Audubon Riverview (Butterfly) Park

Audubon Riverview Park, informally known as Butterfly Park, sits at the end of Magazine Street on top of the Mississippi River levee — one of the best free family spots in New Orleans that most tourists don't know about. From the levee top, you look directly down at the widest stretch of the lower Mississippi, watching ocean-going cargo ships, tankers, and tugboats navigate one of the world's busiest commercial waterways.

For kids, this is one of those experiences that feels genuinely big — the river is overwhelming in scale from this vantage point, and the sight of enormous ships being pushed along by comparatively tiny tugboats is endlessly fascinating. The levee top has a consistent river breeze that makes it the best kite-flying spot in the city, which is a simple pleasure that kids adore.

The butterfly garden on the park's lower section hosts native Louisiana butterfly species in a planted habitat. Toddlers and young children respond to butterflies with consistent delight, and the opportunity to observe them at close range in a relatively natural setting is more engaging than a museum exhibit.

Practically: the park is completely free. Magazine Street restaurants and cafés are literally at the park's edge, making this the logical end point of a Magazine Street stroll — walk the street, end at the park, sit on the levee and watch the river, then pick any of dozens of restaurants for lunch. It's a quintessential New Orleans family morning for zero dollars.