1. READ Nola

1. READ Nola

0

New Orleans, LA

Cancel

Open app

Search

READ Nola Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - READ Nola

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

7 years ago

Helpful 29
Thanks 0
Love this 24
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - READ Nola

Verify this business for free

Get access to customer & competitor insights.

Verify this business

Cool Zoo

Cool Zoo

3.8
(24 reviews)
1.5 mi

What a great addition to the Audubon Zoo! This was my first time to see the venue after hearing…read moreabout it for a while. The lazy river is artfully done, giving a nod to Louisiana wildlife and nature areas. There are a lot of skillful and friendly lifeguards around the area. There are several different food pavilions, restrooms, locker areas, and areas to sit. There is also a fun water slide, giving homage to the infamous alligators with albinism who have taken residence at the Zoo and Aquarium over the years. This would be a fun place to relax with your kids during one of the summer sessions. My friends and I attending the adults-only Sip and Dip event held on Fridays during the summer. It was very affordable for a private cabana for six with early access. Be sure to reserve your tickets for the event early online as it does sell out. It got a bit crowded toward the end, and they did run out of regular floats, though some preferred the thick floating noodles offered. Every Friday night has a different theme, so there is something for everyone. They bring in Dickie Brennans for the bar, and they were wonderful with decently priced drinks and quality alcohol. They were also creating with the mocktails. I certainly will return for another Sip and Dip either later this summer, if able, or next year. Absolutely worth it!

Four stars for Cool Zoo's beautiful grounds and water features that are artfully rendered. Two and…read morea half stars for Sip & Dip. Five stars for the incredibly friendly staff. My first time at Cool Zoo was for the adults-only Friday night party, Sip & Dip. This event is 2X a month during the heart of the summer and features theme nights with DJs and of course since this is NOLA, people get creative and might dress in theme. I went on 80s night and the music was so fun and I loved people wearing neon, 80s tshirts and even hair and make-up. Refreshments stands are spread out among the park and they do a themed cocktail and sell beer, hard seltzer and soft drinks, along with typical concession food and popcorn. I had the cocktail of the evening, the Purple Rain and while it was eye-catching, it was so sweet and possibly strong, too, that I couldn't drink more than 1/4 of it (and it's a huge cup, fairly priced at only $13). The grounds are beautiful with fountains and an area with slides and water features that you'd normally see children dominating (with perfectly good reason) but it was actually fun to see adults having at it on the slides and at the water sprayers. Then there's the lazy river, which is a decent size, warm and full of jets to move you along. We ended up not using flotation devices and swam/walked through it. My main issue and why this event isn't personally my cup of tea: it's too crowded. It sells out but I think they sell far too many tickets. We arrived 15 min after it started and there wasn't a lounge chair nor seat at a table to be found. Cabanas are so cheap here but they sell out immediately ahead of the event, likely the day that tickets go on sale. The only way I'd return was if I could get a cabana. The lazy river is completely packed 45 minutes into the event. We were lucky enough to get a locker (which also sell out so imagine being there without a space to put your things??? how is that fun?). People are in general nice enough to hand over the inner tubes but good luck ever getting a place to sit if you didn't line up in advance of start time. I keep going back between 3 and 4 stars for the main reason that everyone who works here is SO nice. The staff really made everything bearable for me, as they were so welcoming and helpful to point out where the lockers were (there's another set behind the set you initially encounter). I just think this isn't the event for anyone who avoids crowds of people. And the crowd that was there that night were totally fine (at least early in the evening). They just sell too many tickets for me to enjoy it.

Photos
Cool Zoo
Menu
Menu
Life jackets

See all

Life jackets
Audubon Zoo

Audubon Zoo

4.2
(465 reviews)
1.5 mi

The Audubon Zoo is one of those institutions that everyone needs to visit when in New Orleans. It's…read morelocated in a beautiful park, just off Magazine Street, and one can ride the St. Charles Street Car to get there. It's an old institution, and is often working to improve their historic exhibits to better serve their animals as well as their visitors. When I recently visited, the sea lion exhibit was being improved. They still had a sea lion show, and I was there at just the right time to see one of their sea lions enjoying an enrichment event. The exhibits are designed to provide a spacious and natural environment for the animals, while allowing the visitors to observe them. In some cases, this allows several species to inhabit the same exhibit, which is a more natural setting. This is definitely a well planned and managed collection, and helps the visitors understand to need to conserve our natural environment. The zoo has a great Louisiana swamp exhibit, which also helps the visitors learn about the cultural history of Louisiana. There are native animals that few might see in nature, but which the visitors can learn about in this setting. These include Alligator Snapping Turtles, and Louisiana Black Bears. There's plenty of places for the visitors to eat, drink, and buy gifts. These are found in convenient locations throughout the park. It's a great experience and especially good for families.

