New Orleans is a garden that is always in bloom. In the spring, flaming azaleas and the intoxicating scent of magnolias, giant white blooms nestled amongst dark green waxy leaves, welcome a new season of aromas. Carolina jasmine and wisteria climb up street posts and along wrought iron fences. Rose bushes that have been tended to for generations stand out against small shotgun houses and community gardens full of vegetables, herbs and homemade sculptures testify to residents' pride in their neighborhoods.
Spring and summer showers open up the heavens almost every afternoon while crepe myrtles' pink, purple and white confetti-like flowers dust neighborhood sidewalks. With its lure of cool breezes, Lake Pontchartrain draws people to its shores for sailing, fishing and picnicking. Others take advantage of the slower pace to enjoy day trips to small towns throughout South Louisiana, hugging lakes, bayous and marshes, all part of "A Place Called America's Wetland", one of the world's richest eco-cultural destinations. Right in the heart of New Orleans, City Park presents landscapes typical of Louisiana all over the state. Giant sprawling live oak trees drip with moss; egrets, heron, geese, swans and ducks cruise bayous and ponds; and azaleas, magnolias, camellias and crepe myrtles fill the park with color.
Late September brings cooler weather and once again, locals can be seen tending to their gardens or sitting on their porches as the late afternoon light fades into brilliant orange and magenta sunsets. Banana trees are heavy with fruit, sweet olive trees begin to fill the air with a scent that lingers well down the street, and a light breeze breathes energy into the city.
As the temperature continues to drop, New Orleans dresses up for the winter holiday season. Walking around the city is a feast for the eyes as camellia bushes explode with blooms, streetcars wear wreaths and garlands, and the live oak trees in City Park are illuminated and decorated with over-sized ornaments.
Regardless of what time of year one arrives in the city, there are always plenty of outdoor adventures waiting to begin.
The French Quarter is famous for its wrought iron balconies draped in ferns and cascading flowers and discreet subtropical courtyards. Just walking down the residential side streets of the old city is a wonderful way to soak in the ways that New Orleanians blend their gardens into the urban geography. To experience a public garden, Jackson Square is a great place to get a sense of the heart of New Orleans. Iron benches in the park provide excellent seats for people watching against a backdrop of beautifully landscaped garden beds with the Mississippi River just a short walk away.
Right next door to the French Quarter in Tremé is Armstrong Park, named after New Orleans’ most famous jazzman, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. A statue of Armstrong holding his beloved instrument stands in the center of the park amidst the splendid oak trees, winding lagoons and other historic structures.
There are a number of ways to experience one of the greatest rivers in the world in the oldest part of the city. Walk along the Moonwalk or relax in Woldenberg Park. Travel on the waters of the Mississippi River and watch freighters, tankers, barges and tugboats pass through one of the largest ports in the world and listen to the music of the calliopes – steam driven instruments that add even more melody to this music-oriented city.
Take the Canal Street Ferry to Algiers Point, a beautiful residential neighborhood with a number of great cafes and a coffee shop overlooking an old town square. Looking at the city from the other side is like stepping through the other side of a "looking glass." For a longer trip, the Natchez Steamboat and Paddlewheelers Creole Queen or Cajun Queen offer dinner cruises along the Mississippi River. The John James Audubon Riverboat also offers one-hour rides from the Aquarium of the Americas to the Audubon Zoo.
Uptown is home to the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar (undergoing repairs to infrastructure; back in full service in 2008), the Garden District and Audubon Park. The streetcar and St. Charles Avenue bus provide a scenic route under canopies of live oak trees along one of America's most splendid avenues. In the middle of the neighborhood on Washington and Prytania is Lafayette Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in New Orleans.
Here, New Orleanians tend to grave sites on All Saints Day and just about every afternoon visitors wander through aisles of above-ground tombs under the shadows of live oak and cypress trees and the stone eyes of angels. Longue Vue Gardens, in Old Metairie, not far from City Park, is one of the South's most grand private homes and gardens. They are both currently welcoming visitors and are well worth the cab ride, especially when one of the wonderful programs – teas, Kinder Gardens and more – is being presented.
