Audubon Park (New Orleans) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Audubon Park |
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Audubon Park entrance located on St. Charles Avenue
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Area | 350 acres (1.4 km2) |
| Created | 1871 |
| Status | Open all year |
Audubon Park is a large, beautiful park in New Orleans, Louisiana. It's about 350 acres, which is like 265 football fields! The park is located in the Uptown area. It sits close to the Mississippi River on one side and St. Charles Avenue on the other. It's right across from Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans. The city bought the land for the park in 1871. It's named after John James Audubon, a famous artist and naturalist. He started living in New Orleans in 1821.
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Discovering Audubon Park's Past
The land where Audubon Park now stands was once a large farm called a plantation. This was during the time when Louisiana was a colony and later a new state. During the American Civil War, both the Confederate and Union armies used this land. It was also a place where Buffalo Soldiers prepared for their missions.
In 1870, the city of New Orleans grew bigger. It added the nearby towns of Jefferson City and Greenville. The next year, the city bought this land. People wanted it to be a city park right from the start. They first called it "Upper City Park." This name helped tell it apart from City Park.
The World's Fair and Park Design
Not long after, in 1884, a big event called the World Cotton Centennial (a type of World's Fair) took place here. After the fair ended, most of its buildings were taken down. Only Horticultural Hall stayed for a while. It was later destroyed by a hurricane in 1915. Today, the only reminder of the fair is a large iron ore rock.
Audubon Park's current look was mostly designed by John Charles Olmsted. He was part of a famous group of landscape architects called Olmsted Brothers. They were known for designing many beautiful parks.
Park Attractions Over Time
In the early 1900s, a part of the park became home to the Audubon Zoo. The zoo got a lot of improvements over the years. Many fun attractions from the early and mid-1900s are no longer there. These included a miniature railway, a huge swimming pool, swan boats, and a carousel. A smaller public pool was built in the 1990s.
The part of the park along the Mississippi River is called Riverview Park. It has sports fields and picnic areas. People often call this area "The Fly." This name came from a butterfly-shaped viewing shelter that was there in the 1960s. It was taken down in the 1980s after being damaged.
The road that goes around the park was closed to cars in the 1980s. It became a popular path for walking, jogging, and biking. It's about 1.7 miles long. There's also a 2.2-mile dirt path around the park's edge. This path is great for runners who want a less crowded route.
When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, some of the park's old live oak trees fell. But the park is on high ground, so it did not flood. This was different from most of New Orleans. After the storm, Audubon Park was used as a place for helicopters. It also became a camp for National Guard troops and relief workers.
Sports and Recreation
In 1898, the Audubon golf course opened inside the park. In 2002, the golf course was updated. It became a shorter course, mostly for Par 3 games. Some park users were not happy about this change. They felt it changed the original design of the park.
Also in 2002, the New Orleans city council renamed a sports field in the park. It was called "Avenger Field." They renamed it "David Berger - Avenger Field." This was to honor David Mark Berger. He was an athlete and a graduate of Tulane University. He was captured and killed during the 1972 Olympic Games. The field was officially dedicated to him on June 10, 2013.
Amazing Wildlife in the Park
Ochsner Island is on the east side of the park. It has a special area called a rookery. This is a place where many birds gather to nest. It's one of the best places to watch birds in the New Orleans area.
Hundreds of wading birds come to the island. These include great egrets, cattle egrets, snowy egrets, ibis, little blue herons, green herons, and night herons. You can also see diving birds like double-crested cormorants and anhingas. Many types of ducks live in the park too. Recently, black-bellied whistling ducks have started using the park's lagoons. They stop there during their long journeys.
