a magical place,” my 8-year old daughter Jane said, laughing up at me.
The Big Easy is renowned as an adult’s playground. A plethora of bars dot fabled Bourbon Street, drawing those looking to dance (and drink) to the gritty streets of the Crescent City, where jazz, Cajun and Dixieland tunes emanate all day and night.
What (else) to do
› Bike tours: New Orleans is an easy city to traverse on two wheels since it’s flat and the grid isn’t difficult to figure out. And at night, bikes that light up can be rented.› Ghost tours: The word is that there is more paranormal activity in New Orleans than any other city. (Though Savannah might argue the point.) The ghost tours are fun while also being informative, appealing both to Mom and the kids.› Swamp tours: If you would like to see a gator up close, it’s time for a swamp tour. Don’t worry, these alligators want no parts of humans; if you get too close, they’ll just drop into the murky drink. There are basic swamp tours, but if your teen is into ecology like mine is, you should check out the Lost Lands Environmental Tour.› National World War 2 Museum: It’s the perfect place if your child is bored by stuffy museums. There are plenty of interactive opportunities, which particularly thrilled my kids since their grandfather served for the entirety of the second great war.› Go bowling: If you’d like to take a break from all the New Orleans history and tradition, head to Fulton Alley, which is right in the middle of downtown.
But New Orleans has quietly become a destination for children.
There are a number of zoos and even tours for kids to enjoy. Even the aforementioned bustling Bourbon Street, which can be a “decadent” thoroughfare in the evening, can be enjoyed by children. During a recent excursion, I let my children, Eddie, 15, Milo, 12, and Jane, 8, punch their ticket to the cavalcade of entertainment by walking along the perpetually vibrant street by day.
After peeking into a club, which featured a jazz act mid-set, a pair of middle-aged, buzzed locals asked each of my children what they would like to achieve as adults. Jane informed the gentlemen that she hoped to become an animal conservationist.
“Look at what they gave me,” Jane said after we placed our order at Arnaud’s Restaurant, a venerable fixture of the New Orleans dining scene. She flashed a $100 bill and gushed about the magic of New Orleans. “This is what you get for saving animals,” she said, beaming.
Apparently Jane doesn’t want to save every animal, since she ordered the touted turtle soup. “I guess I just want to save the animals that don’t taste so good,” she cracked.
Arnaud’s, which celebrated its centennial last year, serves delicious French Creole cuisine, which is ideal for children with mature palates. Milo loved the crawfish; Eddie couldn’t get enough of the shrimp Creole, featuring Gulf shrimp simmered in a tomato sauce with Creole vegetables. “We don’t get anything like this at home,” Eddie said. Amen. Frogs are also not on Jane’s protected list – she happily devoured the frog legs provencale, fried and covered with Pernod-infused garlic-herb butter. My own reason to return is the hickory smoked Gulf pompano bourgeois, served with sour cream, capers and onions. The firm pompano meat is both sweet and savory. I’ve never had anything quite like it.
We also trekked to the Audubon Zoo, which is larger and more varied than we anticipated. The Louisiana Swamp was naturally our first stop. My kids are fascinated with alligators after a number of canoe trips through the Everglades. “Remember, the safest, most dangerous thing you can do is paddle past an alligator,” Milo said just before he took part in the gator feeding. But it wasn’t just the gators that impressed my kids. They learned about Cajun culture and how the French subsisted in Southern Louisiana courtesy of the Native American Indians more than a century ago.
New Orleans is ahead of the curve when it comes to tours designed just for kids. We opted for a pair of kiddie jaunts. Jane enjoyed the “Creole Kids Tour,” designed for those ages 4-10. The hour-and-a-half run focuses on slavery, the difference between Creoles and Americans, and what life was like during the 1830s in the Crescent City.
Where (else) to eat
› Try a new kind of hot dog — a crawfish sausage dog. It’s better than it sounds, and it’s not only delicious, it’s a New Orleans staple. Dat Dog has won over thousands of reviewers, including this guy.› Or try some praline bacon. My kids couldn’t get enough of the unique pork delicacy at Elizabeth’s.› There is no snow in New Orleans but there are snowballs. The shaved ice with sweet syrup is a New Orleans tradition that dates back to the 1930s. The cherry snowballs are good, but go for the local flavor: praline pecan. While you can get these just about anywhere, I recommend Casey’s Snoballs. It’s not only better than any other ice in New Orleans, it’s better than any New York Italian ice, and right up there with Philadelphia’s famed water ice (it’s a thing; look it up).
We also signed on for the “Teens Tour,” which focuses on New Orleans’ rich culture. The kids picked up a surprising amount of information about the city’s role in military campaigns and about trade emanating from The Big Easy. There were stops along the Mississippi Riverfront and at the Old Slave Auction House. “I learned more about slavery at the Old Slave Auction House than school,” Milo said following the 90-minute tour.
After experiencing a dazzling fireworks display off of Crescent Park, the kids were hungry, so we indulged in our favorite Big Easy pastime: consuming muffaletta sandwiches chased by beignets.
The muffaletta was invented as an inexpensive lunch for Italian immigrants at the turn of the prior century. Ham, capicola, salami, mortadella and provolone on Sicilian sesame bread are the primary ingredients. The Central Grocery and Deli is the place for the New Orleans staple. The joint is so jammed that the shop employs security to make sure nothing is pilfered. We sat across the street on a stoop before we hit the beignet trail.
A beignet, which is fried dough then covered by confectioner’s sugar, is practically mandatory in New Orleans. We tried a variety of beignets. Our favorite was produced by Cafe Du Monde, which was established in 1862. The dessert, three beignets to an order, is perfectly fried and drenched in powdered sugar. That was just what my kids needed before we hit the road.