The architects did the math before they drew anything. Four feet of water covered City Park after Katrina, so the Louisiana Children’s Museum sits five feet off the ground.
That decision shapes the whole campus. The museum opened in City Park on August 29, 2019, after more than three decades at 420 Julia Street in the Warehouse District. The new building cantilevers over a lagoon and appears to hover above the water, and one of the entrances is a pedestrian bridge across it. Two two-story structures join at a fritted glass and steel connector.
The numbers behind it: 8.5 acres, 56,000 square feet of building, and a $47.5 million project led by architects Mithūn with local firm Waggonner & Ball, with exhibits designed by Gyroscope. The LEED Gold certification made it the first certified building in City Park. A 15,000-gallon cistern catches rainwater, existing trees were preserved with more than 125 added, and the lagoon itself was restored to hold freshwater and brackish wetland.
Outdoors runs to 47,000 square feet of exhibits, including an edible garden, a sensory garden, a toddler nature play area, native Louisiana plantings, decks, winding paths, and a floating classroom.
Inside, the galleries are built around subjects that matter in this particular city. Move With the River includes a 100-foot replica of the Mississippi that lets kids see how the water actually behaves. Follow That Food traces what lands on a plate back to where it came from. Make Your Mark gives children a model-making area to design their own version of New Orleans. Dig Into Nature, Play With Me for the youngest visitors, and Outdoor Adventures round out the experiences. The design targets children 8 and under along with their parents and caregivers.
The south wing holds a literacy center, a resource center for parents and teachers, and a book and toy store. Acorn Cafe seats 165 and is run by Dickie Brennan & Co., which means the food here is better than it has any business being at a children’s museum.
Admission runs $22.95 plus sales tax for anyone 12 months and older, and $18.95 plus tax for seniors and active military 65 and up with valid ID. Fall hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Timed-entry tickets are strongly recommended, especially on weekends and holidays.
Several programs cut the cost. Museums for All gets Louisiana residents with a SNAP EBT card and photo ID in for $4.95 plus tax, covering up to four people. The Helis Foundation’s Art for All program makes admission free on the second Sunday every other month from 11:30 to 4:30. ACM and ASTC reciprocal members can show their sticker or email ahead. Day-of admission can also be applied toward a family membership.
Programming extends past drop-in visits. Camps, Parents’ Night Out, sensory-friendly playtime, and early-literacy work through First 1000 Days and NOLA Readers 2.0 all run on the calendar. Field trips and birthday parties book separately.
The museum turns 40 in 2026 and marks it with a Play Soirée gala on November 14. Travel + Leisure recently named it one of the top nine children’s museums in the country.
The address is 15 Henry Thomas Drive, and the phone is (504) 523-1357. Storyland, the carousel, City Putt, and the Botanical Garden sit within the same park, which makes a half-day easy to stretch into a full one.
