Going to New Orleans for Christmas break with two teenagers. Help! What is there to do in that area for teens? Is anything open at Christmas?

Do your teens like bourbon? We'll soon find out.

Hi Connie. We have taken our 3 teens to New Orleans several times. They liked:
The zoo-take a riverboat ride to get there from the riverfront around Decatur street. A walking tour-we have done several, the ghost ones are usually good, also the cemetery during the day time. Our favorite place to stay is the Embassy Suites on Julia Street-free breakfast (it's very good) and a large room/suite we can all stay in together. It's also within walking distance to the French Quarter but not right in it. You'll have to get out of the downtown area for teen shopping but New Orleans is easy to navigate. The
Acquarium is good and there is an IMAX
theater there, also. Take a carriage ride-look for a driver with character.
Walk around Jackson square and watch the street performers. Go to Cafe du Monde and eat beignets. Speaking of eating, they liked: Gumbo Shop, Praline Connection (gospel brunch on Sunday), Casamento's, Acme Oyster, Mother's, Bayona (more money but great food), Uglesich's, Irene's. Take one of the Swamp Tours-you'll have to get out of the city for this. Now for things you'll see in other posts and guide books: Wax museum-a little campy, not anything great. St Charles streetcar-
teens weren't thrilled but we combined it with a restaurant along the way-adults enjoyed it. New Orleans Museum of Art-good for adults, just o.k. for children, but when you've seen the British Museum and Louve it is hard to get excited about other small museums.
Algiers-everyone loved this-visit Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World and see the floats up close. It is not difficult to stay away from Bourbon Street and you will want to except for early in the morning. We always have a great time in New Orleans and I hope you will, too.

Don't know the ages of your teens (big difference between 13 & 19!). But if they had a grandparent, or family member in WWII, the DDay museum is excellent. My boys 18 & 15 enjoyed it. But we are a "history" family. In our opinion, Bourbon doesnt' get too goofy until evening. Plus, our kids were tickled with the "goofy" aspect. We carefully pointed out how disgusting drunks are, how ugly people look as they vomit and stagger, and how one stupid event can really screw up your life. We rarely pass up a "teachable moment".....New Orleans has more than its share! That being said, we loved NOLA...ain't travel great???

Our teenage son also enjoyed the D Day Museum and Mid-City Rock & Bowl. It is a lively bowling alley with a band every night.

Thanks for the replies. One teen is our foreign exchange student from Korea who is 16 and the other is our 16 yr son. The D-Day museum and other suggestions have been VERY helpful!
Thanks!

There is a state park a bit outside town. Lots of alligators walking/swimming around. There is a path for people to walk on near the swamps. It's a nice free way to see some of the wildlife up (very) close! Interesting museum there also.

What's the D-Day M-M-M-Museum about?

Make sure they bring some beads with them and they'll learn a lot.

Jack, why should they bring beads along?
and Casey, do you know the state parks name outside NO?
Thanks so much!

Connie, Just ignore the comment about the beads. Jack has obviously watched too many reruns of "MTV at Mardi Gras".
We had a 17 yr old French exchange student here in the summer. She loved the booths at the French Market with all the cheap stuff.The zoo & Aquarium was another favorite. Maybe a riverboat cruise would be something different. If you have access to a car then there are several places near the city to visit. Not extremely far is Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. A lot of the kids go there on field trips.

Have fun & enjoy whatever you find.

The DDay Museum is about 5 years old or so. It is located in the old warehouse area close to the Frech Quarter. THere are two parts. The original is dedicated to the Omaha Beach phase of Dday. The other (newer phase) is the Pacific Ocean battles at this time. The Omaha Beach display is outstanding, however, we liked the Pacific area even more. Personal stories surrounding the hundreds of momentos that have been donated to the museum. VERY interesting and moving. Recordings are of the actual survivors or family members relaying the information in a very personal manner.

What area of New Orleans is the D-Day museum located? Or is it outside N.O. city somewhere? This museum is something I absolutely will not miss while in N.O. if at all possible. We visited Normandy, France this last spring. My father is a WWII veteran. I've done a lot of research about D-Day so it will be at the top of our list to see this.
Thanks
Connie

Connie-I checked my info. It's a national park rather than a state park. You can check out this web page http://www.nps.gov/jela/Barataria%20Preserve.htm
The name is Barataria Preserve and is part of Jean Lafitte Nat Park. We all enjoyed it and it's not far out of N.O.

The museaum is just a couple of blocks off the streetcar line. We actually walked from the French Quarter - yes, it was a bit of walk, but not that big of a deal. If we were to do it over again, I would probably take the streetcar or cab, just to avoid the "verbal abuse" that I received from my family Somehow it looked a lot closer on the map - you know how that goes!