Happy Birthday, Aquarium!

If you're looking for a fun and family-friendly way to enjoy Labor Day, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is open and celebrating their 20th birthday!  Open from 10am to 5pm on Monday, the celebration will include face painting, live music, a scavenger hunt, and of course, birthday cake!  Admission is included if you're an Audubon Institute member.

New Orleans Free and Frugal Events this Weekend

It's shaping up to be another beautiful weekend in the Big Easy! This weekend will be jam-packed with parades and other fun things to do with your families.

On Saturday, head to the Irish Channel for the 63rd annual Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Club Mass and parade. The Mass begins at noon at St. Mary's Assumption church and the parade will follow after Mass.

Also Saturday from 10-11am, make a tabletop basketball game at your nearest Lowes Build and Grow Clinic.

In Metairie, head over to the Lakeside Shopping Center at 9:45am for the Easter egg hunt and check out the Education Expo afterwards for some summer camp ideas.

On Sunday at 11am, the St. Patrick's Day parade will roll down Metairie Road for your chance to catch even MORE produce (and some beads and trinkets, of course).

This is also the final weekend for the "Dreams Come True" exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Once the museum opens on Saturday morning at 10am, it will be open for 30 hours straight (until 5pm Sunday). This is the only North American presentation of this Disney artwork exhibit, so make sure to attend this weekend before its gone.

Finally on Sunday afternoon from 4-7pm, take the kids over to La Maison (508 Frenchmen) to experience a free jazz performance as part of the Nickel-A-Dance series. This Sunday, Detroit Brooks' Syncopated Percolators will perform. Children are welcome for these free performances.

There you have it - plenty of free and frugal things to do to get your family out to enjoy this beautiful weekend!

New Orleans Free and Frugal Events this Weekend

It's getting closer to Mardi Gras, and you know what that means: PARADES! Although things will get into full swing later in the week, we still have a few parades rolling Saturday and Sunday, including the family-friendly Krewe of Little Rascals parade in Metairie on Sunday at noon. Check out the full parade schedule and parade maps here.

Also this weekend, on Saturday, is another chance for your child to play his or her instrument with the Royal Player Brass Band over at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Head over there from 11 am-12 pm on Saturday with your instruments and make some music!

Still ongoing are the Vieux Carre Matinees at Le Petit Theatre: free movies on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. This Saturday's schedule includes We Live to Eat. Yep, that sounds about right!

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy it with your family!

A few free area events this weekend

In addition to the free admission to the Louisiana Children's Museum on Sunday, there are a few more events happening to keep your kids busy for cheap!



On Saturday, take your music-loving kids to the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park (on N. Peters in the French Quarter) and let them play with the Royal Players Brass Band. Have them bring their own instruments and take part in the park's free "Music for All Ages" program.



If you happen to be out near Luling on Saturday morning, take your kids to the Planetarium for their children's matinee series to see "Planets of the Solar System" at 10am. Or wait until 2pm for their "Twinkle Theater" program. Both programs are free and open to the public.



Of course wherever you go this weekend, remember to cheer on our beloved New Orleans Saints!

Free Museum Admission Sunday

The Louisiana Children's Museum is offering free admission on Sunday 1/17 courtesy of Target. Thanks to Target Free Admission days, you can enjoy the LCM's exhibits on a tight budget, or use it to see if a family annual membership is right for your family.

And because Monday is a holiday, both the museum and all Audubon facilities will be open (though they are typically closed on Mondays).

Enjoy!

New Orleans Area Free and Frugal Events this Weekend

Here are a few things to work into your schedule this weekend:

On Saturday morning at 10am, the Luling Planetarium will host "George and Oatmeal Save Santa" - a Christmas show for little ones. A second showing is scheduled for 2pm, followed by another holiday show called "Season of Light". Both events are free.

Saturday night the Saints will be (hopefully) beating the Cowboys in the Superdome. If you don't have tickets to the game and want to watch it in a unique setting, head over to Celebration in the Oaks at City Park. They'll have the big screens set up, and if you wear your black and gold, you get $1 off the $7 admission price.

On Sunday 12/20 there will be free admission to the Louisiana Children's Museum courtesy of Target.

Enjoy free, beautiful Christmas music with your family on Sunday evening at St. Louis Cathedral's annual Christmas concert - part of the Cathedral Concert Series. The final event in this series will be a gospel performance on Monday at 6pm.

Enjoy the beautiful weekend!

Christmas in New Orleans

Tonight is opening night for Celebration in the Oaks at City Park. Enjoy lights, rides, a laser show, and a narration of the Cajun Night Before Christmas - one of my favorite holiday tales. In fact, I still have the copy of the book that my Mamere gave to me MANY years ago, and read it to my own children! The celebration is open this weekend, closed Monday through Thursday, then begins its nightly run on December 4th until December 30th. Admission is $7 per person, and children 3 and under are free (rides extra).