Audubon Park is located on 400 acres of land across from Tulane University on the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar and bus lines. Situated amongst some of the most beautiful homes in uptown New Orleans, the park was the site of the 1884 World's Fair. Today it brings together a diverse array of uptown residents who come to read in pools of sunshine, stroll along its scenic paved oval path, and picnic by lagoons. On a Saturday afternoon, joggers, tai chi practitioners, in-line skaters and dog walkers can be found amongst Frisbee games and family reunions. For over one hundred years, golf enthusiasts have been enjoying the Audubon Golf Course, which was renovated in 2002. On the far end of the park on the other side of the Levee is what locals refer to as "The Fly" – batture land formed by the River that is now used as a park with fabulous views of ships, tugboats and tankers traveling down the Mississippi. Not far away, the Levee Bike Path begins at Audubon and Magazine Streets and goes more than 80 miles to the state capitol on Baton Rouge. This two-lane paved road is a great way to experience the river amongst many different landscapes as well as escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
Running from Jefferson Davis Parkway in Mid-City to Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou St. John is a historically significant waterway. Both Native Americans and French colonists used the bayou as a port between the Lake and the Mississippi River. Today it meanders through Mid-City, passing beautiful examples of French antebellum residences as well as early 20th century worker cottages. Perhaps the best view of this section of the bayou is from the pedestrian-only Magnolia Bridge. The grassy shores of the bayou are a favorite place for residents to exercise their dogs, take an afternoon jog, fish or enjoy the sunset with a picnic and a glass of wine.
Moving toward Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou St. John runs by the magnificent City Park, the fifth largest urban park in the country with 1500 acres of land. During the 1930s, this park became the site of the largest Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in Louisiana, employing 20,000 workers during the Great Depression to build winding roads, artistic bridges, tennis courts and pavilions. Today, the park is home to many natural and cultural wonders. The New Orleans Museum of Art and Sidney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden share the grounds with live oaks draped in Spanish moss estimated to be 600 years old, giant pine and cypress trees, bayous and ponds.
Tourists and locals can easily spend a day wandering through the park to the New Orleans Botanical Garden; the Sydney and Walda Basthoff Sculpture Garden; the Historic New Orleans Train Garden (open on weekends); the Popp Music Stand; the Peristyle's columned dancing platform facing a lagoon; an art deco embellished classical fountain; and 100-year-old oak shaded walking rings.
On weekends the park is filled with soccer, horseback riding, basketball, tennis, volleyball and golf practice on the park’s driving range. Children clamor through Storyland, feed the ducks, ride the historic carousel, and cavort in playgrounds. High school football, track meets and soccer games fill Tad Gormley Stadium.
Bayou St. John meets Lake Pontchartrain – an estuary leading to the Gulf of Mexico – near the University of New Orleans, the city's largest public university. Running alongside the lake is a grassy levee shaded by trees and enhanced by playgrounds, benches and concession areas. Residents take advantage of the serenity to picnic, bike or jog along the lake.
For outdoor enthusiasts who have access to a car, the St. Tammany Trace on the northern side of Lake Pontchartrain is a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. This 31-mile trail is well-loved by horseback riders, cyclists, joggers and walkers alike. Converted from an old railroad line, its paved path travels from Covington to Slidell through Fontainebleau State Park, historic towns and horse farms. Along the way, there are many chances to catch a glimpse of the fox, deer, wild turkeys and swamp rabbits that are a part of the city's wider ecosystem.
New Orleans was built on cypress and tupelo swamps that have long been cut down and filled in as New Orleans and the metropolitan area expanded. There are a host of excellent guided tours – some even by airboat – available for those wanting a first-hand view of the bayou, or perhaps a face-to-face encounter with some local wildlife. Or, to gain a sense of what the natural environment used to look like, two popular destinations for visitors outside of New Orleans are Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge on the southeastern border of Orleans Parish or across the Mississippi River into Lafitte National Historic Park.
Bayou Sauvage contains 23,000 acres of fresh and brackish marsh, all within the city limits of New Orleans. The largest urban wildlife refuge in the country, Bayou Sauvage is a well-loved retreat from the confines of the city and a highly regarded bird watching area; an enormous wading bird rookery can be found in the swamps of the refuge from May until July, while tens of thousands of waterfowl winter in its bountiful marshes.
Jean Lafitte's Barataria Preserve is another very accessible natural area. Only half an hour drive from downtown New Orleans, the Barataria Preserve features natural levee forests, bayous, swamps, marshes, and in the early spring, fields of blue Iris. The preserve is a great way to get a feel for the vast deltaic ecosystem of which New Orleans is a part. The boardwalks that traverse the swamps allow the visitor to really imagine how the entire landscape appeared to the first European settlers that carved out the streets of the French Quarter, while the short film in the visitor center showcases the many people that still live directly off the bounty of this highly productive ecosystem.
Select a short trail from the network of more than eight miles to get a taste for the landscape, or spend the entire day and walk all of them to really get immersed in the swamps of south Louisiana. For those who prefer paddling to walking, canoes are available for hire. With more than nine miles of waterways in the preserve that are closed to motorboats, there is no better option for those who want to get up close and personal with alligators and turtles sunning themselves.
Whether in town, or on the outskirts, New Orleans offers grand vistas, hidden treasures and romantic haunts for visitors willing to linger and roam beyond the excitement of the clubs and restaurants for which we are better known. For those who run out of time, the landscape beckons a return visit. For the athletic and eco-tourist, New Orleans could become a second home.
This material may be reproduced for editorial purposes of promoting New Orleans. Please attribute stories to New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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