Parents now have more reason than ever to plan a family-friendly visit to New Orleans, thanks to new offerings at the Louisiana Children’s Museum.
The museum expanded its space from a moderate, restored historic building in the Warehouse District to a new two-story facility on more than 8 acres in New Orleans City Park. The campus — which opened in 2019 after 30 years at the museum’s original location — features a variety of exhibits, activities and programming, as well as an expansive outdoor space. In addition, the museum offers banquet space, three meeting rooms, a theater that holds 250 guests and the family-friendly Acorn Cafe.
The expansion was part of larger City Park plans, with a goal of further developing the venue and its attractions for New Orleans’ 300th anniversary in 2018, according to Keith Claverie, marketing and communications manager for the park.
“Opened in August 2019, the Louisiana Children’s Museum is an important element of the City Park master plan, which extended amenities for families across the region,” Claverie said. “The new 8.5-acre campus overlooking a lagoon and immersed in nature expands on the existing amenities in the park, making City Park a [desirable] destination for all.”
Among the offerings at the museum (which is open Tuesdays through Sundays) are five interactive exhibits that help kids understand the importance of wetlands, the Mississippi River and other unique waterways indigenous to Louisiana and its neighboring states. Other exhibits focus on science, wildlife and city highlights, such as New Orleans’ unique art, music and architecture. Outside, there are sensory and edible gardens, a floating classroom (where kids can propel a barge into the lagoon to learn about water topics) and an explorable shotgun house sporting architecture typical of New Orleans, among other exhibits.
The city’s Dickie Brennan & Co., a culinary group with restaurants in the French Quarter, has partnered with the museum for Acorn Cafe. The restaurant seats 165 guests, with half overlooking the park’s “Little Lake,” as the body of water is known to locals. Open Wednesdays through Sundays, the cafe serves family-friendly fare with a bit of flare and a focus on local ingredients — including products from its Grow Dat Youth Farm — as a way to teach children about sustainable agriculture. The space also allows for special events and birthday parties.
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Louisiana Children's Museum
