Family-Friendly Things to Do in New Orleans

You may be surprised to learn that this 300-year-old city—the birthplace of jazz and the home of Mardi Gras—is an ideal destination for families with kids. As we gear up for our annual convention, which will be hosted in New Orleans June 21-24, we wanted to make sure you knew about a few of the best kid-friendly things to do in the Big Easy.

New Orleans is a dynamic city that brings your family amazing culture, food, music, and festivals, in addition to an array of child-friendly activities that you will not be able to find anywhere else. In addition to a very walkable downtown and an excellent streetcar system that will make transportation easy, New Orleans is home to one of the top zoos in the country and historic, cultural sights you won’t find anywhere else. Check out what this amazing destination can offer you and your family during your downtime at #PTACon18.

The Audubon Zoo

Audubon Zoo offers an exotic mix of animals from around the globe, engaging educational programs, hands-on animal encounters and lush gardens. It’s ranked as one of the top zoos in the country! In the summertime, it even offers a mini water park called the Cool Zoo which you can access for an additional price (not included in the admissions fee).

The New Orleans Creole Queen or The Steamboat Natchez

Ride down the Mississippi River and gaze back at New Orleans with your children on an authentic steamboat. As you ride along you will be able to better see the topography and understand how New Orleans received its nickname “The Crescent City.”

City Park

City Park features a wide variety of attractions including Storyland, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, a Sculpture Garden, the New Orleans Botanical Garden, the New Orleans Museum of Art, a train, lots of playgrounds and even Morning Call, a delicious beignet stand.

Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World

Take your kids to tour this massive warehouse where they’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the costumes, floats and parade paraphernalia of Mardi Gras.

Jackson Square

Jackson Square is surrounded by gorgeous historic buildings located in the heart of the French Quarter. Kids love the spot for its street performers, picturesque benches (perfect for a picnic lunch), and delicious beignets at nearby Cafe du Monde.

PTA Palooza! 

Check out this exciting, brand-new event during the PTA Convention in New Orleans, Saturday, June 23 from 10:15 a.m. – 2 p.m. You’ll get to meet more than 100 exhibitors in the school and family category offering hands-on activities, roaming entertainment by a stilt walker and magician, and face painting for everyone!

Want more NOLA? Here are more places for you and your family to visit:

For even more ideas, visit Curbed New Orleans’ Family Guide to the Big Easy.


Saron Messay is a contributing writer to National PTA.

PTA Palooza?! What’s that you say?

We’re bringing New Orleans to you in our Expo Hall at the 2018 National PTA Convention & Expo! Don’t miss this free, family-friendly community event.

So, what the heck is a PTA Palooza?

PTA Palooza (noun).

  1. An exciting, brand-new event during the PTA Convention in New Orleans occurring Saturday, June 23 from 10:15 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  2. Chock-full of fun and local flair, PTA Palooza will feature more than 100 exhibitors in the school and family category offering hands-on activities, roaming entertainment by a stilt walker and magician, and face painting for everyone!
  3. New Orleans-style gumbo and even alligator sausage will be available for purchase to really get you in the local spirit.
  4. If the spicy local flavors aren’t enough, a Second Line band and Mardi Gras Indian will be on stage as well as Make Music NOLA, to keep our toes tapping throughout the event.
  5. And while you there, come and make a Mardi Gras mask, get a signed autograph from Aidan Anderson and check out the swag at the PTA Store!

Example of use: We hope to see you at PTA Palooza for a day of family fun!

PTA Palooza is a free event open to everyone! Register now (for Palooza only) at PTA.org/Palooza. Register for the entire 2018 National PTA Convention & Expo at PTA.org/Convention.


Jennifer Bradley is the manager of corporate alliances for National PTA.

Support the Arts at #PTACon18

This year at our 2018 Convention & Expo, National PTA has made a commitment to the arts by supporting New Orleans-based nonprofit KID smART in their work to engage children in dynamic, creative and rigorous learning through the arts.

