Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Don’t let a little rain put a damper on your visit! Whether you want to burn some calories, soak up art and literature, slurp oysters and grab a drink, or take in a movie, you’ll find plenty of places Uptown.

Enjoy a workout at Anytime Fitness (4600 Freret St.)

Get a workout 24/7 at Anytime Fitness, which offers state-of-the-art cardio machines, free weights and exercise classes. Grab your umbrella and ask the concierge for directions; it’s just a five-minute walk away.

Explore Newcomb Art Museum (6823 St. Charles Ave.)

Newcomb College at Tulane University was the first college in America to grant degrees to women. Its spirit lives on in the museum, which showcases Newcomb’s world-famous pottery, metal work and fiber arts, and presents rotating exhibits of socially engaged art. Admission is free, and the museum is open Wednesday through Saturday.

Curl up with a good book at the Milton H. Latter Library (5120 St. Charles Avenue)

Housed in a stately neo-Italianate mansion, the Latter boasts an extensive collection of books, including a robust selection of volumes on Louisiana history and culture. You can also snag real bargains at the Carriage House behind the main library, which hosts used book sales every Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Catch a movie at the Prytania Theatre (5339 Prytania St.)

More than a century old, the family-run Prytania is the longest continually operating theater in the South. It screens first-run features daily and hosts 10 a.m. screenings of classic movies on Wednesdays and Sundays. Grab some buttered popcorn or a gourmet treat from the espresso bar, and sit back and enjoy the show.

Slurp oysters at Pascal’s Manale (1838 Napoleon Ave.)

Belly up to the bar and enjoy raw oysters with premium cocktails, beer, and wine.

Are you visiting New Orleans soon?

Take advantage of Alder Hotel’s specials, group rates, and best-rate guarantee for greater savings to spend on New Orleans famous cuisine and enjoy everything this magnificent city has to offer. Reserve your room today!

Also, consider booking a guided tour of the famous St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 to experience the hauntingly beautiful past of New Orleans. And, for easy, informative sightseeing, we recommend the City Sightseeing New Orleans city tour on the open-top, double-decker bus. It runs every 30 minutes through the Garden District, French Quarter, and CBD. You can hop on and off anytime!

While some other parts of the city may be more known for their late-night entertainment options, Uptown, with its child-friendly food scene, ease of navigation via streetcar, and vibrant, walkable commercial corridors like Magazine and Freret streets, offers a wide variety of things to do with kids. There are great bookstores, parks and playgrounds, tours, cafes, restaurants, museums, and shops that are perfectly suitable for the under-18 crowd.

Attractions

St. Charles Avenue, Magazine, and Freret streets are packed with shopping destinations, art galleries, and restaurants (many of which have spacious outdoor or balcony seating). Freret Street is also home to a market, held on the first Saturday of every month except June-August, and a festival, held in the spring. Both events feature live music and plenty of food vendors. Magazine and Freret Streets are easy to walk, and you can take a streetcar along St. Charles Avenue for a mere $1.25.

The majestic, oak tree-lined St. Charles Avenue is one of the most beautiful streets in the country, if not the world, with blocks upon blocks of spectacular mansions and landscaped gardens. The ride on the historic St. Charles Avenue line streetcar is high on top of many visitors’ bucket lists because it’s the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world (since 1835), and because it affords a very easy and pleasant way to see the Garden District and Uptown areas.

To take in all the beauty of the Italianate, Victorian, and Greek Revival architecture of Uptown, you can just walk around. Many of the original mid-19th-century mansions have been immaculately preserved and are surrounded by impressive gardens. Both self-guided and guided tours are available daily in the Garden District and Uptown — on foot or by bus or car (free for kids under 6). Kids and adults alike might also like visiting Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, one of the oldest cemeteries in the city, located in the heart of the Garden District, between Washington, Sixth, Prytania, and Coliseum streets (Please note that as of winter 2022 the cemetery is closed for repairs).

Another must-stop, especially if you have kids in tow, is the magnificent Audubon Park. Located in the historic district of Uptown near the picturesque campuses of Tulane and Loyola universities, Audubon Park is perfect for a stroll or a picnic (bring some bread to feed the ducks). Lined with hundreds of ancient live oaks, it features a 1.8-mile jogging path, playgrounds, picnic shelters, a lagoon, recreation areas, and a zoo.

