13 Best Sights in Uptown, New Orleans

Formerly the plantation of Etienne de Boré, the father of the granulated-sugar industry in Louisiana, this large, lush patch of greenery stretches from St. Charles Avenue across Magazine Street to the river. Designed by John Charles Olmsted, nephew of Frederick Law Olmsted (who laid out New York City's Central Park and Asheville's Biltmore Estate), this park contains the world-class Audubon Zoo; a 1.8-mile track for running, walking, or biking; picnic and play areas; Audubon Park Golf Course; tennis courts; a swimming pool; horse stables; and a river view known by locals as the Fly. Calm lagoons wind through the park, harboring egrets and other indigenous species. The park and zoo were named for the famous ornithologist and painter John James Audubon, who spent many years working in and around New Orleans.

This Colonial Revival building, housing a Catholic girls' school, was built in 1900 and features wide, wraparound balconies (or galleries) and colonnades facing a large garden. The academy is exceptionally beautiful during the December holiday season, when the galleries are decked with wreaths and garlands.

The emergence of Colonial Revival architecture in the late 19th century was expressive of local weariness with the excesses of the Greek Revival craze that had dominated the mid-century. Anthemion---named for the Greek honeysuckle-and-palm motif---is an excellent example of this return to simplicity. Built in 1896 for the druggist Christian Keppler, it served as the headquarters of the Japanese consulate from 1938 to 1941.

Consistently ranked as one of the top zoos in the nation, the Audubon Zoo presents a wide array of animals in exhibits that mimic their natural habitats, including giraffes, lions, and elephants. The Louisiana Swamp exhibit re-creates the natural habitat of alligators, including a rare white alligator (technically a leucistic gator), nutrias (large swamp rodents), and catfish; feeding time is always well attended. Among other highlights are the Reptile Encounter, the Komodo dragon exhibit, and gorilla and flamingo exhibits. Several attractions are available for additional fees, including a train tour that departs every 30 minutes from the swamp exhibit. Cool Zoo, a splash park featuring a 28-foot white-alligator slide, bubbling fountains, and splash zones, has one area set aside for toddlers and young children. Cool Zoo also includes Gator Run, a lazy river with sand beaches, water cannons, and jumping jets. (Cool Zoo is open weekends in May, then opens daily from Memorial Day until early August, when it returns to weekends-only through Labor Day; separate admission is $13 for nonmembers.)

This mansion, completed in 1904 for cotton magnate William Perry Brown, is one of the largest houses on St. Charles Avenue. Its solid monumental look, Syrian arches, and steep gables make it a choice example of Romanesque Revival style.

This two-story Uptown house features contemporary paintings and sculptures by U.S. artists, with a special nod to those from the south, including Jere Allen, David Goodman, Nell C. Tilton, and Jean Geraci.

The renowned local architect Thomas Sully designed this 1896 Colonial Revival house after the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The interior has often appeared in the pages of design magazines. It was built for John Castles, president of Hibernia National Bank.

Contemporary paintings and sculptures by more than 50 southern artists are displayed in this modern space. Opening receptions are held the first Saturday of every month.

Chartered by the Jesuits in 1912, Loyola University is a local landmark. Its communications, music, and law programs are world-renowned. The Gothic- and Tudor-style Marquette Hall, facing St. Charles Avenue and Audubon Park, provides the backdrop for a quintessential New Orleans photo opportunity. The fourth floor of the neo-Gothic J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library houses the university’s Collins C. Diboll Art Gallery, open to the public seven days a week (Monday–Saturday 10 am–6 pm, Sunday noon–6 pm).

This former private house serves as the most elegant public library in New Orleans. Built in 1907, the Italianate Beaux-Arts mansion was once the home of the silent-movie star Marguerite Clark. The Latter family bought it and donated it to the city as a library in 1948 in memory of their son, who was killed in World War II. An extensive renovation restored the home to its former grandeur.

This sumptuous mansion was built in 1868 as a wedding gift from Colonel William Lewis Wynn to his daughter. The side building, on the Uptown side of the main building, is an auditorium added in the 1950s. The house is closed to the public, but serves as headquarters to a ladies' social club and hosts many debutante teas and wedding receptions.

This was the family home of local architect Thomas Sully, who designed it in 1886. The Queen Anne--style home uses mixed surfaces, including cypress shingles and bricks, on the exterior. Sully was known for his use of deep shades of color and varied textures.

Next to Loyola on St. Charles Avenue, Tulane University's three original buildings face the avenue: Tilton Hall (1902) on the right, Gibson Hall (1894) in the middle, and Dinwiddie Hall (1923) on the left. The Romanesque style, with its massive stone composition and arches, is repeated in several buildings around the quad. More modern campus buildings extend another three blocks to the north, including Newcomb Art Museum, a 3,600-square-foot exhibition facility offering contemporary and historical exhibits (free; closed Sunday). Tulane offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in liberal arts, science and engineering, architecture, business, law, social work, medicine, public health, and tropical medicine.

The Middle American Research Institute and Gallery ( 504/865–5110  mari.tulane.edu), located on the third floor of Tulane's Dinwiddie Hall, includes the world's largest documented Guatemalan textile collection and replicas of classic Mayan sculpture. Established in 1924, the institute's collection also includes rare artifacts like poison-dart arrows from Venezuela and shrunken heads from the Brazilian rain forest. On view at the gallery is "Faces of the Maya." The pre-Columbian artifacts are complemented by a collection of books on Latin American culture housed in Tulane's main library ( free  closed Sat. and Sun., appointment recommended).