KID smART was created in 1999 in response to the decreasing availability of arts education in local public schools with the vision to empower all children to unlock their full academic, creative and personal potential. Their current focus is arts integration—linking instruction in the arts with instruction in the academic curriculum to increase students’ academic achievement, build their critical thinking skills, foster creativity and imagination and enhance their social and emotional growth.

In a KID smART classroom, students might learn the water cycle through dance, understand fractions by mixing paint colors or explore complex vocabulary words through pantomime. The learning is rigorous and dynamic; it is designed to engage students with a variety of learning styles and abilities so that all may excel.

KID smART is supporting arts education in the New Orleans area by:

  • Partnering with K–8 public schools to embed professional teaching artists in classrooms
  • Increasing the capacity of teachers and professional teaching artists to deliver arts-integrated instruction that meets next-generation academic standards
  • Creating and demonstrating models of excellence in arts-integrated instruction
  • Providing arts enrichment in after-school and community-based programs
  • Working alongside others to advocate for the arts and broaden the conversation around the definition of student achievement.

As you can imagine, serving over 3,000 students and 800 teachers annually with a limited budget, KID smART is in need of art supplies. This is where you come in! Please consider donating art supplies either online or in person at the 2018 National PTA Convention & Expo in New Orleans, where KID smART will be showcasing Louisiana mask-making traditions through a fun, hands-on mask-making activity. Drop by during PTA Palooza on Saturday, June 23 from 10:15 a.m. to 2 p.m.

To learn more about KID smART, please visit KIDsmart.org. To donate art supplies online, check out KID smART’s Amazon Wish List. Thank you for your support in giving back to this wonderful organization.


Amy Weinberg is the manager of programs and partnerships for National PTA.

Join the First-Timers Experience at National PTA Convention!

Are you a PTA mission believer and achiever? A PTA leader of leaders? An advocate who wants better for our students and schools nationwide? Then we’ll see you at 2018 National PTA Convention & Expo June 21-24 in beautiful and historic New Orleans, La.

In true New Orleans hospitality, we will welcome our first-time attendees with extra kindness. We will show you how to navigate National PTA’s largest and most comprehensive leadership development experience while making the networking easy for you!

Here are your three FIRST steps to making sure this is your best PTA decision ever:

  1. Come to the First-Timers’ Boot Camp. Join the Convention General Arrangements Committee and other first-time attendees at this must-attend event designed just for you on Thursday, June 22 at 1:15 p.m. in Room 235/236. Walk in knowing who you came with and walk out knowing at least five new friends. You’ll hear about the business, special events and learning experiences at Convention, and then your National PTA First-Timer Friend will help you design a plan for workshops and networking experiences that will match your goals for the weekend. Finally, you will take a tour of important locations like the workshop rooms and General Meetings. Leave this workshop feeling oriented, confident and connected.

 

  1. Meet back up with your First-Timer Friends for an Expo Hall tour and #PTAProud team-building experience. Your National PTA First-Timer Friend will give you a special invitation to explore an Expo Hall tour designed just for you. Meet National PTA’s sponsors, connect with National PTA Board Members in the PTA Booth, and then head over for a fun #PTAProud Team-Building Experience. Enjoy a fast-paced icebreaker with your new friends and then take a group selfie at our #PTAProud Wall. Leave this experience with a #PTAProud Recipe for Teamwork that you can take home and facilitate your own PTA team-building experiences!

 

  1. Pack a sweater—even though the average temperature in New Orleans is 90. Trust us. Every Convention Center looks a little different but offers the same chilly relief from blazing summer heat. So, bring a sweater or jacket that will help your mind to stay focused on all the possibilities National PTA’s Convention has to offer!

If this is your first time at National PTA’s Convention & Expo, get the VIP treatment—join the First-Timers Experience!

Didn’t register yet? There’s still time. Visit PTA.org/Convention to register today.


Mary Pat King is the director of education and leadership development at National PTA.

Top things to do in Las Vegas | #PTACon17

I have lived in Las Vegas for over 20 years with my husband and four children.  I am very excited to have the 2017 National PTA Convention & Expo in my home town this year and to share a few ideas for things to do while you are here!

