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

Best Bet: Bastille Day!

by Kelly Leahy

July 09, 2009

The Faubourg St. John Merchants’ Association presents their Annual Bastille Day Block Party on the 3100 block of Ponce de Leon. This event honors New Orleans' French roots and commemorates the storming of the Bastille and start of the French Revolution. Join in the fun and dance the evening away with the French Dance Band and The Pyranha Gypsy Swing Band starting at 5 pm.

Plenty and food and drink to be had from Café Degas, Canseco’s Grocery, Mr. Snowball and others.

Start your day off right with a trip to La Boulangerie for croissants or make your own crepes for breakfast or lunch. Don't forget to deck the kids out in blue, white and red to symbolize the Republic's three ideals; Liberté, égalité, and fraternité. For more fun and to get the kids in the mood, download and color some Bastille Day pictures.

Bastille day is a French national holiday celebrated on July 14th -- the very day the revolution started in 1789. The Bastille was a prison and symbolized the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th. Though it only held seven captives at the time, when the people took it over, it was a strike against the oppression of all French citizens.

Bonne Bastille! 

Best Bet: Party in the Park

by Kelly Leahy

June 18, 2009

Tucked away a few blocks off South Carrollton Avenue in Mid-City is St. Patrick Park. It's open year round to baseball games, birthday parties and movie nights. This Saturday the St. Patrick Park Booster Club is throwing a party to benefit this Mid-City jewel.

Party in the Park opens with the Red Hot Brass Band and 3:30 pm and continues with Egg Yolk Jubilee (yeah!) and Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes who close the show at 9 pm.

This event will be following the tried and true New Orleans festival formula including family fun, food, games an prizes. To kick things up a notch, there will also be a water slide and a limbo contest!

I really like the idea of supporting this park in a neighborhood that is still struggling to rebuild. Plenty of street parking available.

Best Bet: FQ Triple Play

by Kelly Leahy

June 12, 2009

Is there any popular local food that does not have its own festival within Metro New Orleans? This weekend we honor the creole tomato, a hybrid that grows best in these parts (some say St. Bernard offers the best soil). The creole tomato is also the state vegetable plant of Louisiana. Who knew? In addition to this festive fruit, the French Market presents the Louisiana Seafood Festival and the Louisiana Cajun Zydeco Music Festival (no food there, just good music).

The three festivals run from 11 am to 7 pm on June 13th and 14th down at the river and encompasses the area from the French Market up to Dutch Alley, just before Jackson Square. There will be plenty of food and you can gawk at your favorite local chefs at the Performance Pavilion as they practice their craft. Food booths include Dunbar's (yum), GW Fins (yum), Nola and others.

I personally have never been to the Creole Tomato Festival thought I mean to go every year, something always comes up. This year we will have guests in town and it's likely that we will find ourselves in the Quarter.

Some tips for a sucessful adventure:

1. Bring plenty of water for the wee ones. It's getting hotter out there.
2. Have your preschooler try a new food whether its a creole tomato or a bite of alligator.
3. If there's any question, bring the stroller. You could find yourself a ways away from your car and carrying a stroller beats carrying a tired kid. 
4. Just because there's a festival going on does not mean that you won't have time for beignets. Just sayin'.

Best Bet: Opa!

by Kelly Leahy

May 22, 2009

My daughter's preschool is next door to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Lakeview and we have been watching them prepare all week for the 36th annual Greek Fest. Greece on the Bayou invites you to be Greek for the weekend while sipping pomegranate iced tea and eating gyros.

We attended the festival in 2006 with our then nine-month-old and we had a great time. We did the Cathedral tour (very informative) and bopped to the many versions of Zorba the Greek. Now that I have "bigger" kids I'm looking forward to taking advantage of other activities.

The festival this year looks like it's going to be huge as tents have taken over the grounds. There will be rock climbing, archeological digs, face painting and lots of bouncing.There are even canoes available to rent so you can paddle down Bayou St. John.

Pull out your blues and whites or simply don a sheet (those sporting togas on Sunday get in for FREE). We'll be there Saturday stuffing our faces and dancing around the grounds.

Greek Fest starts today and ends Sunday. Admission is only $5 and kids under 12 are free.

Best Bet: Enjoy the Fest

by Kelly Leahy

April 30, 2009

This is the last weekend for Jazz Fest 2009. I must say that I had some trepidation the first time that I went with small children but we had a blast. The covered kid's tent is a great place to catch your breath as well as some innovative acts geared for your preschooler.

There are puppet shows, tribal dance music and even kid performers throughout the weekend. Outside of the tent there are games and plenty of activities to plow through. For more detail be sure to check out the cubes. I also wanted to mention that if you haven't been to the Jazz Fest homepage, there is a new feature this year that allows you to customize your music schedule so you don't miss a beat (ha ha). 

Planning ahead: Make New Orleans Home is proposing screening films at the Fly starting May 7th. I love this idea. Go to this website and vote on the first film.

Best Bet: Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival

by Kelly Leahy

April 03, 2009

The world famous (?) Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival begins today at 4 pm and runs through the entire weekend. Located about one hour from the city, this annual affair is a must-see for strawberry lovers (and it's even fun for those who aren't).

