City Park

City Park really makes for an ideal family day out. It has everything you could possibly want in a park, from a top-class museum and theme parks to wonderful botanical gardens. It originated in 1910 when a local philanthropist called Isaac Delgado, donated the New Orleans Museum of Art as a gift to the people. The 2nd floor of this magnificent museum is dedicated to permanent exhibitions which include anything from Dutch, 17th century art to 20th century American. The famous Portrait of Madame Rene de Gas by Edgar Degas, was actually painted just a short distance from the building. There is also a fantastic photograph collection on display, including a shot of the one and only Elvis Presley stepping out of a car in New Orleans. This particular section tends to go down well with people not so taken with paintings, sculptures etc. The 2nd floor also houses some Faberge and Louisiana work which proves very popular. The 3rd floor is more diverse, with various Asian, African and pre-Colombian art and artifacts on display.

Outside lies the amazing 12 acre Botanical Garden, which was designed and built by the federal works project. One of the many highlights is an Art-Deco pond which is bordered by brick pathways, a rose and butterfly garden. For a wonderful sense of peace and tranquility, this is hard to beat. Storyland, which as the name suggests, is dedicated to children, manages to incorporate fairytales into a magnificent playground. It includes Jack & Jill’s hill, Peter Pan’s pirate ship and Pinnocchio, who can be found in the belly of the whale. Another garden called Carousel Garden, boasts an original 1906 carousel with working Wurlitzer organ and stained-glass cupola. When visiting, decide which parts of the park interest you because they tend to charge you separately for the different areas and gardens.

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