Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
13
AUDUBON PARK: UPTOWN OASIS
BOUNDARIES:
St. Charles Ave., Exposition Blvd., Mississippi River, Walnut St.
DISTANCE:
1.8 miles-3.2 miles (two options)
PARKING:
Free parking along St. Charles Ave.; 2-hour parking in neighborhood
PUBLIC TRANSIT:
St. Charles Ave. Streetcar
The folks at the Audubon Institute call Audubon Park an “urban oasis,” and they couldn't
have come up with a more appropriate description. With its duck-filled lagoon, ancient live
oaks, and serene sitting areas, Audubon offers a respite to anyone looking to escape the
pressures of life.
In historic Uptown New Orleans across from Tulane University, Audubon Park has a rich
and fascinating history, having once been home to Native Americans and, many years later,
the nation's first commercial sugarcane plantation. During the Civil War, the site alternately
hosted a Confederate camp and a Union hospital.
The city acquired the land in 1871 for the purpose of hosting The World's Industrial and
Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884, Louisiana's first world's fair. At the time, the park
was called Upper City Park, but city planners renamed it Audubon Park in 1886 in honor of
artist-naturalist John James Audubon, who painted many of his iconic
Birds of America
in
Louisiana.
With its development handed over to landscape architect John Charles Olmsted—whose
family's firm designed New York's Central Park—Audubon became a full-fledged city
park. Today, the 300-acre recreational area includes a 1.8-mile jogging trail, a 2.2-mile dirt
path, a golf course, riding stables, picnic shelters, playgrounds, tennis courts, and soccer
fields.
Local celebrities such as New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and political
strategist James Carville, both of whom live in the neighborhood, are regular visitors to
Audubon Park. And with the city's exploding film industry, other stars—Harrison Ford and
Woody Harrelson among them—have been known to partake of the park's amenities.
•
Begin at the front entrance of Audubon Park, on St. Charles Ave. across from
Tulane University. Spend some time in the circular garden. Its fountains,
sculpture, and vast array of blooms make this one of the park's most enticing
stops.
