Indoor Winter Play on Both Shores
NEW ORLEANS
Adventure Quest Laser Tag (Elmwood)
This family fun center is jam-packed full of cool activities, like mini-golf, an arcade, bumper cars, a 6,000-square-foot laser-tag arena, plus their 5,000-square-foot, two-level Adventure Maze, and Pharaoh’s Revenge Escape Room. They also have party rooms for birthday parties and special events, and a snack bar that includes pizza, salads, tons of other snacks, and even adult beverages.
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (French Quarter)
Perched on the Mississippi River adjacent to the French Quarter, the aquarium is an excellent escape to another world. After walking through a tunnel that reveals the colors of a Caribbean reef, visitors can walk through a rainforest, check out some penguins and otters, feed parakeets, touch stingrays, visit the swamp, and marvel at sharks, sea turtles and lots of other animals in the 400,000 gallon Gulf of Mexico Exhibit. The aquarium also has its own food court, so you can make a whole day of it!
If you crave lots of visual and auditory stimulation, this is the place for you. Located in the CBD, this hive of activity is one stop shopping to eat, drink, play video games, and watch sports. With 44,000 square feet of flashing lights, video screens, and action, it’s guaranteed to entertain the troops.
The Harahan facility offers an array of programs that combine fun and fitness for children ages 6 weeks to 13 years. One highlight is their Adventure Challenge, a two-story, indoor maze that features 100 yards of slides, tunnels, ropes, balls and more. Parents can take advantage of the childcare program for kids ages 6 weeks to 5 years while they work out. There is a nominal fee for members, a two-hour limit per day, and reservations must be made in advance. The Parents’ Day Out program provides a worry-free day for parents while children 5 years and under who are able to walk enjoy fun and games, an obstacle course, Spacewalk, arts and crafts, our outdoor pirate ship playground, snacks and the Adventure Challenge.
Lakeside Kids Castle (Metairie)
Located near the Food Court entrance at Lakeside Shopping Center, The Kids’ Castle — for children under 51” — features a medieval theme with a climbing castle, a hand washing station, baby changing counters, a family restroom and three nursing rooms. Book a free 25 minute playtime between 11am – 7pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday. Daily cleanings are scheduled from 3-3:30pm.
Louisiana Children’s Museum (City Park)
Louisiana Children’s Museum’s new home was meticulously designed to be a social, cultural, and learning resource for children and families. Indoors and out, there are tons of hands-on ways to learn literacy, health and wellness, arts and culture, environmental education, and STEM. It features 8.5 acres for kids to explore, two floors of new interactive exhibits and old favorites re-imagined, plus outdoor adventures on the water, in the garden, and more.
This indoor playground, family edu-tainment play center, and party place features a main play space with a beautiful, sustainable, wood playground structure on which kids can run, slide, and climb. There’s a designated toddler room and lots of age-appropriate activities for the older kids.
Skyzone Trampoline Park (Metairie)
This indoor trampoline park provides wall-to-wall aerial action. Their special programs and attractions include the Foamzone, Freeclimb, Sky Hoops, Ultimate Dodgeball, Warrior Course, and more. They also offer multiple birthday party packages, and they proudly support many charitable organizations, causes, and schools within our community.
NORTHSHORE
Abita Mystery House Museum (Abita Springs)
If you’ve never been here, you truly owe it to yourself to experience this one-of-a-kind, must-see collection of bizarre curiosities, located just a block or two outside the little village of Abita Springs. Also known as the UCM Museum, this roadside attraction, which used to be an old gas station, is like stepping into another weird dimension, filled with odd collections, memorabilia, strange contraptions, random objects, old arcade machines, and crazy hybrid taxidermy pieces, like Bufford the Bassigator.
Altitude Trampoline Park (Slidell)
Slidell’s premier family entertainment center features a foam pit, trampoline basketball, dodgeball, a balance beam, high jump, and more. They also host birthday parties and special GLO Nights.
Children’s Museum of St. Tammany (Mandeville)
This facility, located adjacent to Kids Konnection playground on Koop Drive in Mandeville, serves toddlers through early childhood age children with special programming for older kids, too. They welcome walk-in visitors, as well as school field trip attendees, story time visitors, and birthday party guests. Themed activities are centered around creative play, art, and STEM.
Kids & Family Arena (Mandeville)
This family-owned and operated business houses 15,000 square feet of fun, which is open for drop-in play, but also hosts birthday parties and other celebrations. The huge space contains 13 inflatables that allow kids up to about sixth grade to jump, slide, and play football and basketball to their hearts’ content. There’s also a ball pit and small play area for the smaller kids and toddlers. Up front, there’s an arcade station with multiple consoles for when the kids need a breather. Admission is good for the whole day, so visitors can leave and return, as needed.
Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center (Hammond)
Located in historic downtown Hammond, the facility is designed for kids 10 and under, and it offers lots of hands-on, interactive exhibits and programs. Exhibits include a shrimp boat, a vet clinic, Middendorf’s restaurant, a rock climbing wall, a hot air balloon, a theater, a music factory, an art station, a bubble station, a dino dig, an excavation pit, and more.There are also special events, educational activities, and extracurricular programs that offer an even wider array of activities. Birthday party packages are also available.
Mandeville Sports Complex offers the residents of Mandeville and the surrounding communities affordable fitness and fun programs for children and adults of all ages. This one-stop club for the entire family features a fitness center, competitive and recreational gymnastics and cheerleading, summer & holiday camps, after school care, birthday parties, swim lessons, kids fun nights, and more.
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum (Madisonville)
Louisiana’s extensive bayous, rivers, and lakes served as the pathways of survival for Native Americans, European explorers, and early settlers. This maritime history comes to life through this museum’s artifacts, photographs, documents, and oral histories. One of the very coolest features is the Civil War submarine. Special programs include boat-building, hands-on field trips, constructing underwater robots, restoration of the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse, and other exciting educational opportunities for people of all ages. There’s also its Wooden Boat Festival, held every October on the Tchefuncte River, featuring over 100 wooden and classic boats.
Safari Quest Family Fun Center (Hammond)
This mostly indoor adventure facility’s main draw is its 3,000-square-foot, multi-level, neon-lit laser tag arena with an observation deck for spectators. They’ve also got coconut climbing trees, an arcade with the latest video games, and a really cool ropes course, which is suspended high above the floor. Thatched tiki huts and jungle gardens play into the safari motif, and there are four party rooms available to rent for special occasions.
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