Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
18
CITY PARK: WONDERLAND OF FUN
BOUNDARIES:
City Park Ave., Marconi Dr., Wisner Blvd., Victory Ave.
DISTANCE:
1.47 miles
PARKING:
Free on the street or in the park
PUBLIC TRANSIT:
Canal Streetcar (City Park/Museum Line)
City Park is a 1,300-acre wonderland—and Hurricane Katrina spared none of it. The 2005
storm and subsequent federal levee breaches flooded one of the country's largest and oldest
urban parks, leaving sections of it with up to 8 feet of water and causing $43 million in
damage.
Fast-forward nine years, and the park is better than ever, thanks to the dedication of volun-
teers from around the country and Friends of City Park, the park's fundraising arm. Back
are most of the park's treasured staples, from the New Orleans Botanical Garden and Story-
land to Carousel Gardens and the New Orleans Museum of Art, including the Sydney and
Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Its trees are as magnificent as ever, despite the park hav-
ing lost 2,000 of them in the storm.
New attractions include City Putt, a 36-hole miniature golf course; the Goldring-Wolden-
berg Great Lawn, an expansive green space used for concerts and other activities; and the
stunning Big Lake, with its surrounding bike and jogging paths.
In the coming years, the park will be home to a reimagined Louisiana Children's Museum
level golf course.
If that weren't enough, the park is also home to two of the Crescent City's premier events:
the Voodoo Music Experience in October and Celebration in the Oaks, one of the country's
most spectacular holiday-lights festivals. Since 2008, City Park has also been the site of
such movies and TV shows as
The Expendables, Now You See Me,
and
22 Jump Street.
Bear in mind that this walk covers only a section of the park. Feel free to explore its other
gems, such as the Popp Fountain, the disc-golf course, the new NOLA City Bark dog park,
and the Couturie Forest and Arboretum, on your own.
Note:
Some roads in the park aren't
marked, so bring along this topic and/or the official park map, available at
neworleanscity-
