Top Ten Things for Kids in New Orleans

Kenner's Rivertown

For most folks, Rivertown in Kenner is not something that's worth the trip all the way from downtown. For parents with kids under ten, however, it can be a real blast of an afternoon. In fact, you could even stretch the outing into a full day. The Railroad Museum has an extensive collection of Lionel trains and accessories, and has a dozen or so fully functioning layouts. The kids can even work some of the lights, crossing gates, etc., from remote buttons. The Saints Hall of Fame is lots of sports memorabilia, but there's a room where kids can kick a field goal with a mini-ball through a mini set of goal posts. The Freeport-MacMoRan Science Center is a hands-on science museum for children. It also has a full-blown planetarium (arguably worth the trip in itself). My favorite is the Mardi Gras Museum. In addition to a neat collection of things Carnival, the museum has a full-size mock-up of a float that appears to be going down a street in the Quarter. What's neat about this is that you can go up onto the float and look down at the street scene. It sort of gives the visitor a chance to see what the masker sees when riding by in the parade. The museums all hold "open house" throughout the month of November, where all admissions are free. If you're in town during that month, then you really want to consider this outing.

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