New Orleans Nature Museums

It’s easy and fun to stay in tune with nature in New Orleans. Home to some of the largest recreational parks in the United States, a Zoo complex and Aquarium that’s on par with the best in the country, sculpture gardens, botanical gardens, historical mansions with elaborate courtyards, and even an award-winning museum, the largest in country, dedicated to insects! Begin your adventure with nature at these prime locations.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
1 Canal St., New Orleans, LA 70130 [Map It]
(504) 581-4629, (800) 774-7394
www.auduboninstitute.org

Neighborhood: Central Business District/Downtown
Attraction Type/s: Museum, Aquarium

Description: Looming large against the Mississippi River is the extraordinary Audubon Aquarium of the Americas which houses 15,000 sea life creatures, representing nearly 600 species, living happily in a state-of-the-art facility.

Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
423 Canal St., Custom House, New Orleans, LA 70130 [Map It]
(504) 581-4629, (800) 774-7394
www.auduboninstitute.org

Neighborhood: Central Business District/Downtown
Attraction Type/s: Museum

Description: If it walks, crawls or flies, there's a good chances you will see it on display at the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium in the Old New Orleans Customs House.

The Audubon Zoo
6500 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70118 [Map It]
(504) 581-4629, (800) 774-7394
www.auduboninstitute.org

Neighborhood: Uptown/Garden District
Attraction Type/s: Museum, Zoo

Description: Audubon Zoo is a New Orleans landmark and a living museum filled with some of the rarest and most beautiful creatures of nature. There have been animals at this site since the 1884 World Exposition in Audubon Park. Today, Audubon Zoo is 58 acres of animals in their natural habitats. The Zoo consistently ranks among this country’s best.

The Botanical Gardens
1 Palm Terrace, City Park, New Orleans, LA 70124 [Map It]
(504) 483-9386
www.neworleanscitypark.com

Neighborhood: Lakefront/Lakeview
Attraction Type/s: Museum, Garden

Description: The New Orleans Botanical Garden at City Park offers a serene retreat from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Nature lovers of all ages wander around the lush foliage, play in the open gardens or relax near the tranquil fountains. Surrounded by the nation’s largest collection of mature live oaks, patrons enjoy a sensual walk past 2,000 varieties of plants. Most of the vegetation is native to Louisiana, but there are many other more exotic species.

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve Laura C. Hudson Visitor Center
419 Decatur St., New Orleans, LA 70130 [Map It]
(504) 589-3882
www.nps.gov

Neighborhood: French Quarter
Attraction Type/s: Museum

Description: The French Quarter retains much of its original character from the 18th and 19th centuries because it is among the oldest protected historic districts in the nation. The Laura C. Hudson Visitor Center on the eastern edge of the French Quarter features an extensive exhibition of the history and conflict that surrounded the founding and shaping of present-day New Orleans and the French Quarter. Life-sized murals transport the visitor into the swamps, rivers and bayous of southern Louisiana. Exhibits highlight the significance and importance of the Mississippi River to the city, alongside exhibits of native plants and wildlife. Interactive displays introduce guests to the beginnings of Louisiana food, folkways and festivals.

Tulane Museum of Natural History
3705 Main St., Bldg. A-3, F. Edward Hebert Riverside Research Center, Belle Chase, LA 70037 [Map It]
(504) 394-1711
www.museum.tulane.edu

Neighborhood: Algiers/Westbank
Attraction Type/s: Museum

Description: Located in Belle Chasse, just outside the official city limits of New Orleans, the Tulane Museum of Natural History is a private, non-profit research museum which houses extensive collections of amphibians, invertebrates, fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and fossils, most of which are or were native species to the region. The Tulane Natural History Museum is not officially open to the public, but individual appointments for scholarly researchers and writers can be made, as well as arrangements for school tours of the facility.