The real jem of this trip is the ride on the Streetcar over St. Charles Avenue . Remember Tennessee Williams novel 'Streetcar named Desire" and the movie with Marlon Brando? Well this is the location!
The avenue breathes the past of the old colonial times and is a wide street with old oaks on each side and in the middle. The houses on the avenue sometimes look like the old plantage mansion and diver in stile from italian, french and victorian.
The park is build on old plantation grounds and it shows. Sometimes you feel like you are in the middle of 'Gone with the wind'.
The Zoo contains a beautifull recreated Louisianna swamp. With aligators, snakes, birds and other local wildlife that isn't that easy spotted in the real wild.
The zoo also has a Jaguar forest with staged Maya ruins and a Asian corner with a white tiger.
If you want, you can take the paddleboat back to the French Quarter, but a drive back with the streetcar is something to be 'desired' too...

In the past the Zoo in New Orleans took a bit of a back seat to the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. While the FQ and BS are great for adults, not so hot for kids. Or rather I wouldn't want my children running around in that land of debauchery. The only downside to the zoo, is that you cant spend enough time there to see and explore everything. The Zoo plus the Aquarium of the Americas equals some of the most fun and educational fun you can have in New Orleans without having to deal with drunk people. Hopefully Both the Zoo and Aquarium get back to their former greatness, and even improve upon what they used to have.

"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children."~John James Audubon

The Audubon is a regular zoo with a Reptile House (snake handles on the doors), bird house with exotic species, monkeys, and a petting zoo. There are also elephants near a very large elephant statue and fountain, which became the entrance to the park in recent years. There's the Louisiana Swamp with alligators. The mother alligator is usually around a tree where her nest is. Past the swamp is a Cajun restaurant or McDonald's (which is located near the elephants). Past the exhibit is a wooden cottage above a lake where you can see baby alligators and reptiles hatch.

As for the Louisiana Swamp and the Jaguar Jungle, I suggest these are both sites not to be missed. The Jaguar Jungle is a Mayan architecture park with a temple that says the gods will be angry if you walk onto it, which was to get kids from climbing on it. At one time there was an iguana, but it died. If you want to climb some of the temple, there are small steps on the left-hand side of it. There was also a sacrifice table, a jaguar exhibit, a digging site, and a larger and small arch that even I, at 5'3'', can walk under and not bump my head!

The zoo is also home to peacocks, which are not far from the elephant fountain. There are gift shops around the entrance. Recent additions have been a komodo dragon, the Jaguar Jungle, and the Monkey Hill waterfall. At one time there was a wild cat born of a regular cat or leopard named Jazz, but the kitty went traveling and wasn't heard of again. There was also the Roman Candy Cart with the taffy that was hard enough to break your teeth. And, long ago, there was another area with small shops. You had to walk up the alley and take a left, and you're at the Elephant Fountain. The zoo has made many changes through the years. Boo at the Zoo in October is when there are small booths for children to have candy, learn interesting facts, and listen to a band. Then there's a big celebration to Earth Fest. Eating at the zoo doesn't cost an arm and a leg. If you don't mind pigeons stealing your french fries or a Louisiana swamp-like view, these are the places for you.

There's a song called "They All Asked For You," which every New Orleanian has heard some time or another. It mentions the Audubon Zoo, and a guy asking how the animals "all asked for you" because a person wasn't there. To explore more of the city's illustrious charm, this is a place that beckons you to see what it has to offer.

A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children."~John James Audubon.

The Audubon Zoo was named after painter John James Audubon, who tried to paint and describe the birds of the world. I have the hardest time finding anyone to come with me to the zoo because it's too HOT! The only free time I have to visit the zoo is during the summer, and it is humid during the summer. The best day to go is on a cloudy or rainy day.

After a recent total renovation, this zoo has become one of the best in the country and will delight even non-zoo fans (like my husband!). Created in a setting of subropical plants, waterfalls, and lagoons, over 1800 animals, including some really cool rare and endangered species (like the white gator)live in their own natural habitats (i.e., no cages - yay!).