The 15 Best Family Vacation Spots In Louisiana

1. Swamp And Bayou Ecology Tours

Explore the beautiful bayou and swampland that surrounds New Orleans. Spot wild boar, alligators, raccoons, great blue heron, cranes and egrets, and other unique flora and fauna. Some are noisy and exciting, some are tranquil and focused on nature, all are a blast.

● Ragin’ Cajun Airboat Tour.

● Cajun Encounters Night Bayou Tour.

● Honey Island Swamp Tour.

● Sunset Airboat Tours by Arthur.

2. All-Age Jazz Clubs

Jazz comes pouring out of every other doorway on Bourbon Street, but amazing musical experiences aren’t just for the booze crew. These historic venues offer world-class jazz for underage music lovers:

● Preservation Hall: Famous 1961 jazz hall — book early, it sells out!

● Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro: Kids over 13 welcome with guardians.

3. Factor In Festivals

New Orleans is a place where celebration and finding joy are second nature. You can experience that joy through music, food, dance and culture at a variety of festivals. Whether a city-wide party is your heaven or a heck no, factor in for timing:

● Jazz & Heritage Festival, aka Jazz Fest: A world-renowned gathering of jazz masters, new artists and musicians and the people who love them. This festival sells out the town with multi-day minimums and can triple prices.

● Mardi Gras: If you have little ones in tow, perhaps skip the event, which can be a bit rowdy and light on clothing. Instead, visit Mardi Gras World museum to see the actual floats, costumes and learn about the customs from this cultural event.

● Easter: This family-friendly version of Mardi Gras features parades and floats.

● French Quarter Festival: Parades, music, food and fun kick off the season of celebration. Watch the action safely from balconies above the street at key hotels.

4. Louisiana Children’s Museum

This excellent children’s museum isn’t the standard cookie-cutter option; it incorporates the local culture and nature to create a memorable museum experience.

● Move with the River: Explore the Mississippi River with a 100ft water table of dams and levees, a cargo boat exhibit, a tot splash spot and a water wall.

● Pirogue and Bayou: Immerse yourself in the South Louisiana ecosystem with interactive activities about fish, nets and natural swamp sounds.

● Outdoor Adventures: A large yard is home to a musical “hummock,” a floating barge water classroom and build-a-nest Pelican’s Perch.

5. Royal Sonesta New Orleans

This historic hotel in the heart of Bourbon Street is our favorite hotel. The location couldn’t be better for little legs wanting to wander it all, and the serene tropical interior courtyard with a large pool and mellow beach music is a relaxing resort feel escape from the chaos below. Rich history, walking distance to everything, incredibly comfortable beds and welcoming to families — it’s an ideal way to extend a cruise vacation or amp up the excitement for an impending sail. 

If you just want to settle in, the hotel offers everything you could need without setting foot on the street. (Although there is a beignet spot directly across the road, so…)

● Pool Bar Cafe: Boat drinks, mocktails, snack menu = the kids can stay pruny. 

● Jazz Lounge: All-ages, complimentary for guests, it attracts world-class acts.

● Desire Oyster Bar: Beautiful breakfasts and oyster happy hour right off the lobby.

● R’evolution Restaurant: Fine dining in a historic and beautiful setting. Order the po’ boys to the room for the older kids and relax downstairs for a pre-cruise date night.

● Le Booze: As the name implies, perfect to people-watch or enjoy take-away room sips.

6. Wednesdays At Mr. B’s Bistro

An outpost from Cindy Brennan, of the famous New Orleans restaurant family, is a hotspot of bustling diners crowding in for indulgent Creole and Cajun highlights. You’ll find Gumbo Ya Ya, Barbecued Shrimp served with a bib and Creole Bread Pudding with Irish whiskey sauce. 

Wednesday lunches are special with Philip “Skip” Lorax Jr., a 44-year legendary veteran of the eatery, dishing up his famous fried chicken. (Parents will love the elevated kids’ menu and $1.50 house Bloody Marys and martinis.) In a land of incredible eats, Mr. B’s stands out and you’ll likely be craving those Barbecued Shrimp and their housemade Cajun-spice butter sauce for years.

7. Riverboat Cruises

The mighty Mississippi can “wet” the appetite for cruising (especially for first-timers) as you roll along the river from the same area where you will board the ship. Ask at your hotel or swing into the tourism bureau for pamphlets offering promotions.

