Fun & Educational Activities for Kids in Louisiana

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is situated along the Mississippi in New Orleans, Louisiana, located adjacent to the French Quarter. Immersing visitors into the underwater world, the aquarium offers families hours of fun getting up close to a wide variety of aquatic life. A walk-through tunnel brings the colorful Great Maya Reef to life, while Southern sea otters and penguins delight visitors. Visitors can also marvel at huge rays and sharks in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit and touch stingrays at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. The facility is also home to the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, 1 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, Phone: 504-861-2537

The Audubon Insectarium and Butterfly Garden is located on Canal Street in New Orleans inside the United States Custom House. The unique attraction encourages visitors to use all of their five senses as they explore the large museum in North America dedicated to insects, as well as their relatives. Kids can learn how insect’s are the planet’s building blocks of life, shrink to the size of a bug, see thousands of butterflies in the Asian Garden, participate in an active audience for a bug award show, and explore a Louisiana swamp among several other activities at the Audubon Insectarium.

423 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, Phone: 504-524-2847

The Audubon Nature Institute Park is situated within the historic uptown area of New Orleans, Louisiana. Audubon Park has become a popular spot in the city for picnics, recreation, and simply enjoying the nice weather on a sunny day. For over one hundred years, people have visited the urban oasis featuring playgrounds, picnic shelters, a lagoon, a peaceful jogging path extending almost two miles, and alleys of ancient live oaks. The park also includes soccer fields, riding stables,the Whitney Young Pool, tennis courts, the Audubon Golf Club, and the Audubon Clubhouse Cafe.

6500 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70118, Phone: 504-581-4629

The Audubon Zoo is located at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans’ historic Uptown area and is home to an exotic assortment of animals found throughout the world. The zoo also offers lush gardens, hands-on encounters with several different animals, and engaging educational programs. Visitors can explore award-winning and unique natural habitat exhibits at the Audubon Zoo, such as the Jaguar Jungle and the Louisiana Swamp, showcasing the relationship between nature and people. There are also daily animal presentations, feedings, and chats, along with a variety of animals that include Amur leopards, white alligators, orangutans, and many other species.

6500 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70118, Phone: 504-581-4629

The Baton Rouge Zoo is a modern zoo that teaches the importance of environmental awareness, sustainability, and conservation.

The Natchitoches Alligator Park is a one-of-a-kind destination in the state of Louisiana that allows guests to come and explore the exciting, mysterious, and unique world of American Alligators just outside of the town of Natchitoches. The park provides eight acres of authentic Cajun countryside with Cajun cuisine, Cajun music, and plenty of world-famous “Joie de Vivre” that Louisiana is known for. Of course, there are many alligators as well. Visitors can feed alligators, touch them, and even take a picture with them. Kids and adults alike can take in the thrilling experience of “Alligator Island,” surrounded by numerous huge gators.

380 Old Bayou Pierre Rd, Natchitoches, LA 71457, Phone: 318-354-0001

The BREC Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana encompasses a little over one hundred acres and is dedicated to tourism, recreation, education, and conservation. The facility is home to an award-winning building of 9,500 square feet that houses a variety of live animal exhibits, mineral and natural artifact displays, a working beehive, photographic presentations of fauna and flor, and a vintage, sizeable collection of waterfowl decoy carvings. More than a mile of boardwalks and gravel paths link the various habitats at the BREC Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, including hardwood forests, beech-magnolia, and cypress-tupelo swamp.

10503 N Oak Hills Pkwy, Baton Rouge, LA 70810, Phone: 225-757-8905

The Carousel Gardens Amusement Park has been a unique marvel in New Orleans for over one hundred years, drawing visitors every year to experience the “flying horses” of the beautiful carousel, one of just one hundred carousels like it in the United States. The Carousel at the amusement park is even listed on the country’s National Register of Historic Places and is a masterpiece of Loof and Carmel, famed carvers. The Carousel Gardens Amusement Park in New Orleans City Park is also home to a variety of other rides and attractions, including a ferris wheel, a drop tower, and a roller coaster.

7 Victory Ave, New Orleans, LA 70124, Phone: 504-483-9402

The Children's Museum Of Acadiana houses a wide assortment of exhibits designed for allowing families to learn, create, and play. Children are encouraged to discover and explore the world through interactive, hands-on participation throughout the museum. Architecture Alley offers a base for kids to discover the “designer” inside as they build with dominoes, Legos, and Kapla blocks. Wee Acres provides a farm-themed activity area made for toddlers, while the Bubble Factory lets kids experiment by creating bubbles of different shapes and even standing inside of one. Children's Museum Of Acadiana is open every day except for Mondays.

201 E. Congress St, Lafayette, LA 70501, Phone: 337-232-8500