Las Vegas is a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week town.  There is something for everyone at all hours of the day and night.  Whether you are coming into town early before Convention, have a few spare hours in the evenings or staying a few extra days after, there is plenty of fun to be had.

If you love to shop, everything you could ever want is right here.  From high end designers to discount outlets, there are four malls within a 15 minute walk of the Paris Hotel and even more shopping experiences just a short drive away.  Several malls are even open until midnight, if you still have the energy to walk around a mall after the Convention day is over. See my full list of activities below.

Even though it will be hot here in June, there are still fun activities to be had in the great outdoors. You can choose from two water parks, if splashing in the hotel pool is not enough fun.  Hiking, rock climbing, bouldering and  scenic drives are just 30-40 minutes away at Red Rock Canyon Conservation area or a one hour drive to Mt. Charleston, where it can be 20 degrees cooler than the strip. Need more adventure?  Jump from a plane, kayak the Colorado river, four wheel through the desert, or ride in a hot air balloon. If there is an adventure to be had, you can probably do it here in Las Vegas.

Believe it or not we have many family friendly and fun activities that keep you inside with the air conditioner blowing.  If museums are your bag, we have everything from The Mob Museum, Natural History, Children’s, Atomic Testing, wax figures, old cars, old neon signs, pinball machines, and several quirky museums you could only find in a town like Las Vegas.  There is an indoor amusement park and many arcades on and off the strip to keep big and little kids entertained.

If you have little time and little money there are free activities up and down the strip.  Watch the Volcano show at the Mirage, the dancing waters at the Bellagio Fountains or stroll through the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. You can check out all things candy at the M&Ms World or at the Hershey’s Chocolate World.

Las Vegas is known for the many shows available at venues all over town.  Singers, bands, magicians, comedians, impersonators, Cirque du Soliel shows, variety shows  and even the occasional Broadway show.  Make sure you make reservations ahead of time if possible as many shows sell out.

Last but not least is the food.  You could eat at a different restaurant for every meal, every day of your stay and you will not put a dent in the number of great restaurants in Las Vegas offering every kind of cuisine.  Buffets and four star restaurants can be found all along the strip and you can also find food being prepared by famous chefs in small shopping centers away from the strip.  Choose a cuisine, check out the reviews and enjoy amazing food from around the world.

A few tips as you are having fun.  Drink way more water than you usually do at home. It will be hot and the humidity is usually around 10%, so it is easy to get dehydrated here.  Wear comfortable walking shoes.  The hotel buildings are huge and much farther away than you realize.  Try not to pay full price for anything. Check the internet or your favorite coupon app for available discounts.

Have a great time at convention learning, networking, and sharing all things PTA and then in your free time, enjoy all of the things Las Vegas has to offer!

Linda Johnson is a national service representative at National PTA.

Shopping:
Grand Bazaar– just north of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in front of Bally’s.
Miracle Mile Shops– just south of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel
Forum Shops at Caesars Palace– About a 15 minute walk north on Las Vegas Blvd to Caesars Palace. Use the pedestrian bridge to cross the street.
Linq Promenade – About a 15 minute walk north on Las Vegas Blvd to the High Roller observation wheel located at the end of the promenade.
Las Vegas North-Premium Outlets–  13 min drive
Fashion Show Mall– 8 min drive

Adventure:
Sky Jump Las Vegas– Jump off the Stratosphere tower
Slotzilla Zipline through the Fremont Street Experience
Flight Linez Bootleg Canyon
Vegas Indoor Skydiving
Hiking at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area– this is best done first thing in the morning before it gets too hot.  If you are not into hiking, you can just drive the 13 mile scenic loop.

Family Friendly Activities
WetnWild Las Vegas
Cowabunga Bay
Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
Game Works at Town Square
Pinball Hall of Fame

Free things to do in Las Vegas
Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the Bellagio Fountains
Take your Picture at the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign
Hershey’s Chocolate World
M&M’s World Las Vegas
Volcano at the Mirage