New Orleans Lakefront Airport

Quite a unique Art Deco era small airport near the Lakefront. Fascinating to see the interior architectural elements and paintings well preserved including a Diner.

What a lovely gem to find. This is like a little museum. A 1933 airport, at the beginning of air travel, restored to all of it's glory and splendor. The only way we found it was because of the restaurant, which by the way is fantastic.

One of the most outstanding airports and beautiful history along with the history of the super bowl that was made!

The terminal here is very beautiful. If you ever get a chance to look at it, take it.

Very cool historic airport terminal clearly constructed during the golden age of flying. They've got beautiful murals and even old-time phone booths.

Food ok...Doolittle omelette tasty. Coffee good. Ambiance and service good. Pricey. Bathrooms do not have automatic flush but do have hands free soap dispenser.

What a wonderful surprise this airport terminal is! We visited from Australia and our friends took us to visit - I love Art Deco history... and I love airports! S o I found this place to be wonderful. What a great restoration they have done to capture the history of this place. Congratulations to those involved.

Beautiful building that is artwork into itself. They are restoring it to it's original 1930s look. A hidden gem in New Orleans for it's beauty.

An architectural gem of the Art Deco era (1933) is a must see for both airplane nuts and those who appreciate this era. A passion project of Gov. Huey Long. It was "modernized" awfully in the 60's and gorgeous murals depicting airplanes flying over exotic spots were covered in marble. Ugh. Fortunately they were uncovered and restored recently and they are incredible! There's a coffee shop and a Messina's restaurant here. Did not eat here so cannot attest to the food. The atmosphere is terrific, though. You can see the small planes landing and taking off. Great for kids.

New Orleans is a very old American city. A little over 300 years old. This was its first commercial airport going back to the early 1930's and the terminal building has been restored to its Art Deco style from damage by Hurricane Katrina. It's now beautiful inside. I have been coming to visit here for over 20 years now mainly to eat in its restaurant which was called The Walnut Room. It had good food and great views of the airport tarmac and runways stretching out to Lake Pontchartrain from its very large picture windows. You could eat and watch the private aircraft take off and land including some of them pulling up to park next to the restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Sadly the restaurant has closed due to Covid but I'm sure it will reopen one day. The terminal building is open every day and if you come to visit you might be surprised how few people you will see. Feel free to walk around inside and view the giant floor compass pointing to different cities of the world and their distance from where you are standing. This compass goes back to the early days of the airport and you can just imagine what life was like back then with people coming and going from here in twin engine propeller aircraft. The interior has been beautifully restored with numerous large Art Deco era paintings of air travel. Walk around, go to the second floor and take your time. It's all free including the parking. This is a hidden treasure that few tourists know about including most of the locals.

This is an airport, a great restaurant and a beautiful work of art. The restaurant here is a great establishment that is nice for weekday meals and weekend brunches. The entire building is a work of art in an art deco theme and inside there are eight fascinating murals done by Xavier Gonzalez in 1938. This beautiful space has been featured in movies and is certainly worthy of a visit or booking an event.

WONDERFUL restoration of historic original air terminal. ART DECO. 1934. Beautiful and historic. Highest recommendations.

On the south shore of Lake Ponchartrain, on the northern and eastern edge of New Orleans, this is a step back in time to what I imagine the 1950's. This small airport wasn't designed for today's large aircraft. It fuels my imagination for Amelia Earhart. In the current day, the airport itself is still used for small aircraft, and there is not much going on in the terminal. You can have breakfast, brunch, and lunch at the cafe, there is a law office here, a school for learning how to fly, and a few other businesses inside here. The murals have all been restored, or are in the process of being restored. When I went today to have breakfast at the cafe, they were setting up for some sort of dinner function here, so I was unable to really get good pictures of the floor. I have heard of wedding receptions here, high school proms, and so many other things. I also understand that there is a flight show here, showing all sorts of planes. Come here for your event or a meal at the cafe, stay a bit exploring the artwork. You will not be let down! The listing for the Runway Cafe that is located here is: https://www.yelp.com/biz/messinas-runway-cafe-new-orleans-2 come eat here and check out the airport!

Gorgeous! A visit to the Lakefront Airport is like stepping back in time- I only wish I had been wearing my favorite vintage dress on the day I visited. My dad and I had lunch at Messina's, so we decided to walk around after looking at all of the renovations at the airport. If you walk up the stone stairs, you get to see the murals that are being restored. They look so perfect that it's hard to believe that they were painted so many years ago. The Walnut Room is huge, if you are looking for a place to hold an elegant reception and there is even a flight school here. Here's a secret: I have always wanted to learn to fly, but I've never had the guts to look into lessons. Now that I know that there is a flight school at this airport, I might just have to give it some real thought. Be sure to look down at the floor to see how many miles away from New Orleans different cities are (this will make more sense when you see it in person). The Lakefront Airport is a must visit for everyone.

Attended a private celebration ceremony at the facility today and was really impressed by the grandeur of the space. Let alone being alongside an active airport, the interior is like a whirlwind back to the epic glory-days of Art Deco architecture. From the murals to the architectural details to the pervasive style, it was like crossing the threshold to the mid-1920s. Service was adequate, food was decent, but the ambiance was remarkable.