● Sightseeing Natchez Steamboat: This affordable sail down the Mississippi offers insight into the local culture and history of river-going communities with a local nature and wildlife element.

● Evening Steamboat Jazz Dinner Cruise: Paddle-wheel tours under the stars combine dining, music and culture from this historic river town. If you want to avoid late nights, look for jazz brunch cruises on the same ship.

8. Audubon Aquarium And Insectarium

This riverside location is walkable from the port or city. Tickets include access to both facilities.

A few highlights include:

● Visiting mermaids will mesmerize young visitors. 

● Scuba Santa adds Ho-Ho-H20 to the holidays.

● The Maya Tunnel is a see-through walking dome, surrounded by sharks and rays.

● Shark Discovery is a can’t-miss experience, especially the touchpool.

● See Gulf of America and Down the Bayou exhibits featuring local critters.

● Hit Insectarium highlights like the Butterfly Garden and Leafcutter Ant Colony.

9. Cafe Du Monde

10. Voodoo And Boo Tours

11. New Orleans Streetcars To Historic Mansions

Even if you’re just filling a pre-cruise day or killing a long wait for your flight home, don’t hole up in the hotel or airport lounge. Take a breezy ride on the St. Charles Avenue Line — a charming mode of exploration around New Orleans and the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world — to add fun local flair to your time.

If time permits, hop off in the Garden District to admire the Greek Revival, Italianate and Victorian mansions set back from the tree-lined street with lush, colorful gardens and magnolias. If your kids are too young to appreciate a historic house tour, they will still love looking at the old-school glam houses while you learn more with free self-guided walking tour apps. The Audubon Park isn’t too far, with a cafe and three playgrounds — including an ability-and-sensory inclusive option designed for kids 5-12.

12. The Art Of Louisiana

New Orleans Museum Of Art

Sydney And Walde Besthoff Sculpture Garden

New Orleans Street Art And Mural Walk, Featuring Banksy

Museum Of Illusions

13. Make A Louisiana Purchase

The sprawling cobblestoned streets of the French Quarter are lined with unique boutiques filled with kitschy souvenirs, local artists’ work, hand-crafted pottery, galleries, candy shops and T-shirts emblazoned with New Orleans-specific sites and sayings (fortunately, most of the innuendos will go over the short set’s heads). Add a dedicated parking spot on each block for buskers and musicians to serenade shoppers and its a party! 

● Bourbon Street shops offer funky, creative, local flavor goods and galleries to peruse. 

● French Colonnade Shops let you taste test an authentic praline or Cajun hot sauce and pick up a local artist-created souvenir after enjoying your beignets.

● Spike your shopping with a frozen drink in the land of open containers — streetside stands with colorful, whirring slushy concoctions also offer mocktails.

14. Who Dat? Learn The Local Lingo

Impress the locals with your mastery (or attempt to use) of local New Orleans terms:

● Order a “cold drink” when you are after a soda. 

● “Flying horses” are very popular with families — try the City Park’s Carousel Gardens. Cute kids will often benefit from “Lagniappe” pronounced LAN-yap, a term for a bonus treat at a restaurant or on your hotel pillow.

● Need to bail back to the hotel for nap time or end the otherwise endless nights of the city? Explain the kids need to “make dodo”, derived from the French dormir. 

● Who Dat — This is as New Orleans as it gets. For the past 40+ years, it’s been a classic NFL rallying cry asking who dares say they could beat the Saints. The popular shortened phrase is used to represent the resilient local spirit in all manner of things.

15. Mister Gregory’s Shrimp Boil

Sailing From New Orleans Makes A Royally Fab Vacation

Sailing from New Orleans kicks off a Royal Caribbean cruise with the perfect note of good times to come. With dozens of dining and drink options to whet any appetite, next-level clubs to keep kids from 3-17 partying with new friends while parents take a spin on their own club dance floors, world-class entertainment and music pouring from venues all over — the Big Easy is a perfect expression of the amazing family vacation to come. 

Great value adds up, thanks to New Orleans’ MSY wealth of inexpensive airfares, walkable nature and the fact that the Julia Street Cruise Terminal is right in the middle of the French Quarter for a stress-free start to the sail. 

Cruises from the Port of New Orleans visit a variety of incredible destinations:

● The Bahamas. 

● Belize.

● Cozumel.

● Grand Cayman.

● Jamaica.

Book A Family Vacation Packed With Flavor In New Orleans