For one fabulous weekend the small town of Ponchatoula comes alive with games, rides and live music. The event is taking extra care this year to cater to children with upgraded rides and "wholesome" activities. There are plenty of musical guests scheduled including New Orleans' own Bag of Donuts and Molly Ringwalds. There is also a chance to meet 2009's Strawberry Festival royalty as they go on parade.

Oh, the berries! You can not only take home inexpensive flats of the best known strawberries in the state but you can taste the local delicacy every way imaginable. Only that the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival have I seen strawberries dipped in chocolate and then FRIED. I should have never expected less.

Directions to the festival can be found on the website. Though most of the action is located at  Memorial Park, there are treasures to be found all around the town especially if you like antiques. Once you get into town, find parking wherever you can and follow the crowds.

Best Bet: Super Sunday Redux

by Kelly Leahy

March 20, 2009

I cannot believe that I missed mentioning Super Sunday last week. Luckily for me it got rained out and I get a second chance to plug the Mardi GrasIndians.

To catch the Indians in their full regalia, head down to Taylor Park at Washington Ave. and S. Derbigny St at 11 am this Sunday. There you can also catch the Hot 8 Brass Band, Big "Al" Carson, Stooges Brass Band, and other musicians. The Super Sunday parade begins at 1 pm. The route begins at Washington Ave. and LaSalle St., moves onto Simon Bolivar, goes left onto Martin Luther King Blvd. and turns left onto S. Galvez Ave. From there the parade will move back onto Washington Ave. and culminate at Taylor Park with more activities and performances. 

This Weekend's Best Bet: Tết Fest

by Kelly Leahy

January 30, 2009

A friend tipped me off to a festival in New Orleans East this weekend. The Vietnamese New Year or Tết kicks off this evening at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church (14001 Dwyer Blvd.). This three day celebration features food, games, dragons and performances. To catch it from the beginning, head on over to the Church tonight at 6:30 pm for the opening ceremonies. Tết is the biggest holiday  Read more...

This Weekend's Best Bet: Festivals Galore

by Kelly Leahy

December 05, 2008

There is no reason why you can't finish up your holiday shopping this weekend. There a a gazillion open air markets going on in and around the city (I've counted). The best thing about art markets (other than the simple fact that you don't have to step foot in the mall) is that you are supporting locals. The second best thing is that the kids love it! Algiers' Point Art & Fine Craft Market  Read more...

Louisiana Renaissance Fest starts this weekend!

by Kelly Leahy

October 31, 2008

Admittedly, I have poked fun at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in the past. The truth is that I've been twice since I've had kids and it's a really good time. Don't get me wrong, I draw the line at dressing up and speaking in crazy imaginary dialects but I cheer loudly during the jousts and enjoy the entertainment. The Renaissance Fest is perfect for preschoolers. There is live  Read more...

This weekend's best pick: Grab bag

by Kelly Leahy

October 24, 2008

Well, I guessing that you have not taken the family across the pond to watch the Saints game. If you are still stateside, there is plenty to do this weekend. Oktoberfest is still going on. Good times to be had by all. Kid centered music is offered once again that the Jazz National Historic Park with the New Wave Jazz band . Sesame Street Live presents " When Elmo Grows Up " at the New Orleans  Read more...

This weekend's best bet: VOTE

by Kelly Leahy

October 03, 2008

Yesterday I wrote a brief bit on the importance of voting so I'm not going to keep harping on it. If you are unsure of your polling location, you can find it here . Vote early and vote often. Ok, once you have voted, you might be wondering just what you should do for the remainder of the weekend. Need I remind you that it's October? It's hard to NOT find something to do. Oktoberfest is still  Read more...

Oktoberfest Fun

by Kelly Leahy

October 01, 2008

Last Saturday we headed on over to the Deutches Haus for Oktoberfest . This was my first Oktoberfest experience in New Orleans and I banked on the fact that it was family friendly when I piled my two kids in the car. I was not disappointed. Doors opened to the general public at 6:00 pm and that's what time we handed over our $10 entry fee ($5 for adults, the kids were free). The yard was  Read more...

This weekends best bets: Satchmo and White Linen

by Kelly Leahy

July 31, 2008

So many fun things to do this weekend! In a city where residents normally hide inside during the months of July and August, there are two excellent events happening Saturday and Sunday. The first is the Satchmo SummerFest which I mentioned yesterday. The second is White Linen Night . Satchmo SummerFest is full of live music on four different stages including a children's stage. Highlights  Read more...

Get to know Satchmo

by Kelly Leahy

July 30, 2008

Satchmo SummerFest is coming up this weekend. The action begins at the old US Mint starting Thursday the 31st and ends on Sunday the 3rd. This annual event coincides with the anniversary of Louis Armstrong's birth on August 4th. Here in New Orleans we like to give our cultural icons four days worth of song, drink and reverence. What are the best ways to introduce your preschooler to ol' Louis  Read more...

This weekend's best bet: You say tomato

by Kelly Leahy

June 12, 2008

What a weekend we have coming up! For starters, there's the Creole Tomato Festival both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Bring your preschooler to the Farmer's Market portion of the French Market to sample this season's best offerings. There will be free music and plenty of food offerings (this IS New Orleans after all) including new things for little mouths to taste like fried  Read more...