Fantastic example of Art Deco Architecture situated along the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The recent renovations are gorgeous and are totally worth a trip out there to visit and just walk around to see the beauty of it all. There is a restaurant in the building but not much else in the way of normal airport business one would expect. If I had my own plane I would love for it to live it this lovely facility. BONUS: There is an Enrique Alferez sculpture in a fountain just outside the airport that looks like it in the process of also being renovated. If you are unfamiliar with his work, he created many wonderful WPA public art pieces through New Orleans most notably in City Park. The one at the airport is probably the largest though.

Maggie is professional and very responsive to phone calls and emails. She has been able to accommodate our every request. The building itself is gorgeous which makes for an excellent event space. I found them to be very reasonably priced. I also like the free private parking lot which is hard to come by when searching for venues in New Orleans. It's one less thing your guests have to worry about. Maggie and I discussed all the details of my event and it was exactly how I wanted it. I went early to go set up for the event and asked for a few more tables and they were quick to supply them for us. It was such a pleasure having out event there. As the planner I was able to put my trust in them and able to host a stress free event. On another note...I also had breakfast in the cafe a few times and I love it. The huge windows allows you to gaze off into the runway and see private jets and helicopters taking off or landing. It makes for a very cool backdrop! I thought the coffee was excellent which is always what I gauge a breakfast place by. It was rich, strong, yet smooth. The menu is your typical breakfast fare. The service was excellent. Again, love the views!

Went for the Air Sea Land Festival. The folks that were doing the parking were doing a wonderful professional job. We stopped to ask about handicapped parking and was told where to go. We were able to get my husband and his wheelchair out of the truck with no problem because they allowed enough room between vehicles. The booths to get in had enough room to allow.for my husbands chair to go around the barriers with no difficulty. The festival itself allowed for plenty of room to use his chair and folks made room when he went by. We enjoyed all the planes and entertainment that the festival had to offer. Will be returning next year.

WOW! This building is a gem. Love the restoration (some parts still being completed), the architecture, the views, and the location on the lake. When I asked Lindsay A to meet me out here for lunch, I think she thought I had lost my mind. But then we ran around the airport like children...investigating all the nooks and crannies. I highly recommend closing yourself into the old telephone booths to see how well they dampen the outside noise. But the telephones are gone... they should hook up charging stations in the booths. We happened to be there on a Saturday when there was a WWII airshow nearby so there were lots of people around but it also meant that we got to watch vintage planes flying around so bonus! The Walnut Room was open rather than the Cafe (to accommodate the crowds) so we got to see the beautiful bar space too. Just gorgeous. I wish air travel was still so elegant.

Just a completely breath taking terminal that is open to the public! I believe it has recently been renovated (within the year) and boy did they do a fantastic job!!! It is just a beautiful example of Art Deco, right here in NOLA! I've been wanting to check this place out for a while and finally did so this weekend. We took a leisurely drive up on Sunday and we were not disappointed. It's apparently a functioning airport, but private only, no commercial flights. We did see one private jet landing but other than that things were pretty quiet. If I ever win the lottery, i'll be flying out of here for sure! There are two restaurants that were open that Sunday, a cafe and a full blown restaurant. Both were half full and are small to begin with. The menus looked reasonably priced and they had a blue plate special. Standard NOLA fare, but we had just eaten and so I can't review the food. But I will be back to try out both places and watch the planes land. But the location itself? Gorgeous! It takes you back to a different time. The attention to detail is just beautiful, as it usually is with art deco. The fixtures were all period, the murals were original (or so I was told) and they even had old school phone booths (sans the phones) and an old school elevator with the sliding metal door! I was in heaven. I highly recommend you check this place out and when you do, be sure to grab a bite to eat and let me know how the food is. Go check out this beautiful slice of history, you will be glad you did!

This is a private airport renovated to look like what they thought the future would look like in 1920. Beautifully done with amazing restaurants. Several small and huge rooms available for parties.

Well, it USED to be a 5-star airport before the storm. Now not so much, but I still love being here. There's something about airports that really make me feel at home. I'm reviewing this airport with a pilot-point-of-view. My dad keeps his plane here and the people that run the airport are very passionate about what they do. They have a strong presence and are dedicated to making sure that everything runs smoothly. Maintenance of the hangars are always a top priority. After the storm, it took less than 3 months to replace the old hangars with brand new ones... like the storm never even happened. If you happen to be an aircraft owner, keep your plane here rather than Reserve or Slidell...

Very nice location for a smaller intimate wedding. The renovations are Art Deco and bring back a fabulous feeling. Messina's is now doing the catering, the food is top notch for events. The Shrimp and grits were delicious, and the Green fried tomatoes and shrimp sliders were very good! Unique New Orleans food for a wedding. The actual wedding ceremony was a bit awkward on the 2nd floor and made hearing a bit of a challenge.

Beautiful art-deco style terminal, with a VERY nice restaurant (located down the hall, behind the "Runway Cafe" diner). If you are a pilot, this is also the best place to land if you are visiting New Orleans. The staff is VERY friendly, and the city is just a few minutes away!

My husband and I recently attended a wedding at the Terminal. The remodel is amazing and beautiful. The space was smaller than I expected (I must admit I didn't really know what to expect), but it was smaller than I imagined. The food was delicious and plentiful at the wedding - of course, I know the amount depends on the couple and how much they order, but the food was also delicious! Especially the shrimp and grits. There was a dance floor in the middle, which was nice, and there were ample bathrooms!! Another plus. There's a balcony that goes around the upper part of the venue, but we didn't travel up there. There was also plenty of parking! A huge plus!

Great Terminal Staff. So many of my friends fly to NOLA using this airport.

We land at this facility and the friendly staff was awesome!!! I'll be planning my next visit!