The Audubon Zoo is one of the top zoos in the country, full of lush vegetation and exotic-animal exhibits. The younger kids may like riding the zoo’s Swamp train, and older kids can try the Safari Simulator ride. The Zoo features rare white alligators, a komodo dragon, sea lion shows, a carousel, and the award-winning Louisiana Swamp and Jaguar Jungle natural habitat areas. During the warmer months, you may want to bring your bathing suits and splash in the Zoo’s mini water park, the Cool Zoo.

Few things are more family-friendly than catching a movie, and the classic Prytania Theatre is a century-old movie theater, and the only single-screen one left in Louisiana. Inside, you’ll find plush red seats and a tiny coffee stand with excellent gelato and espresso for the adults plus kid-friendly snacks.

Eating and Drinking

Uptown is packed with restaurants that feature kid-friendly menus and/or menus catering to children specifically. These are but a few highlights, starting with St. James Cheese Company, home of the $5 Mini Moo sandwich. Targeting the “smaller cheese lovers,” it’s made with Hook’s white Cheddar cheese grilled on wheat bread and comes with chips and fruit. The kids will probably also love the shop’s cheese and charcuterie boards, which change daily and come with bread and an assortment of condiments.

We also recommend The Company Burger on Freret and Cadiz streets for its solid menu of delicious burgers, fries, and milkshakes; and the famous Camellia Grill diner with an extensive breakfast menu. The affordable Dat Dog at its Freret and Magazine locations dishes out a wide variety of meat, fish, vegan and veggie hot dogs, sausages, and other kid-friendly comfort food like burgers and chicken. Your kids will be happy to know that the dogs and the sausages come with a choice of more than 30 toppings.

For local comfort food with homestyle Creole and Cajun fare like po-boys and jambalaya, try Joey K’s on Magazine Street. The menu is very kid-friendly, with chicken tenders, grilled cheese, and fried seafood. The seafood-focused Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar has great views of St. Charles Avenue, an oyster bar, and a kids’ menu that goes beyond chicken tenders, with items like grilled shrimp and grilled chicken pasta alfredo.

Do your kids like ramen? A post-pandemic newcomer Nomiya is a traditional ramen joint that serves a simple, delicious menu. Just pick your broth and the toppings, and maybe supplement with edamame and pork buns. There’s also mochi ice cream with rotating flavors.

For more New Orleans staples your kids might like, head to the beloved local lunch staple, Guy’s Po-Boys, or Picnic Provisions & Whiskey, a family- and dog-friendly casual comfort food spot that has outdoor seating.

You have many choices when it comes to trying food from all over the world, both the spots old and new. For a classic, well-done Mexican cuisine head to Taqueria Corona. The whole family can share generous portions of tacos, burritos, and other staples.

Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco is another solid option for a family dinner, with a menu laden with traditional Peruvian dishes. Dinners at the Senegalese Dakar NOLA feature multiple courses, some served family style in homage to west African dining traditions. All three of these restaurants on Magazine Street serve excellent Mediterranean food, from the quick-service, on-the-to Tal’s Hummus to Misa with a lovely patio for outdoor dining to the award-winning chef Alon Shaya’s Saba, with very sharable Israeli culinary classics.

For a sweet treat, check out Piccola Gelateria. In addition to small-batch, house-made gelato and sorbetto in over a dozen flavors, this classic Italian-style gelato shop offers crepes (savory with meat, sweet with Nutella, and vegetarian). The whole family will also love the award-winning Gracious Bakery + Cafe (with two Uptown locations). All desserts and baked goods are top-notch, and there are house-cured salmon bagels and breakfast sandwiches. 

DISTRICT. Donuts. Sliders. Brew. on Magazine and Jackson streets also has a sophisticated coffee menu plus donuts and sliders. The tiny District Donut & Coffee Bar located on the corner of Arabella and Magazine streets offers a smaller menu, though still packed with coffee and espresso options, plus kolaches, biscuits, donuts, and sandwiches.

We hope you enjoy some family time exploring all that the area around the Alder Hotel has to offer!

Stay in touch and save on rates and more at the Alder Hotel by signing up for our email list at https://alderhotel.com/email-offers/. If you find a lower rate on your Alder Hotel room at the time of booking, call 1.888.626.5861, and we will match that rate, too.

