New Orleans is known around the world for its historic buildings, cemeteries, and architecture, all of which make for one of the most intriguing urban landscapes in the country.  Complementing this landscape are a collection of parks, squares, plazas, and outdoor areas.  Collectively, they provide opportunities for reflection, relaxation, and exercise.

City Park is by far the flagship park of New Orleans.  1300 acres large, the park offers vast amounts of green space and oak trees in addition to a botanical garden, an art museum, a children’s amusement park, playgrounds, tennis courts, a running track, gondola rides, baseball fields, a golf course, nature trails, a sculpture garden, a dog park, an equestrian center, boat rides, and much much more.

Audubon Park, located Uptown, also has much to offer including a golf course, a 1.8 mile paved track, playgrounds, bbq grills, and a zoo.  Elsewhere in the city, you will find Armstrong Park, Woldenberg Park, and several public squares and plazas.  Click here to read about them all.

There are other places besides our parks where you can commune with nature and “get your sweat on.”  One such place is the levee along the Mississippi River.  The paved path on top of the levee is 90 miles long and stretches all the way to Baton Rouge.  You can find it along River Rd. where St. Charles and Carrollton Avenues meet.  The path is perfect for walking, running, skating, and biking

Also ideal for cardio exercise is Bayou St. John.  It stretches like a glassy ribbon from Lake Pontchatrain to Mid-City.  From Robert E. Lee Blvd. to the corner of Wisner and Esplanade Ave. (where the main entrance to City Park is), there are paved and shaded paths that follow the bayou’s curve.  Once the bayou crosses this intersection, it moves to Moss St. where its banks become grassy.  There you will find walkers and runners as well as neighborhood folks taking their dogs on walks.  You will also find folks fishing, canoeing, and relaxing.  The blue foot bridge and large oak trees beckon you to unwind.  At Lafitte St., Bayou St. John moves underground, but the park-like area continues for several blocks.  The grassy neutral ground sports playgrounds and open spaces.

At the northern end of New Orleans is the mighty Lake Pontchatrain.  40 miles long and 25 miles wide, brackish Lake Pontchatrain is so large that when you gaze upon it, you could swear that were on the shores of some sea.  The lake is a beautiful place to run, to ride your bike, to bbq with the family, or to just sit and watch the sun go down.  You can swim and go boating in the lake and fish in it too.  The Lake Pontchatrain Basin Foundation provides information on safety guidelines, regulations, and permits related to these sports.  Throughout the year, the foundation sponsors special events on the lake like a “Back to the Beach Festival” (as far back as the 1800s, the lake was home to an amusement park) and a fishing rodeo.

Outside of New Orleans by just a short drive is the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park Barataria Preserve.  According to the park’s website, it “offers a taste of Louisiana’s wild wetlands.  The preserve’s 23,000 acres include bayous, swamps, marshes, forests, alligators, nutrias, and over 300 species of birds.  Boardwalk and dirt trails wind through the preserve.”  You can “check out the trail map, enjoy a self-guided tour, or explore with a cell phone tour.  Waterways can be explored by canoe or kayak; hikers and paddlers can check out the preserve map here.”  Furthermore, “exhibits at the preserve visitor center highlight how the Mississippi River built Louisiana’s wetlands, the national importance of the area, and the relation between the land and its people.  The center’s bookstore has books, music, children’s books, and field guides on sale.  Admission to the preserve is free.”  Go to the park’s website or call 504-689-3690 ext. 10 for more info.

There are many more nature parks in the state of Louisiana, many of them not too far from New Orleans:  Bayou Segnette State Park, Bogue Chitto State Park, Fontainebleau State Park, Grand Isle State Park, St. Bernard State Park, and Tickfaw State Park.  Were wild in more ways than one in Louisiana.  When you come to visit, don’t miss out on our natural beauty!