We visited the zoo on a Monday afternoon on April 20, 2026. We had a really nice time walking…read morearound and we have always wanted to visit the NOLA zoo. It was a relaxing evening for us. We didn't really encounter anyone that worked there that smiled to say hello or goodbye. It was so nice how the zoo is thoughtfully set up for families. Lots of places to sit down and view the animals. The day that we went, because it was now closer to closing (we were there for about three hours) the animals must have been brought inside before 5pm. It made it difficult to see some of the wildcats because they were inside. The park staff does end up doing some pop up discussions. We attended one with the gorillas and it was interesting to hear about them. The giraffe feeding station has been closed due to construction. *** unsure when it will reopen but would like to share this as it was disappointing to arrive and discover this. The Asian elephants were interesting to see and learn the difference between the African and Asian elephants. I felt like the animals at this zoo and the habitats looked like they could use a little more upkeep. With it being spring and all, the leaves were in all their water habitats. We enjoyed some salt water taffy while we were walking and this was a nice treat.

Photos
Photo time with the baboon sculpture.
Photo time with the baboon sculpture.
Agapanthus
Agapanthus
Audubon Zoo

See all

Carousel Gardens Amusement Park

Carousel Gardens Amusement Park

4.1
(31 reviews)
3.5 mi

I read another review of this that is spot on because it focused on perspective. This is an old…read moreschool small amusement park that is perfect for a fun day with kids. There are a wealth of rides across several different ages, and park admission includes Storyland access and unlimited City Park train rides. It'll be a blast for the kids, and they won't get tired of it; I've also never been there when lines were long. My only issue is that the park is staffed by mostly (but not all) rude young adults (perhaps teenagers but hard to tell) who have no desire to do an efficient or effective job. I'm not even asking for you to go above and beyond to make it special for kids; simply doing your job would be nice. Saying rides are on hold while you sit and do nothing, claiming that the a particular ride only rides every 10 minutes, cutting rides short on purpose (they literally would say it out loud), and so forth are all indicative of issues that could be easily fixed.

Perspective is everything. To my seven-year-old, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park provided two hours…read moreof fun running from ride to ride. They sell pizza and ice cream. Kids love this place. (At least my seven-year-old did. However, in a few years, she'll outgrow the rides.) To parents, this place is a great way to spend a few hours visiting City Park, but it comes with a price. It was $21 for our daughter and just over $12 per parent. However, once you pay, you get unlimited rides. The rides themselves are old and run down, but the plus is there were no lines on a Sunday afternoon in April. It has clean restrooms and the train is a fun way to see a part of City Park. Next door is Storyland, a storybook-themed playground that's free.

Photos
Carousel Gardens Amusement Park
Carousel Gardens Amusement Park
Carousel Gardens Amusement Park

See all

Audubon Aquarium

Audubon Aquarium

3.7
(686 reviews)
4.1 mi

If you like fish, and other aquatic species, and you have some time to kill in NOLA, this may be…read moreyour place to visit. The way this space works is that you buy your ticket and you enter via the Insectarium. That's not really my cup of tea but the butterfly exhibit, within that space, is great. From there, you go into the Aquarium. What you will find there is tons and tons of fish orientated exhibits. If you've every been to an Aquarium, in any large city, this one is very much the same. You know what to expect. If you want to check out a lot of various versions of fish, this is you place to go. They also have a nice penguin exhibit within the Aquarium. They seem to be very friendly and interactive. There is also a large space housing rescued owls and falcons and the like. Just like in the case of the penguins, personally, I always feel kind of sad for large birds housed in a space like this, as they are basically trapped. The good news is, I guess, is due the fact that they were injured in the wild they can live out their years in safety while being well taken care of. Overall, if your NOLA you may want to check this place out.

This aquarium is very expensive and very small. You can see the whole aquarium in an hour. The…read moreinsect portion in about 45 minutes. The insect area is prob more well done than the aquarium. $50 is not worth it. Do the zoo combo for $60 then we are talking Really cool stingray and jellyfish exhibits though Park on the street and walk over. It's very expensive to park in the lot next to the aquarium.

Photos
Photo op!
Photo op!
Audubon Aquarium
Audubon Aquarium

See all

READ Nola - kids_activities - Updated July 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...