Nature in Nola

NOLA. A city far beyond bars and clubs. A city with a lot of history and nature!

Shall we check out the stories of some of the parks in New Orleans??

Louis Armstrong Park

Louis Armstrong Park was created between the 1960s and 1970s as part of an urban renewal project. The park is located in Treme, considered one of the oldest African-American neighborhoods in the United States, and the birthplace of many of New Orleans’ most famous jazz musicians.

Designed by architect and urban designer Robin Riley, the park is named after New Orleans-born jazz legend Louis Armstrong, singer and instrumentalist known as “the personification of jazz.”

It was home to the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1970. Today, the park hosts a variety of events such as the Martin Luther King Day celebration, Red Dress Run, Congo Square Rhythms Festival, Jazz in the Park, weddings, among others.

Congo Square

Formerly called ‘Place des Nègres’, it was a meeting place for slaves in the 1800s, more precisely on Sundays (day off), to exchange, sell, play music, dance and celebrate. These meetings at Congo Square got famous, and the square became a touristic spot for visitors from other parts of the United States.

New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park

New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park opened in 1994, and is a national historic park celebrating the origins and evolution of jazz.

Its main venue is Perseverance Hall No. 4, a historic building that belonged to the Society of Perseverance (Association of Mutual Aid and Benevolent Perseverance). It was originally a Masonic lodge, built between 1819 and 1820 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts

The Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts opened in 1973 and is named after New Orleans-born gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It reopened in 2009 after being closed because of Hurricane Katrina. Today, it is home to the New Orleans Ballet Associations and Touring Broadway Across America Productions.

City Park

City Park was founded in 1854, it was originally used as a dueling venue, in which men defended their pride and honor by dueling on horseback. It was defined as ‘City Park’ in 1891.

Considered one of the oldest urban parks in the country, it is a self-sustainable public park, through visitor fees and donations. Since 1999, it has hosted the Voodoo Experience, the park’s largest live music event. If you Want to know more, please visit the website.

New Orleans Museum of Art

The New Orleans Museum of Art, opened in 1911, is the oldest fine arts museum in New Orleans. It was initially funded by a charitable donation from local philanthropist and art collector Isaac Delgado.

Its permanent collection contains over 40,000 objects from the Italian Renaissance to the Modern Era. The museum also offers guided tours, teacher workshops, festivals, film screenings, music programs, lectures and wellness activities.

Audubon Park

Audubon Park opened in 1898, is located in the Uptown neighborhood. It was originally called ‘Upper City Park’, to be distinguished from City Park, but the name was changed to honor the artist and naturalist James Audubon.

Before becoming Audubon Park, the land was used for plantations in colonial and early statehood, as well as by the Confederate and Union army during the American Civil War, and as a staging area for buffalo soldiers.

Audubon Park does not receive funding from the city, it its supported by profits generated from the Audubon Zoo and other facilities managed by the Audubon Nature Institute (a non-profit institute dedicated to operating a group of ten museums and parks dedicated to nature).

The park contains a paved circuit for runners, cyclists and rollerbladers, tennis courts, a golf course, ponds, baseball fields, a soccer field and much more. Open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and closed on Sunday. To learn more, visit the website.

Audubon Zoo

Audubon Zoo is an American zoo opened in 1994, which houses more than 2,000 animals. It is considered one of the top-ranked zoos in the country in the USA Today’s ‘10Best’ survey. It's opened 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm and the tickets range from US$20 to US$30. Want to know more, visit the website.

Bird Island

Ochsner Island, better known as the Island of the Birds, is one of the main observation points of NOLA, it attracts several wading birds throughout the year, among some species found on the Island are Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Crested Cormorant double and Anhinga.