City Park
"Let’s start big picture here.At a mile wide and three miles long, City Park is half as big as Central Park in New York, and it's a popular green space year-round. Originally a site where duels would take place, some of the oldest ‘dueling oaks’ have been around 800 years; the park is also home to the largest collection of mature live oaks in the world. Almost all of New Orleans life is contained within the park’s boundaries, including museums, golf courses and sporting facilities, cafes and high-end restaurants, a stadium, waterways, dog parks, and huge, open green spaces where families and friends gather to escape the city. Any standout features or must-sees?The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and the accompanying Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden are definite highlights, while the Couterie Forest with its eight distinct ecosystems (and the city’s highest point, Laborde Mountain) makes for a delightful afternoon walk. Children will love the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park with its retro fairground rides—as well as the Louisiana Children's Museum—while adults can work up an appetite walking the great lawns before for dinner at the highly respected Ralph’s on the Park. Was it easy to get around?The park is well designed and marked, but its size means you'll want to find parking near the area you're keen to explore. All said and done, what—and who—is this best for?The park is free and offers a welcome respite from the city’s downtown. Visitors who have exhausted themselves hustling around the French Quarter will enjoy the shade and cafes." - Paul Oswell
