by admin | Dec 28, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
During this magical holiday season, we decided to take the kiddos on a tour of some of the “magic” happening around town. At nearly 4 years old, Charles seemed prepared for his debut into the theater scene. A travelzoo offer got us $11 tickets to Cirque Dreams Holidaze, and although the acrobatic circus show started a bit late in the evening, we couldn’t pass up the deal.
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| Frosty the Snowman at Celebration in the Oaks |
All dressed up in his collared shirt and navy pants, Charles had even allowed us to brush his hair before we set out for the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Armstrong Park’s fountains of water danced in the artificial light, and we half ran (a.k.a. chased down Charles) over the various bridges to see what sculptures had been added since our last visit. When my feet started screaming at the heels I was wearing, I resorted to telling Charles he’d better stick close or else the ogres living behind the trees would get him. I’m sure my stories will one day give this child a complex, but at the time, it convinced him to walk beside us.
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| A performer balances rings in the air. |
He was excited, though, by his big-boy night out, and every little detail enthralled him – right down to his favorite-color-blue lights that lit the stairways to our seats. And the show itself was captivating with fast-paced music, lots of color and twisting and turning acrobats performing nearly impossible feats. From juggling and roller skating to flying and clothes changing, these performers were true artists of their trade and kept us all hanging on the edge of our seats.
Two child star performers particularly impressed Charles, and throughout intermission, he practiced his own moves by balancing both legs and arms on the chairs around us. By the second half, he was reaching his limit though, and after he watched two acts through half-closed lids and sprawled across our laps, Paul and I hoisted him up and exited the theater. Before passing out in his car seat, he gave me a sheepish smile and said, “You know the girl with the thing on her head, she was pretty, mom.”
The evening’s success gave us confidence to take both kids over (a few days later) to City Park’s Celebration in the Oaks. Every inch of the Botanical Gardens, Storyland and Carousel Gardens were covered in “a festival of lights.”
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| Rides spin and twist at City Park’s amusement park |
While August ooh’d and aah’d at the colors and pointed at every light his stroller got near, Charles was fixated on the rides in the amusement park. People were zooming in circles on the Scrambler and Tilt-a-Whirl and falling from the sky on the Monkey Jump. He stared wide-eyed, but glued to his seat, too afraid to move an inch…until he spotted the carousel. Now this was his kind of ride, and several minutes later he was up on a horse grinning with delight. Meanwhile, August was crying his eyes out, perhaps scared that his big brother was galloping away into the night.
The lights became more elaborate as you entered the Botanical Gardens, and at one point, they flashed and created fantastic displays illuminating the story of the “Cajun Night Before Christmas.” In other spots, dripping icicles covered massive live oaks and Frosty the Snowman danced under the stars. It was indeed a magical place, and the boys enjoyed every moment of it.
by admin | Nov 30, 2011 | Featured Posts, Greater New Orleans
To build up the anticipation for visiting the Lafayette Science Museum’s Dinosaurs exhibit, we ended our long Thanksgiving weekend with a trip to the Audubon Zoo and its own Dinosaur Adventure. The normally packed zoo was nearly empty on this bitter cold and dreary day. Once we bundled up, though, we were elated at the free reign we had.
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| Up close and personal with dinosaurs |
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| Elephants pack up their toys at the end of the show. |
Every visit to the zoo starts with a stop at the elephants. For the first time, we caught it just right to see the elephant show, where Charles was able to pet one of the giant animals. After the talk ended, the elephants packed up to head indoors to eat, with one closing the gate with his trunk while the other lifted a large tire with his mouth and walked away.
We made a quick tour of the monkeys and marveled at the sea lions playing under water before Charles had reached his limit and ran at top speed toward the dinosaurs. I watched as Paul chased him down and casually carried August in the direction of the roaring noises. We entered the steamy prehistoric setting and gawked at the insanely realistic animals. They are truly the oddest creatures I’ve ever seen, some with heads covered in horns and others that hiss a stream of water at you.
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| Sea lions play in their watery habitat. |
Charles lived for days like this and rattled off the various names that I couldn’t even pronounce. At three years old, he has become an expert on dinosaurs, even to the point of watching National Geographic documentaries about them. Only one of the creatures stumped him, and he required my assistance to read the sign citing the long, foreign-sounding name.
August, on the other hand, grew more scared by the moment, and when he started clutching me tight and screaming back at the animals, I knew it was time to abort. We instead did some Christmas shopping in the gift shop while the other two marveled at the king T-Rex attacking a triceratops.
