At the very end of Bayou Road (well, just east of here it is blocked off, I am not sure if it is to…read morerepair the road, or just the end of the road as we know it) is this square space with a few picnic tables and a lovely monument. PT Beauregard was born here, the last in the line of white aristocracy creole people. There is a lot said about him in the history books. I am not sure why there is only this monument in the middle of no where. I could not find any definitive answers with a cursory Google search. This is deep in the country, yet only about an hour away from New Orleans. The drive out is just lovely. https://www.visitstbernard.com/listings/play/san-bernardo-national-scenic-byway

This is a reminder of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was made from leftover…read morescraps to resemble a house in a tree, a memorial by a local artist that was dedicated on the 4th anniversary of Katrina. This visual reminder of what happened with boats in trees, cars on top of houses, and mattresses in places they never should be.

Made from leftover scraps to resemble a house in a tree, a memorial by a local artist that was…read morededicated on the fourth anniversary of Katrina, this is a visual reminder of what happened. Boats in trees after the storm, cars on top of houses, mattresses in places they never should be. A stark reminder of what happened in the past and what can happen in the future through natural disasters.

I love the old school floats & themes. The royalty was actually pulled by 6 mules last night and…read moreall of them seemed pretty happy, except for one of the lead ones. But his handler calmed him down with some pets. The wagon wheels definitely change the way the floats sway over the streets. While the theme was a bit obscure (it paid tribute to a long time member...well member's wife who was active in their design process for over 50 years), the floats were beautiful as always. The parade does zoom by superfast; these old guys don't play. They want to parade and get home, I guess. Not a ton of throws but enough to placate the crowds...more like the volume that I grew up with rather than the showers of stuff that come from some parades. We felt like there were fewer brass bands this year which is usually their staple so minus 1 star.

On the Thursday night leading up to the great weekend of Mardi Gras, and right before the famed…read moreMuses parade, this is a great parade. Babylon was a major city of ancient Mesopotamia in the fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The city was built upon the Euphrates and divided in equal parts along its left and right banks, with steep embankments to contain the river's seasonal floods. A bit of history about the crew, from their website is as follows: The Knights of Babylon was founded in 1939 by a group of professional men who wanted to stage a first class parade for the public and a first class tableau ball for their ladies. Widely respected as one of the iconic New Orleans Carnival organizations, Babylon annually presents the first evening parade on the Thursday before Fat Tuesday. This is a colorful, bright and interactive parade, and one of my favorites. They were generous with their throws. It was a great time had by all. A new question is being asked of gender neutral restrooms. The only gender neutral restrooms are the port-a-potties provided by the city. I know of no other gender neutral restrooms in the area.

This piece just jumps and grabs you. it is amazing. I dare you not to look. You can't do it. It is…read morethe masterful work of Brazilian painter Carlos Eduardo Fernandes Leo, AKA (artistically known as) Eduardo Kobra. The mural was painted in 2019 and is 45 feet tall. It depicts a close up of a wide eyed Louis Armstrong blowing into his trumpet. The artist had to work around 10 windows on the building to paint the mural and keep the flow going. In order to do so, he just blended them into the mural's colorful translucent geometric pattern. It is very realistic and looks like a photograph. However, the mural is divided into different color filtered squares. Those geometric patterns are a trademark of Kobra's style. Kobra said, the rainbow colors "symbolize that people are all the same." It really looks like he is looking at you. This is one of my favorite pieces, not only in the CBD, but in the entire city. The mural is on the side of The Rampart Hotel and overlooks a paid parking lot. The building is over 100 tears old and fittingly is located in a part of the city that what was known for jazz-era nightclubs. There is metered street parking and paid lots available nearby to park and get out to take a closer look. You could also get a good look from the windshield of your car doing a slow rolling drive by. Anyway, as with most murals I have reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You should consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals and attractions in the area, such as the SuperDome, to maximize your time and trip. Fu Fact: The mural was dedicated on the 118th anniversary of the Satchmo's birth.

Parking lot is as large as the mural. Reasonable rates. Pretty amazing that you get your ticket…read morewhen you drive in and do not have to try to guess at how much time you will be spending visiting wherever you are going. Pay when you leave.

