Susan Q Yin, Unsplash

NOLA Named in the Top Five American Cities for Parks

12:00 May 14, 2021
By: Madeline Taliancich

To natives of New Orleans, it's not hard to imagine why the Big Easy was named one of Homes.com's top five cities with beautiful parks. New Orleans was ranked among San Diego; Holland, Michigan; San Francisco; and Norfolk, Virginia for its picturesque parks.

The greenery in NOLA is vast and not only includes bigger spaces like Audubon Park and City Park, but smaller green spaces like Palmer Park and Louis Armstrong Park.

Homes.com paid special attention to just one New Orleans green adventure: City Park. This is a sprawling 1,300 acres of trees, plants, and other attractions located in the heart of Mid-City. City Park is home to over 2,000 plants from across the globe, according to Homes.com. Visitors can also the company of one of the park's 30,000 trees, including a grove of the oldest mature live oak trees in the world, according to neworleanscitypark.com. Some of these trees are almost 900 years old!

In a park teeming with trees and long stretches of lagoon, it's not uncommon to encounter some NOLA wildlife. Be on the lookout for alligators, frogs, pelicans, ducks, turtles, and other animals as you explore the park's many natural attractions. According to Neworleanscitypark.com, the best place to see the park's exciting variety of birds is the Couturie Forest, which even includes the highest point of elevation in New Orleans: 43 feet about sea level!

If climbing in the trees or picnicking by the lagoons isn't your style, there's plenty more to enjoy in City Park. Carousel Gardens Amusement Park and Storyland are just two of the additional attractions located inside City Park's 1,300 acres and are the perfect place for kids to expend some excess energy. During the Christmas season, Carousel Gardens turns into a winter wonderland with an extensive light display. Storyland's walk through of classic fairy tales includes many features that kiddos can climb on to become part of the stories themselves.

Visitors to City Park can also enjoy City Putt mini golf, the Botanical Gardens, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, and the Children's Museum.

For more info about City Park, please go to https://neworleanscitypark.com.

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