New Orleans City Park: Christmas In The Oaks With Grayline Tours

 A trip to New Orleans doesn’t really count unless you visit City Park. Besides being one of the best destinations in the south, you can find a lot of attractions and activities for you and your kids. City Park is one of the most historic parts of New Orleans and is simply amazing.

New Orleans obviously isn’t a kid-friendly spot, but the City Park particularly offers a Spectacular detour for your young ones, involving Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, Storyland (Home of nearly 20 massive sculptures of storybook and fairy tale characters), and the Train Garden.

You can infer the City Park by the fact that it is the 20th most heavily visited public park in the entire United States. Read on to learn more about New Orleans City Park, its rich history, and its one-of-a-kind Christmas event. So, let’s begin!

Overview

The park itself is open year-round. However, it’s the festivities they hold at different times of the year that really make it a fun experience. Lucky for us, we were in New Orleans right before Christmas. So Christmas fever was high, and even more so due to the most popular festival of all – Celebration of the Oaks or Christmas in the Oaks

You can quickly get to City Park on your own, but I really wanted to see the Celebration of the Oaks and learn the history of New Orleans at the same time. So, I decided to do one of  Grayline’s tours of Celebration of the Oaks. This way, we not only had a guide, transportation, and entrance fees included but also a fantastic – quick – overview of New Orleans’ history, especially around Christmas time.

Personally, I would have loved to take one of Grayline’s longer city tours (and they have tons to choose from), but with a four-year-old and a ten-year-old that gets bored way too quickly, I had to have a reward at the end of the tour. And with this particular tour, the reward was lights and rides.

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City Park Celebration in the Oaks

Celebration in the Oaks in City Park is one of the most spectacular holiday lights festivals in the country. More than 165,000 visitors come each. City Park’s famous oaks are swathed in hundreds of thousands of twinkling white lights and breathtaking light displays. Since the 1980s, the Celebration in the Oaks has become an annual holiday tradition for many locals and visitors alike.

Hung from the historic oak trees, City Park twinkles with countless lights. Over 13 acres, including the Botanical Garden, Storyland, and Carousel Gardens, are transformed into a festive wonderland. It’s a beloved holiday tradition that invites families to return and bask in its glow year after year.

Best Attraction of the City Park, New Orleans

Storyland

This is open year-round, and it is where the rides of the park are located. During the Christmas season, they are inside the Celebration of the Oaks festival. Each ride is $3, or you can buy an unlimited package of $17. We only did a couple of rides. There really is only one main ride for older kids, mainly, the rides are for kids eight and younger.

I made my little men go on the carousel, which for them is a bit boring, but it’s the oldest ride in New Orleans. And a moving work of art.

Botanical Garden

Home to over 2,000 species of plant, the Botanical garden is separated into different areas. You can visit a fantastic botanical garden that has several exhibits inside. Our favorite was the rainforest. It felt just like home. Each garden room, or section of the garden, features its own special mix of plants. The pathways and structures help create a distinct feel for each area.

Train Garden

This is a massive train garden that has an entire miniature city made of natural materials. The detail and work put into this are amazing. They have all the works, including the famous Superdome (the stadium where the New Orleans Saints play). My boys love trains, so this was a big hit.

Carousel Gardens Amusement Park

The Carousel Gardens Amusement Park is a super fun spot for the whole family! They’ve got rides and games for everyone to enjoy. And guess what? They’ve got one of the oldest carousels in the US, known as the “Flying Horses”. You can visit this place any time of the year, but during the Celebration in the Oaks festival, they have some really cool rides and activities going on!

History and Facts about New Orleans City Park 

• Over 150 years old, one mile wide, and three miles long, comprising a total of 1,300 acres, New Orleans City Park is one of the ten largest urban parks in the country.
• The City Park is nearly 50% larger than Central Park in New York City.
• City Park is the 48th oldest park in the United States.
• It’s the 6th largest urban park in the United States.
• Annually, the Celebration in the Oaks draws an incredible crowd, with visitor numbers topping over 16 million visits every year.
• 1854 – 4th District Court pronounces the property as a public park.
• 1907 – The Peristyle at New Orleans City Park, a concrete dancing pavilion of classical design, opened to the public.

• 1911 – The Isaac Delgado Museum of Art is dedicated (It is now called the New Orleans Museum of Art).
• 1939 – At the center of City Park is 1,300 acres in Couturie Forest. The Forest was designated as a community arboretum in 1939 with a bequest of $50,000 for 6,000 trees. Since then, the Forest canopy has matured, and the infrastructure has expanded to include trails, a rustic amphitheatre, six education stations, and docks jutting into the surrounding lagoons.
• 1964 – The Beatles played at City Park Stadium.
• 2003 – The 5-acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden Opens. It holds more than 60 sculptures worth over $25 million.
• 2005 – Hurricane Katrina hits. 90% of the park was under salt water which killed most of the grass and tender vegetation. Over 2,000 trees were toppled or extensively damaged.
• 2008 – The Three Little Pigs debut in Storyland.
• 2012 – the 5,000th tree was planted after Hurricane Katrina. Also, the Coffee and Beignet stand opened.

City Park Entrance Fees and Directions

The entrance fee for Celebration in the Oaks at City Park is $14 per person. This does not include any rides or activities within the festival which require additional fees. It is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance to avoid long lines at the gate. City Park is located at 1 Palm Dr, New Orleans, LA 70124. It is easily accessible by car and public transport. Parking is available within the park for a fee, or you can find street parking nearby.

The Bottom Line!

I have visited New Orleans City Park only once, and during Christmas, but I can say for sure that it is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever been to. From the stunning oak trees anointed with lights to the incredible sculptures and gardens, there is something for everyone here. And during the holiday season, it transforms into a magical wonderland that will leave you in awe. It’s an exceptional, family-friendly attraction that should not be missed if you are visiting New Orleans during the holidays.

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Last Updated on June 26, 2025