Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Consider a stop at the New Orleans Museum of Art, which boasts a perman-
ent collection of nearly 40,000 objects. The museum is especially known for
its French and American art, along with photography, glass, and African and
Japanese works. It is also a popular venue for films, plays, lectures, chil-
dren's art workshops, wellness activities, and live-music performances.
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Circle right around the museum, past Big Lake and onto Roosevelt Mall
Street. (Be sure to follow a map, because some streets aren't marked.) Cross
bridge and turn left on Victory Avenue. To your left is the 5-acre Sydney and
Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, considered one of the most important
sculpture installations in the United States (see sidebar). The garden is part
of the New Orleans Museum of Art but does not charge admission.
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From the sculpture garden, continue down Victory past the New Orleans
Botanical Garden. What began as the City Park Rose Garden in 1936 is
today home to 2,000 varieties of plants from around the world, among them
aquatics, roses, native plants, ornamental trees, shrubs, and perennials.
Highlights include the New Orleans Historic Train Garden, the Yakumo Ni-
hon Teien Japanese Garden, the Conservatory of the Two Sisters, the Pavil-
ion of the Two Sisters, the Garden Study Center, the Lath House, and the
Robert B. Haspel Stage. The Botanical Garden presents a variety of pro-
gramming throughout the year, including garden shows, lectures, and con-
certs, such as “Thursdays at Twilight,” a garden concert series that show-
cases some of the city's top musicians and bands.
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Next to the Botanical Garden is the park's iconic Storyland, a must-see play-
ground filled with fairy-tale sculptures such as Humpty Dumpty, the Three
Little Pigs, and the Cheshire Cat. Kids are invited to climb aboard Captain
Hook's pirate ship, follow Pinocchio into the mouth of a whale, and race up
Jack and Jill's Hill.
Adjacent to Storyland is Carousel Gardens, an amusement park with 16
rides, including an antique wooden carousel that dates back to 1906. The ca-
rousel has 56 animals (mostly flying horses) and two chariots. Listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, it is one of only 100 hand-carved carou-
sels in the United States and the only one in Louisiana. Other rides include
bumper cars, a Tilt-A-Whirl, a Ferris wheel, the Musik Express, and a mini-
ature train. Kiddie rides are available for the toddler set.
Across from Carousel Gardens is another post-Katrina addition: City Putt, a
36-hole miniature-golf complex with two courses. The Louisiana Course fo-
cuses on themes and cities from around the state; the New Orleans Course