We ran into this Humongous Whale Wall that covered the entire side of the building as we were…read moreleaving the Riverwalk

This sculpture is located at the entrance to Louis Armstrong Park. It is a very eye catching and…read moredetailed sculpture that depicts Mardi Gras Indian Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana, in full costume, with feathers covering him from head to toe. He has a flowing head dress and back piece and he is seen holding a tambourine in his right hand while striking a pose. Chief Montana was a Mardi Gras Indian for over 50 Years. Sadly, he died defending the Mardi Gras Indian tradition in the New Orleans City Council Chambers. The bronze sculpture was made by Sheleen Jones-Adenle and was dedicated in 2010. Funding for the statue was received from the Edward Wisner Donation Trust. I love this sculpture. It is New Orleans at its finest. It is very picturesque and draws you in. Jones-Adenle is also the artist that is responsible for the nice brass band sculpture right across from this one. There is metered street parking available around and in a reasonable walking distance from the sculpture. You may also find a commercial lot to park in as well. Well, as with most public art I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful art in the area to maximize your time and trip. Luckily, there are a lot of other interesting pieces of art in the park to load your itinerary with in addition to all that Louis Armstrong Park has to offer.

So beautiful!! For me, this was definitely a must see. It's in lovely City Park, so there's that…read moregoing for it right off the bat. The lights themselves are creative and cool and just fascinatingly gorgeous. I agree that the dragon, fish and pagoda are the big highlights here. Experiencing those alone are worth the admission price, in my opinion. We didn't partake in the food here-so I can't comment on that and for some reason Storyland was closed on a Saturday night unlike Celebration in the Oaks...so that was strange, but all in all I really enjoyed this and definitely recommend it.

I am so excited! I enjoyed China Lights so much I went twice in a week!…read more First off, yes it's $18 but it's worth it- there is a lot going on, it's really enjoyable and you can make an evening out of it. There are a few different layers to China Lights, so let me hit them one by one. The lantern lights: This is the main attraction. Gorgeous lit up lanterns of all types that illuminate the Botanical Gardens. It's really hard to pick a favorite, but I loved the panda bears and the penguins. Some of y'all know that penguins have a special place in my heart since I got to cuddle some once at the aquarium. I also loved the big light up ducks that were in a reflecting pool and moving around on a little track. I'm doing a terrible job at describing it, but trust me it's beautiful. It's really hard to describe how amazing the lights are in person and I can only imagine how much work this whole exhibit took to put together from the planning to the execution. It was definitely worth the work! The performances: In the tent where they serve the food they have nightly performances at 6:30 and 8:00. We caught the 8:00 show and the performers are straight from China. This is what they do for a living and it shows. First there were three young ladies who did acrobatics while spinning plates, the next man was a juggler who was only 18 but is an expert at juggling rings, there were contortionists who could do crazy bendy things and there was even a clown. The show lasts about 20 minutes or so and it was fantastic! These people are amazingly talented and I am so glad I got to see something like this in person. The food: I got a burger. It was a burger. Who cares? The star of the food show is the muffaletta egg rolls. Oh yeah, we are talking muffaletta goodies wrapped in a wonton and fried- totally healthy, right? OH MY GAAAAAH. So, I am going to have to go back just to get this egg roll again. It was incredible and I really should have just eaten this and called it a day. Seriously though, is there anywhere in NOLA that makes this so I can like have it on a regular basis? Please advise. All in all, I loved China Lights. It was a lot of fun and the weather is perfect for it right now. I went on both a weeknight and a weekend. I would suggest going on a weeknight because there are way fewer people and the lines to get tickets, food, bathroom, etc. are a lot shorter/non-existent. I will be back before May 1st and I hope that City Park makes this an annual thing.

Somebody fan me, it's hotter than hell in Nola right now, but I Love this fest!…read more Music line-up kept the crowd dancing, clapping and singing along. There were violins, accordians and washboards! The food is fabulous!! If you haven't tried it yet, get the Yakiniku Poboy. Seriously. It's that good. Remember Ajun Cajun! (Shrimp plate is good too). Tips: Get there early, bring blanket, plop in the shade and visit misting stations often.

Loved: * Indoor restrooms available for use at the Mint…read morebldg. * The wonderful zydeco music * Free fest Enjoyed: * Food/drink vendors (While limited options they were good. They had about 10 food vendors). * Lots of shade along Esplanade Ave stage I like this little zydeco fest but I thought the fest could have had more food and drink options. The daquiris were $9 each and only offered Strawberry or Margarita flavors. They also had mixed drinks and beer. I will come back next year because of the great zydeco music and friendly atmosphere!