LITMIR.BIZ

      6 FRENCH MARKET/RIVERFRONT: FAMILY FUN IN THE QUARTER

      BOUNDARIES: Bienville St., Decatur St., Barracks St., Mississippi River

      DISTANCE: 1.62 miles

      PARKING: Several parking lots along Decatur

      PUBLIC TRANSIT: Riverfront Streetcar, RTA Buses #5 (Marigny-Bywater) and #55 (Elysian Fields)

      The Riverfront area between Canal Street and Esplanade Avenue may be part of the French Quarter, but it’s also a world within itself: a vibrant mix of attractions that includes the lively French Market, a riverfront promenade, and a linear park with lush pathways and stunning sculptures.

      Founded in 1791, the French Market is the oldest public market in the United States. Stretching six blocks from Barracks Street to St. Ann Street, it was established as a Native American trading post and at one time was the only legal place in the city to buy meat. Its latest incarnation is that of a culinary corridor complete with countertop dining, a cooking-demonstration stage, and live musical performances.

      Other focal points of the area include the Moon Walk, a riverfront walkway with spectacular views; Woldenberg Park, among the treasures of the Audubon Nature Institute; and the world-famous Café Du Monde, which has been serving café au lait and sugar-laden beignets since 1862.

      Annual festivals add to the frivolity of the Riverfront, including the French Quarter Festival, the Creole Tomato Festival, the Bastille Day Fête, and the Mighty Mississippi River Festival. If you have kids in tow, bring them along—the French Quarter, at least this part of it, truly is a family destination.

      AUDUBON AQUARIUM OF THE AMERICAS

      From the moment you walk through the underwater tunnel at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, you know you’ve arrived at a special place. Part of the Aquarium’s Caribbean Reef Exhibit, the glass-enclosed tunnel is surrounded by a 132,000-gallon tank where exotic creatures such as angelfish, cownose rays, and moray eels swim about to the delight of visitors.

      The tunnel is one of the Aquarium’s trademark features, but it’s just the beginning of a fascinating journey through the waters of the Americas, from the Amazon to the Caribbean.

      The interactive Geaux Fish! Exhibit showcases Louisiana’s fishing industry and invites you to cast a virtual reel, identify local species, visit a seafood market, and board a fishing boat. Parakeet Pointe is an 800-square-foot outdoor area where you can meander among hundreds of vibrant parakeets and, for a minimal charge, buy seed sticks and feed the birds.

      You can even experience the Amazon Orinoco rainforest by climbing into the Amazon “tree-top loop” and marveling at such exotic species of fish as payara piranhas, pacu fish, and freshwater stingrays. One of the aquarium’s most popular sites is the Penguin Exhibit, featuring a colony of penguins from South America and Africa.

      Be sure to pick up a schedule of feedings, chats, and other daily events at the information booth. And if time allows, pair your visit to the Aquarium with tickets to the Entergy IMAX Theatre just next door, where you can choose from an array of award-winning nature films. The theater’s five-and-a-half-story screen—the largest IMAX screen in the Gulf South—makes for an unmatched viewing experience.