Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 504-581-4629;
www.auduboninstitute.org
;
423 Canal St; adult/child $16.50/12; 10am-5pm;
)
A supremely kid-friendly learning center that's a joy for budding entomologists. The
Japanese garden dotted with whispering butterflies is particularly beautiful. Has a nice
exhibit on New Orleans' notorious cockroaches.
Garden District & Uptown
The main architectural division in New Orleans is between the elegant townhouses of the
Creole and French northeast and the magnificent mansions of the American district,
settled after the Louisiana Purchase. These huge structures, plantationesque in their ap-
pearance, are most commonly found in the Garden District and Uptown. Magnificent oak
trees arch over St Charles Ave, which cuts through the heart of this sector and where the
supremely picturesque
St Charles Avenue streetcar
(per ride $1.25; )
runs. The
boutiques and galleries of
Magazine Street
form the best shopping strip in the city.
Lafayette Cemetery No 1
CEMETERY
(Washington Ave at Prytania St; 9am-2:30pm)
This necropolis was established in 1833 by
the former City of Lafayette. Sitting as it does just across from
Commander's Palace
and shaded by magnificent groves of lush greenery, the cemetery has a strong sense of
Southern subtropical gothic about it. Some of the wealthier family tombs were built of
marble, with elaborate detail rivaling the finest architecture in the district. You'll notice
many German and Irish names on the above ground graves, testifying that immigrants
were devastated by 19th-century yellow-fever epidemics. Take bus 11 or 12.
Audubon Zoological Gardens
ZOO
(
www.auduboninstitute.org
; 6500 Magazine St; adult/child $17.50/12; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to
6pm Sat & Sun; )
This wonderful zoo is great for kids and adults. It contains the ul-
tracool
Louisiana Swamp
exhibit, full of alligators, bobcats, foxes, bears and snapping
turtles.
SWAMP TOURS
Arrange swamp tours in New Orleans or go on your own and contract directly with
a bayou-side company.