New Orleans is a dog city, and there’s no reason to leave your four-legged family member at home when you travel to New Orleans, or at a hotel while you’re here. Here’s a list of places in Uptown New Orleans where you and your dog will always be welcome, plus a big dog run located elsewhere, but it’s easy to get to from Uptown (and your dog will thank you).

We Are a Pet-Friendly Hotel

We welcome dogs and cats at the Alder Hotel and look forward to hosting you and your pets when you stay in Uptown New Orleans. You can review our pet policy here. If you are traveling with large dogs (over 50 pounds) or need supervision for your dog while you sightsee, we recommend Zeus’ Place (4601 Freret St.).

Parks and Dog Runs

The Wisner Dog Run, located inside the free, city-run Wisner Playground at 4877 Laurel Street, is fenced off, so you can let your dog play off-leash with other well-socialized dogs. It’s not huge, at only 8,500 square feet, but the off-leash areas are not easy to come by in any city, and this one is part of a little urban park, so it also comes with access to benches, water fountains, and some shade — all in the middle of a busy Uptown area.

Another option is to hit the urban oasis of the historic Audubon Park. You and your dog can enjoy the lagoons, a tranquil 1.8-mile jogging path, picnic shelters under the live oaks, and much more. The Riverview portion of the park, also known as The Fly, is located behind the Audubon Zoo and along the Mississippi River. It’s a popular spot to have a barbeque or a crawfish boil, toss a frisbee, or simply sit by the river and watch the sun go down. The Fly is open till 10 p.m. and is equipped with picnic areas, ample parking spaces, and public restrooms.

The so-called “Dog Levee” is an informal park near the corner of Leake Avenue and Magazine Street (100-7198 Magazine Street). It has a paved walking path but is not fenced off. If your dog loves to swim and is not a flight risk when off-leash this is a good place to take a dip.

The last recommended place on the list is not located Uptown, but it’s not far, worth the trip, and easy to get to. The largest off-leash dog run in New Orleans, NOLA City Bark, is located in the sprawling City Park that extends from Mid-City into Lakeview. This fenced-off dog park occupies a 4.6-acre plot of land and has separate play areas for small and big dogs. It also has hills and water fountains for the dogs to enjoy, plus a water play area and doggie pools. For humans, there are also water fountains, shade pavilions, restrooms, and walking paths.

Please note that NOLA City Bark is gated and you’ll need a key card/permit to enter. This is to ensure that all dogs that use the park have been properly vaccinated, and spayed or neutered. You can apply for a temporary permit on the NOLA City Bark website.

Dog-Friendly Bars and Restaurants

There are plenty of dog-friendly restaurants and bars Uptown and elsewhere in the city. If there’s outdoor seating, like a patio or sidewalk tables, chances are all well-behaved dogs will be welcome. Uptown, check out the blocks-long commercial corridors of Magazine and Freret streets in particular, filled with sidewalk cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating and courtyards.

These few places stand out, however, as especially well-suited for your canine friends to visit.

Dat Dog‘s both Uptown locations (3336 Magazine Street near Louisiana Avenue and 5030 Freret Street near Soniat Street) have dog-friendly outdoor seating. The Magazine Street location is great for people-watching, and both locations have popular happy hours and lots of craft beer.

Another popular Magazine Street establishment, the Bulldog Uptown, located on the corner of Magazine and Pleasant Streets in the heart of the Garden District, features a huge, dog-friendly patio. There’s fresh water put out daily for all furry friends.

Eat indoors or outdoors, and bring your family and your pup to Picnic Provisions & Whiskey (741 State St.). Coming from the people helming Commander’s Palace, including co-founder and owner Tory McPhail, the former executive chef at Commander’s, this casual family-friendly spot serves comfort food cold and hot.

The lovely patios at St. James Cheese Company (the Uptown location at 5004 Prytania Street) and the Rusty Nail (1100 Constance Street, on the corner of Constance and John Churchill Chase, where the Warehouse District ends and the Lower Garden begins) are also popular among the dog lovers. What’s more enjoyable than having a leisurely drink on a spacious patio, surrounded by lush greenery, while your dog lounges at your feet?

Want to stay in touch and save on rates at the Alder Hotel? Sign up for our email list at https://alderhotel.com/email-offers/! And if you find a lower rate on your Alder Hotel rooms at the time of booking, call 1.888.626.5861 to let us know, and we will match that rate.