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| A white alligator relaxes by the water’s edge. |
I don’t think a zoo will ever be the same for these kids now that they’ve been mesmerized by the dinosaurs. We continued on, laughing at the giraffes chasing each other around their cage and the black bears playing in their bath tub. The white alligators probably ranked second on their list, though they held a close tie with the elephants. The swamp monster was definitely in the top five as well.
As we exited the Louisiana swamp, the rain returned, and we cut the rest of our tour short. As with every visit, the zoo was a complete success and remains a standard on our local treasures list.
by admin | Nov 23, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
Our latest trip took us back to one of our earliest adventure locations – Jean Lafitte National Park. It was Barataria Buccaneers’ Day at the Barataria Preserve in Marrero, and Charles was on a mission to become a Junior Ranger/Privateer.
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| Sweetgum seeds in the forest |
We came prepared this time, carrying a dinosaur lunchbox of sandwiches and snacks, and chose the Visitor’s Center as our hiking launch site. One-year-old August was snoring in his stroller before we reached the glass doors leading to the information center. I sat outside with him while Paul chased our three-year-old on a 90-second tour of the wildlife display. When they emerged, Charles proudly announced he had touched every animal in the building before darting off down the trail.
We walked at a brisk pace, following close behind those short legs running at top speed. He had reserves of energy, and the Palmetto Trail’s flat boardwalks through lush greenery were the perfect place to wear him down. I saw several lizards flee his approach, and the only thing that stopped him in his tracks was a noise in the underbrush beside us. While we searched for a snake, I coaxed him into his stroller with the promise of graham crackers.
The Palmetto Trail ends at the parking lot for the Bayou Coquille Trail, and it was here that the park service had set up a kids’ tent complete with coloring pages, a scavenger hunt and pirate eye patches. Now down to one good eye, Charles concentrated hard on coloring the National Park Service badge his favorite color blue to earn his Junior Ranger badge.
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| An alligator watches us closely from her hiding spot. |
Meanwhile, we continued our walk, amazed at the lack of water in the area. The normally high-water Bayou Coquille and Lower Kenta Canal were both choked over with plants, giving the appearance of land where water once stood. We had even lost hope in seeing an alligator until we reached the Pipeline Canal, where a high bridge offered a bird’s eye view of full-grown female gator.
At the trail’s end, a ranger sat at the boat launch offering free canoe rides. Paul and Charles suited up in their life jackets and paddled away in the canoe, while August giggled wildly and threw himself into the remaining life jackets. After the excitement was over, we found a quiet spot to sit and have our picnic lunch before heading back the way we had come.
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| A canoe tour of Pipeline Canal |
Our one stop on the return trip was to hand in Charles’ coloring page, where the ranger made him raise his right hand (well, he thought it was his right!) and swore him in as a Junior Ranger. He proudly wore his badge, which gave him permission to boss around mommy and daddy all throughout the last leg of our four-mile hike.
by admin | Nov 9, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
Every November on the outskirts of Hammond, men, women and children dust off their swords and corsets and step back in time to the village of Albright. They become the centerpiece of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, affectionately known as Ren Fest, and they open their doors wide to the public.
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| Our wagon awaits… |
Our family of four accepted the invitation and set off for our hour-long drive from New Orleans. The adventure began the second we emerged from the car. A horse-drawn wagon pulled up at our feet and offered us a ride to the front entrance. Charles was on board with lightning speed and waited with as much patience as a three-year-old can muster while others climbed inside.
Our chauffeur dropped us at the castle gates, and the dust stirred beneath us as we made our way along the dirt road. The village has grown over its 12 years, and many permanent houses and shops now create a surprisingly real town settled around a tranquil lake. I glanced in a costume rental shop, where tourists were trading their street clothes for period clothing. While costumes and fake accents are optional in Albright, many of the visitors seem to embrace the role playing.
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| A village shop |
The kids were fascinated by the entire place. I’ve never seen them both so quiet and wide-eyed in their whole lives. We strolled a quarter of the path around the lake, browsing through candle-making, jewelry and toy shops before stopping to watch a sword-fighting, comedy show. Paul and I cracked up at the slightly bawdy comedians who enjoyed heckling each other and the audience. Meanwhile, Charles was captivated by the clanging of their steel swords, while August collected pine cones on the ground next to us.
Next up, we forewent the giant turkey legs in favor of Mediterranean food and made a picnic under some pine trees by the lake. We caught a portion of a belly dancing show during lunch before trying out some hoola-hoops and juggling stix.
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| Queen Elizabeth I knights Charles |
The more we walked, the more we saw–from dungeons to jousting, living history demonstrations to a magic show. Charles suckered us into buying him a wooden pirate sword–with a blue handle, of course–and he has been torturing his little brother with it ever since. He also developed a slight crush on Queen Elizabeth I and was shaking with anticipation when he found out she was going to “knight” him. After she touched his shoulders and top of his head with her sword and then belted a loud “hip hip huzzah,” he left with the full belief that he was now King.
