Audubon Zoo and the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
The Audubon Zoo and the Aquarium of the Americas are part of the family of the Audubon Nature Institute, a non-profit organization that operates a family of museums and parks dedicated to nature. The New Orleans facilities include Audubon Park, Audubon Zoo, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Entergy IMAX Theatre, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, Audubon Wilderness Park, Audubon Insectarium, and the Audubon Nature Institute Foundation.
Named for artist and naturalist John James Audubon, the Audubon Zoo is located on Magazine Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 58-acre park is home to over 2,000 animals, and features an Endangered Species Carousel, and the Swamp Train. Primates, white tigers, and rare white alligators are prominent residents at the zoo. Notable attractions at the zoo include “Reptile Encounter”, which features the Komodo Dragon, gila monster, green anaconda, reticulated python, viper, and more. The outdoor ‘Swamp Exhibit” features the local animals such as black bears, raccoons, otters, a copperhead, and several American alligators.
The zoo’s origins go back to the early 1900s when there was just a flight cage. In the 1920s, several improvements were made - a sea lion pool and several art nouveau buildings were added. The Great Depression and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) brought an expansion to the zoo. The artificial hill, “Monkey Hill” was built to show local children what a hill looked like. Since the 1970s, the zoo has undergone extensive renovations, improvements, and expansions, making Audubon Zoo popular with locals and tourists. Monkey Hill has been updated, too. A waterfall, a rope web to the summit, and a 20-ft high "safari outpost" at the base of the hill have been added. A portion of the hill was left alone so children can still roll down Monkey Hill as they did in the early days.
The John James Audubon Riverboat runs guests between Audubon Zoo and Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. Open since 1990, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is one of the leading aquariums in the United States. The Aquarium and the Entergy IMAX Theater are located along the banks of the Mississippi River at the edge of the French Quarter. The Aquarium features 10,000 animals representing 530 species. Exhibits include the “Mississippi River” gallery, which features locals such as catfish, paddlefish, and alligators, the “Caribbean” reef exhibit, a 30-foot-long tunnel surrounded by aquatic creatures; and the “Gulf of Mexico” exhibit featuring sharks, stingrays, and sea turtles.
The Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, and the Entergy IMAX Theater are currently open five days a week Wednesday through Sunday, and are closed Mondays and Tuesdays and on some holidays.
French Quarter
The heart and soul of New Orleans is centered in the French Quarter. This historical district is renowned the world over for its festive atmosphere, rich history, architecture, jazz music, street performers, and lively nightlife. The most popular thoroughfare in the French quarter is Bourbon Street, where the soulful blues, the upbeat Dixieland, or the sultry jazz fills the air. Ten millions visitors make their way to the French Quarter and Bourbon Street each year – many for the annual festival of Mardi Gras.
The French Quarter began as a military-style grid of seventy squares. French Canadian naval officer Jean Baptiste Bienville established the city plan in 1718. Today, the French Quarter is 78 sq. blocks (13 blocks by 6 blocks) bordered by Esplanade Avenue, Canal Street, North Rampart, and the Mississippi River. The French Period left a legacy on New Orleans with its churches, architecture, street names, and the Creole culture. Arguably, the biggest legacy is the annual celebration of Mardi Gras. In 1762, France’s Louis XV gave Louisiana to his Bourbon cousin, Spain’s Charles III. Francophile colonists led an unsuccessful revolution in 1768, and Spain ruled for four decades. The Spanish Period left the legacy of fortified streets, plastered brick houses, wrought iron balconies, and walled gardens and courtyards. The Spanish legacy also left a strong sense of civil law.
In 1803, the Louisiana Purchases transferred the colony to the United States. This ushered in an era of prosperity and some 10,000 refugees from the French and Haitian Revolutions and Napoleonic wars. Andrew Jackson’s victory over superior British forces in the 1815 Battle of New Orleans, ensured loyalty to the American nation. Fueled by the sugar and cotton crops and steamboat popularity, the French Quarter flourished. Immigrants to the area included American, Irish, German, African, and the "Foreign French", creating a heterogeneous mix of languages, cultures, religions, and cuisine. The decline came after the Civil War. The early 1900s saw the birth of jazz with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton and the American writers William Faulker, Tennessee Williams, and Truman Capote, among others, came to New Orleans to stimulate their creativity.
The French Quarter is best toured on foot. The streets of the French Quarter are narrow, single lanes, are one-way, and are often blocked off to traffic at night or during the day to accommodate pedestrians. Though Mardi Gras is held early in the year, the festive, party atmosphere lasts year-round on Bourbon Street. The other twenty streets in the French Quarter are a little quieter, but offer a great deal of exploring, sightseeing, and shopping opportunities. The French Quarter and adjacent Faubourg Marigny play host to over 100 live music clubs featuring blues, pop, rock, folk, and funk music. The more than 200 restaurants in the French Quarter are known for their spicy Cajun food as well as world-class cuisine featuring steak and fresh seafood. The aboveground cemetery, St. Louis Cemetery #1, just outside the quarter, is the final resting-place of many of the city’s founders. It is recommended that the cemeteries be visited only with a guided tour.
National World War II Museum
The National World War II Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the American experience during World War II. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, the National World War II Museum is America’s leading repository of personal stories, memoirs, and other materials that celebrate the spirit of courage, teamwork, optimism, and sacrifice of the men and women who fought in the war and supported the war effort. The 70,500 sq. ft museum opened in 2000, on the 56th Anniversary of the Allied invasion at Normandy, France.
The National World War II Museum traces the history of the war from the economic and political issues that led the build-up and military mobilization of Allied Forces. Founder, Dr. Stephen Ambrose, University of New Orleans Boyd Professor of History, desired to have a place to pay tribute to the more than one million Americans who took part in the “D-Days” of World War II. New Orleans was selected as the site for the museum because it was in New Orleans where Andrew Higgins built the landing craft used in the amphibious invasions. President Eisenhower, a General during the war, credited the landing craft as one of the tools that won the war for the Allies.
Highlights of the National World War II Museum include a reproduction of a Higgins landing craft, a 110-seat Auditorium, which shows the Academy Award nominated documentaries “D-Day Remembered” and “Price of Peace”. There are four interactive galleries profiling America's role in World War II. The 16,000 sq. ft galleries feature electronic maps, mini-theaters, photomurals, text panels, and original artifacts to enable visitors the opportunity to experience D-Day firsthand. Nine oral history stations recount the stories of the veterans and homefront workers, along with personal artifacts, photographs, and documents. Other exhibits include aircraft, vehicles, weapons, uniforms, home front materials, and other significant artifacts of the war era.
The museum exhibits lead visitors through the period leading up to the 17 D-Days of World War II, culminating in the June 6th invasion on the beaches of Normandy and the air and sea assaults that to Allied victory in Europe and in the Pacific. Temporary and traveling exhibits are featured throughout the year. Educational programs for people of all ages are offered year round.
The National World War II Museum stands for the generation of Americans who stood to protect their nation and the world from tyranny. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday year round and may be closed on holidays.