Tucked away in a verdant corner of City Park’s Botanical Garden, the New Orleans Historic Train Garden features replicas of streetcars and trains that wind around 1,300 feet of track. It’s an informative look at New Orleans’ history—all in miniature!

While the Train Garden is open during Botanical Garden hours, the trains only operate on Saturdays and Sundays. The Train Garden is also available for birthday parties.

Set under a collection of gorgeous, massive live oaks, City Park’s amusement park has 15 rides, including a gorgeous, hand-carved historic carousel that will impress even the most jaded adult.

Filled with 25 larger-than-life sculptures modeled after storybook characters, this unique playground boasts a dragon slide, Captain Hook's pirate ship, and the whale from Pinocchio.

Just outside NOMA’s front door, find the recently expanded Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, a collection of sculptures set among City Park’s oaks and lagoons. The three-acre expansion includes 27 outdoor artworks. Admission to the sculpture garden is always free.

Older kids will love paddling from neighborhood to neighborhood and learning about the history of Bayou St. John during a two-hour tour perfect for first-time kayakers. You might even see a bit of wildlife!

Get an up-close look at colorful second-line outfits, Baby Dolls costumes and Mardi Gras Indian suits in the heart of Treme at Sylvester Francis’ living tribute to African-American parading culture.

This assembly of small, shack-like houses is part art installation, part musical instrument, and part playground. Each offers interactive fun for kids and adults of all ages, and the rustic, forest-like art garden doubles as a music venue and event space. Open hours for hands-on play are 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

This 32-acre park located in the Treme neighborhood is a good option for kids to explore near the French Quarter. You'll find picturesque green space, a sculpture garden, and paths aplenty.

The St. Louis Cemetery was founded in 1789 and is the oldest burial ground of New Orleans’ most illustrious residents. There, you’ll find the gravesite of Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, as well as actor Nicolas Cage’s future tomb.

Book with Save Our Cemeteries to have an up close and personal look at an array of wall vaults and tombs just steps from the French Quarter—and don’t forget the sunscreen.

Families with kids ages 4 to 18 can take an interactive tour of the neighborhood with French Quarter Kids and learn about ghosts, music, and local history.

If you're looking for a kid-friendly jazz venue in New Orleans, this is it. The all-ages music landmark offers sets of jazz nightly—fyi, there's no food and beverage service—with some shows starting as early as 6 p.m.

Pro tip: Queue early and grab one of the benches; seating is first-come, first-served.

Tucked off an alley behind Jackson Square in the French Quarter, this adorable bookstore sells new and used books and has a small but well-stocked children's section.

Installations throughout Carl Mack’s Carnival museum in the French Quarter highlight different parts of parade culture, from costume displays of past krewe royalty to Cajun Mardi Gras and walking groups and social aid and pleasure clubs. Play dress up in a rotating costume closet full of Carnival must-haves and fun finds. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

This two-hour cruise along the Mississippi River uses a real steam-powered sternwheeler and provides great views of the city. Teachers can organize field trips geared toward younger and older students using the company’s resources, which include worksheets on topics ranging from the structure of a riverboat to local history.

Twice an hour, this ferry takes a 10-minute trip across the Mississippi River from the Central Business District to Algiers Point, and the $2 ride offers great views of the New Orleans skyline.

This 23,000-square-foot museum is the largest insectarium in the United States. Don't miss the butterfly garden, where a colorful butterfly might land on your child's shoulder.

With four major sea life habitats to explore—the Amazon, the Mississippi River, the Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean—this aquarium offers hands-on aquatic fun for kids of all ages.

Check out the penguins, Parakeet Bay, and the popular 2,600-gallon touch pool where kids can touch cownose rays.

The museum moved from its longtime Julia Street home into a new $47.5 million campus in City Park, featuring five interactive exhibits exploring the state’s natural environment, music, and culture. The new campus includes old favorites like the bubble wands and grocery store as well as new additions like a classroom floating above a lagoon and a fog sculpture by Fujiko Nakaya.

Located in the Warehouse Art District, the Ogden Museum showcases the art, history, and culture of the American South and has a few art projects and resources designed specifically for families. It also hosts a series of artsy summer camps for kids of all ages.

As the oldest continually operating street car in the United States, the New Orleans streetcar has been transporting locales—and thrilling children—since 1835. Head to the St. Charles line for views of the Garden District and New Orleans' many picturesque universities.

The 6,600-square-foot arts facility hosts theater and dance performances, drumming and dance classes, storytelling, music and other events highlighting the city’s African-American performing arts community. It’s also home to New Orleans Youth Open Mic performances and an art gallery.

At more than 100 years old, the single-screen theater in Uptown is a step back in time, with red velvet ropes, balcony seating and family-friendly screenings of hand-picked classic films.

Consistently ranked as one of the top zoos in the country, the Audubon Zoo boasts more than 1,300 creatures ranging from rare white alligators to a komodo dragon. Older kids shouldn't miss the Safari Simulator ride, while the younger ones will love checking out the scenery on board the zoo's Swamp train.

During the warm summer months, check out Cool Zoo, a splash park with an alligator water slide, water spouts, and a lazy river. The splash park requires an additional ticket with your zoo admission.

This swampy nature preserve is only a half-hour drive from downtown New Orleans, but its cypress trees, turtles, wildflowers, alligators, and 200-plus species of birds make it feel light years away. Explore the boardwalks on your own, or have kids earn a badge with the park’s Junior Ranger program.