Best Nature and Parks (RV, National, Dog, etc) in Arabi

"You could take a New Orleans river cruise on the Steamboat Natchez, grab a drink at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, visit Louis Armstrong Park, or take a class at the New Orleans school of cooking, to name a few. Better yet, for the best of both worlds, choose a half day tour option from among the most popular New Orleans day trips and spend the other half of your last day back in New Orleans."

"Another well know park and named after a famous musician, is the Louis Armstrong Park. It’s located in Treme near the French Quarter. It has sculptures and vendors selling food and crafts."

"Live oaks, Spanish moss and lazy bayous frame this masterpiece of urban planning. Three miles long and 1 mile wide, dotted with gardens, waterways and bridges and home to a captivating art museum, City Park is bigger than Central Park in NYC and it's New Orleans’ prettiest green space."

"Protecting six different locations in and around NOLA, the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve adds up to 22,421 acres, encompassing bayou, prairie, swamp and the site of the Battle of New Orleans (1815) at Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery. The park also looks after the French Quarter Visitor Center, which maps the history of New Orleans and the many cultures of the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana, going into language, music, livelihoods and architecture. A little way south of New Orleans in Marrero is the expansive Barataria Preserve, where marsh, swamps and hardwood forest are crawling with gators, snakes and turtles."

"Jean Lafitte National History Park, located about 30 minutes south of New Orleans, was a highlight of the trip for me. There are a couple boardwalks that go through the swamp that provide amazing scenery and a chance to encounter all kinds of wildlife. We saw snakes, lizards, toads, egrets and, of course, an alligator. If you are both lucky and brave (or a bad parent like us), you could even take a picture with a wild alligator."

"If nature and sightseeing are up your alley, you’ll want to check out the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, which spans 22,241 acres and covers six different spots in New Orleans. Among the interesting spots within the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve are the different biomes, such as swamps, prairies, and bayous. There is also the Battle of New Orleans site within park grounds."

"Until 2014, the banks of the Mississippi River bordering the city's downtown Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods were essentially unwalkable. The city invested in a large renovation program that's transformed unsightly, post-industrial wasteland into a lovely riverside park. Crescent Park is a mile-and-a-half long and feels very much like a local spot; you're unlikely to find Mardi Gras-beaded tourists here."

"This waterfront park is our favorite spot in the city for taking in the Mississippi. Enter over the enormous arch at Piety and Chartres Streets, or at the steps at Marigny and N Peters Streets, and watch the fog blanket the nearby skyline. A promenade meanders past an angular metal-and-concrete conceptual "wharf" (placed next to the burned remains of the former commercial wharf)."

"Crescent Park is one of the city’s newest parks, but its landscape design is steeped in New Orleans’ past. This riverfront stretch of green space memorializes the robust history of New Orleans’ wharves. Plant-lined paths and breathtaking views run alongside the grand remnants of the industrial-age."

"The refined Uptown park around Audubon Zoo is a bit older, having been landscaped in the 1880s on what used to be a plantation and staging area for Buffalo Soldiers in the Civil War. If you’re mesmerised by New Orleans’ twisting live oaks you’ll love Audubon Park, which has trees that go back to its plantation days. Before this space could be laid out by the eminent John Charles Olmsted, it hosted the World Cotton Centennial of 1884, a world’s fair."

"Audubon Park boasts a great green lawn overhung by live oak trees in Uptown. One of our favorite spots for river-watching, the Fly, is located here. At the Fly, you can stroll along the riverside while kids play and pets poke around the trees."

"Formerly the plantation of Etienne de Boré, the father of the granulated-sugar industry in Louisiana, this large, lush patch of greenery…"

"Arcing around the east bank of the Mississippi opposite Algiers Point is a riverside park laid out in the 1980s and 90s on the site of former wharves and warehouses. Woldenberg Park fronts the French Quarter and is bordered to the south by the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and the Entergy Giant Screen Theater. During the French Quarter Festival in early April the main stages are put up in Woldenberg Park."

"Louisiana is a state that is famous for its waterways and bayous, and New Orleans is no exception to the rule. Fronting the French Quarter is one of the best riverside parks in the city – Woldenberg Park. Originally the location of warehouses and wharves on the east bank of the Mississippi, the site was retooled in the 1980s and 1990s into a park."

"For example, at the Woldenberg Riverfront Park is a 16-acre park in front of downtown near everything. Woldenberg Riverfront Park is a wonderful place to go jogging or picnic. You’ll find people playing their music in the park."

"Funded by the WPA, the City Park Rose Garden, as it was called when it opened in 1936, has been expanded over the years to fit 12 acres of land featuring more than 2,000 varieties of plants from all over the world. In the early 1980s, the space was renamed the New Orleans Botanical Garden, but what has remained are the 10 sculptures commissioned by Mexican-American relief artist Enrique Alférez."

"Also in City Park, you can find the Botanical Gardens, which are between the sculpture garden and Storyland. The Botanical Gardens feature multiple gardens, art and a butterfly walk. Probably the most popular photo spot in the Botanical Gardens is the fountain and its crazy statue, as you can see in the image below from Olivia Penney."

"The Mississippi River is a very prominent part of New Orleans, so you have to get a picture along its banks. My favorite spot is just south of Jackson Square where you can get a nice shot of the Crescent City Connection Bridge in the background. This shot below was late in the day we arrived after a long flight."

"Famed for the 300-year-old allée of live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss that flank its main entrance, Oak Alley Plantation has more to offer visitors than a quintessential view of a Southern plantation. Highlights include numerous exhibitions exploring the complexities of Southern and Louisiana history, 1,300 acres (526 hectares) of grounds, and the historic house itself—all within easy driving distance of New Orleans.More"

"Oak Alley Plantation is actually about an hour west of New Orleans, but it is such an amazing photo location, anyone visiting New Orleans should make the trip. It was definitely one of the highlights of our vacation. As you might expect, it is an old plantation house, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in the community of Vacherie, which is in St. James Parish."

"Established in 1939, Hansen’s Sno-Bliz is a family-owned sno-ball (the Louisiana variation of what the rest of the country calls snow cones) stand located on Tchoupitoulas Street. Believed to be the oldest sno-ball stand in the United States, this refreshment spot is famous for its finely-shaved ice and homemade syrups. Today, Hansen’s still creates its own flavor variations every day and makes sno-balls with the original ice-shaving machine Ernest Hansen built in the 1930s."

"Although we were tempted to try popular Sno-Bliz flavors like watermelon and satsuma, we kept our Snoball simple with bright red strawberry shaved ice and creamy milk. Don’t confuse Hansen’s Sno-Bliz with typical snow cones stands and ice cream shops. The Hansen clan has been shaving ice at Sno-Bliz and topping it with homemade syrup since 1934."

"Open since 1939, this location still uses the same ice-shaving machine its owner invented in 1934. Expect the lines to be long, even on those oppressively hot days."

"4641 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 779-2252: www.carrabbas.com. Shrimp and scallop spiedino features wood-grilled seafood topped with Italian breadcrumbs served with lemon butter and a side."

"Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing. Mid-City Market is an urban infill shopping center located at the northwest corner of North Carrollton Avenue and Bienville Street. This market has great things to offer, from groceries to trendy clothes."