Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in New Orleans, LA

There are two biggies this weekend. One involves parades, beads and green beer while the other offers a more prehistoric adventure.

Audubon's Dinosaur Adventure opens Saturday. The Audubon Zoo will host a dinosaur invasion. Features include 16 life-size animatronic dinosaur, archeologists to help kids dig up bones and shells, a family photo op as you all ride a dinosaur and dino nuggets at the Zoofari Cafe (I'll be skipping those).

Did you know that Audubon has a new all-in-one ticket to all four of their New Orleans attractions? For a steep discount you can visit the zoo, aquarium, IMAX and insectarium with one purchase. You don't even have to see them all in one day (thank goodness). The ticket is good for five days after the first use. This is a great idea for entertaining visitors or creating an animal themed weekend with your kids.

I'll be dragging the family down to Magazine Street on Saturday for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. We expect to catch a lot of beads and cabbages from the floats. Like any New Orleans parade, it also helps that we know people on the parade route. Whip out your contacts and look for homes to invade along their circuitous parade route.

[photo credit: Audubon Institute]

There are two biggies this weekend. One involves parades, beads and green beer while the other offers a more prehistoric adventure.

Audubon's Dinosaur Adventure opens Saturday. The Audubon Zoo will host a dinosaur invasion. Features include 16 life-size animatronic dinosaur, archeologists to help kids dig up bones and shells, a family photo op as you all ride a dinosaur and dino nuggets at the Zoofari Cafe (I'll be skipping those).

Did you know that Audubon has a new all-in-one ticket to all four of their New Orleans attractions? For a steep discount you can visit the zoo, aquarium, IMAX and insectarium with one purchase. You don't even have to see them all in one day (thank goodness). The ticket is good for five days after the first use. This is a great idea for entertaining visitors or creating an animal themed weekend with your kids.

I'll be dragging the family down to Magazine Street on Saturday for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. We expect to catch a lot of beads and cabbages from the floats. Like any New Orleans parade, it also helps that we know people on the parade route. Whip out your contacts and look for homes to invade along their circuitous parade route.

[photo credit: Audubon Institute]