Just across the river in Marrero, the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is where New Orleans families meet the real Louisiana wetlands: boardwalks floating over bayous, alligators sunning within view, and armadillos rustling through palmettos.
Ranger programs, Junior Ranger badges and the visitor center’s kid-friendly exhibits make the preserve a perfect first swamp — wild enough to thrill, boardwalk-safe for the smallest hikers.
Free to enter and only half an hour from the French Quarter, Barataria turns a family drive into an ecosystem adventure: this is the landscape that built New Orleans, still wonderfully alive.
