City Park (New Orleans)

City Park is a sprawling urban park in New Orleans, one of the oldest and largest public parks in the United States, covering some 1,300 acres in the middle of the city. Famous for its ancient live oaks draped in Spanish moss, it is a beloved green heart of New Orleans and home to a cluster of cultural institutions.

Its history reaches back to the 18th century, when the land was part of a plantation, and the park took shape from the 1850s onward. It holds the largest grove of mature live oaks in the world, some of the trees estimated to be several centuries old, their massive limbs sweeping to the ground and defining the park's dreamlike character. Much of its landscaping and many structures were built during the Great Depression by federal work programs.

Its attractions are varied. The New Orleans Museum of Art anchors the park, fronted by a grand Beaux-Arts facade and flanked by the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, one of the finest sculpture parks in the country. Elsewhere the park holds a historic wooden carousel, the Storyland children's area, botanical gardens, lagoons for boating, and the New Orleans Botanical Garden's Art Deco pavilions. The grounds host a popular festival of holiday lights strung through the ancient oaks each winter, drawing families from across the city into the misty park after dark.

For visitors, City Park offers a restful counterpoint to the crowded French Quarter, with miles of walking and cycling paths beneath the oaks, fishing lagoons, and the beignet-serving Morning Call cafe. It is reached by the Canal Street streetcar line, which runs to the park's edge, and much of it is flat and accessible. The oaks are magical in the misty light of early morning, and the park is at its most pleasant in the mild months of spring and autumn.