Our journey back in time ended on that note, and we eased ourselves back into reality by stopping for coffee in downtown Hammond. By the time we hit the interstate, both kids had passed out in the back seat and amazingly were out for the night.
by admin | Nov 3, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
This Halloween weekend, we took advantage of the ghouls and goblins haunting New Orleans. We kicked it off Friday night at Audubon Zoo’s “Boo at the Zoo,” where hundreds of Jedis, princesses and fairytale characters had replaced the usual wild animals found at the zoo. We had left the little one home with his Omi (granny) and brought T-Rex Charlie out for the festivities.
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| A French Quarter butler |
Charles was in his element, stomping around in his miniature dinosaur costume, playing toddler games and trying out his “trick or treat!” yell. Bag overflowing with candy, he begged us to take him on the ghost train, which unfortunately was not recommended for a three year old. Instead, we entered the Dinosaur Adventure, which looked creepily realistic in the dark. Charles was scared just enough to keep him clinging to me, and we both jumped when one of those sneaky reptiles shot a spray of water out of his mouth right at our foreheads.
On Saturday, before attending a Halloween party in the French Quarter, we strolled the historic streets looking for decorations. The French Market had donned a large pumpkin around its entrance and set up a mini maze for children, while several homes greeted visitors with spooky butlers and flying witches. Meanwhile, on St. Charles Avenue, some of the city’s most beautiful mansions had transformed into haunted houses, with skeletons playing across their yards and jack-o-lanterns staring us down with glowing eyes.
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| Having a haunting good time in Faubourg St. John |
By the time Halloween Day arrived, I already had to sew up both tails on the well-worn T-Rex and Triceratops costumes. Paul and I both left work early to prepare the kids for Faubourg St. John’s “Bounty on the Bayou.” Policemen passing out glowing necklaces had blocked the streets surrounding Fortier Park, where children of all ages were munching on free hotdogs and popcorn. Every house in the area was open for trick or treating, and we made a haul in candy–lots and lots of candy that has now somehow found its way into every room in my house. I counted the night a victory when Charles looked up at me under his dinosaur head and said, “Only two more houses, mommy. Then we’re done.”
by admin | Oct 20, 2011 | Greater New Orleans
When October arrives, those lazy summer months fall to the wayside and festival season kicks into high gear. I had our calendar booked and had mentally prepared the family for a packed weekend.
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| Pony rides at the Children’s Book Festival |
We started off Saturday strapping the kids in their strollers, loading them up with dinosaurs and drink cups and setting off for Latter Library on St. Charles Avenue. The New Orleans Children’s Book Festival was already swarming with pint-sized individuals and their parents when we arrived. Stacks of free books, categorized by age, lined the entrance walk. Charles nearly squealed with delight when his plea for a dinosaur book was answered with My Teacher is a Dinosaur, while August happily slobbered all over his First Big Book of Animals.
Hosted by New Orleans’ First Lady Cheryl Landrieu and Ruby Bridges, icon of public schools integration, the annual event featured storytelling, book signings, free food, pony rides, kids activities and lots of free books. We took pictures with the Mayor and then ate our jambalaya and Lucky Dogs in a shady spot under a tree.
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| Giraffes taking in the Celebración Latina |
After a walk back to the house and a brief rest, we headed off in the car to the Celebración Latina at Audubon Zoo. Latin American dancers shimmied to the beat while Charles showed the crowd a few moves of his own. We lounged in the field by the stage for a bit, taking in the smells of Spanish food and picking out our dinner options. The kids didn’t last long in one spot though, and we soon made our way around the sea lions, past Monkey Hill and over to our favorites – the giraffes and mysterious white alligators.
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| Fall Garden Festival at the Botanical Gardens |
We all slept sound that night, re-energizing ourselves for the Fall Garden Festival at City Park’s Botanical Gardens. We’re regulars at the Botanical Gardens, enjoying their normally quiet setting. The place transforms with the Garden Festival, though, when rows of vendors offer plants ranging from everyday standards to the rare and exotic. Charles and I painted pumpkins–and his face–at the children’s table, while Paul and August made the rounds buying up dozens of plants for our already overflowing yard.
We didn’t make our last destination for the weekend. I suppose I was a bit overzealous in my planning, and the Crescent City Blues and Barbecue Festival fell to the wayside. Even though we missed seeing famous musicians playing soul and blues music and passed up eating some tasty barbecue, I still wanted to mention it for all those wanting to check it out next year.