Also opening tonight and running through January 3rd is Harrah's Casino's Miracle on Fulton Street. This is a free event and family-friendly. Enjoy Christmas lights, live music, visit Santa Claus, and if you're there at the right time, it just may snow!

New Orleans Area Free and Frugal Events this Weekend

On Saturday, officially kick off the holiday season (as if the displays of Christmas decorations that have been up in stores since the beginning of October hadn't already clued you in) by welcoming Santa as he arrives at Lakeside Mall. Santa is scheduled to arrive at 9:30am, and where else but in southern Louisiana would you greet him and Mrs. Claus with a second line parade?

Also on Saturday, celebrate Fiesta Latina at Zephyr Stadium from 10:30am until 9:30pm. Festival admission is free and parking is $5 per vehicle. Enjoy food, music, dancing, and art that celebrates different Latin cultures!

Want to be a part of a community art project? Head over to the Green Room at The Green Project in Faubourg Marigny to participate in the 4th annual Draw-A-Thon. The Draw-A-Thon begins at 6:30am Saturday and runs 24 hours ending with a pancake breakfast Sunday at 6:30am. Different workshops featuring various techniques will be held throughout the 24 hour event, including drawing with a sewing machine and drawing on film. Adults and kids are encouraged to visit this paper-covered room and channel their artistic sides!

On Sunday, head on over to Oak Street and stuff yourself silly with a huge array of the area's best po-boys at the 2009 New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival. Enjoy great local tunes while munching on delicious po-boys. Just reading the list of vendors and their wares has my mouth watering - I just have to try Emeril's bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomato shrimp remoulade po-boy (would that be a "BLFGTSR"?).

Enjoy the weekend!

New Orleans Area Free and Frugal Events this Weekend

Another weekend full of free and frugal things to do in the New Orleans area. If your social calendar is open this weekend, check out a few of these events to keep you busy:

• The weather should be great for the Gator Luau at Holy Name of Jesus school in New Orleans. It runs Friday through Sunday and includes food, drink, rides, music, and both the LSU and Saints games will be shown so you won't have to miss a play!
• If you're in the mood to shop for Christmas presents, check out the St. Edward the Confessor Craft Fair on Saturday from 9am to 5pm at 4921 W. Metairie Avenue. With more than 100 exhibitors, you should be able to find something for everyone on your list!
• Also on Saturday will be the next installment of the Kids Culinary Camp for second through fourth graders at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, sponsored by the Junior League of New Orleans.
• If you're the handy type, head over to Lowe's for their Build and Grow clinic on Saturday from 10-11am. The kids will get to create a "garage" for the Lowe's NASCAR vehicle.
• On Sunday, head over to the Louisiana Children's Museum for free admission courtesy of Target.
• If music is your thing, check out the craft and food vendors and enjoy the music at the free third annual Congo Square Rhythms Festival on Sunday from 11am until 6:30pm.
• Also on Sunday is the grand opening of the "Dreams Come True" Disney art exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art. This exhibit will be on display until March 14, 2010, so if you can't make it out this weekend, you'll have plenty of time to do so.

Have a wonderful weekend and get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

New Orleans Area Free and Frugal Events this Weekend

Our first real taste of fall weather will make it a great time to get outside and enjoy the area this weekend - and it looks to be a busy one!

Head out to Lafayette Square this evening from 5pm to 7pm to catch the Rebirth Brass Band at the Harvest the Music fall concert series. Admission is free, and all proceeds from the food and drink ticket sales go to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Friday through Sunday, head to Metairie to enjoy the St. Edward the Confessor Cochon de Lait. The theme this year is "Pigs Ahoy!" There will be rides, food (including the locally-famous cochon on Sunday), and musical entertainment all weekend long.

The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is being held all day Saturday and Sunday at Lafayette Square Park. This free festival boasts an incredible lineup of jazz musicians, and arts and crafts vendor area, and of course some kickin' barbeque to enjoy!

If you're near the LaPlace area this weekend, stop by the Andouille Festival. Adult admission is $3 and children 12 and under are $1. Kids can enjoy free face painting, pony rides, a petting zoo, and demonstrations by the LaPlace fire department. A gumbo cook-off, apron contest, and andouille toss are also scheduled.

For the train enthusiasts out there, the 4th annual Louisiana Steam Train Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday behind the zoo at Audubon Park. Admission is $10 per person, or buy a family membership for $35 that will grant you admission to all of LASTA's events for a year. The kids can take a rubber-tired train ride, check out the model train display, bounce on inflatables, and play conductor in a real caboose! Listen to some great bluegrass music while learning about the history of the steam locomotive.

There's something for everyone this weekend - get out and enjoy it!

This weekend's fairs and festivals...

The New Orleans-area fair and festival season is in full swing! The big one this weekend is the Gretna Heritage Festival. This one is free for children 12 and under, and $10 for all others (per day - a $25 weekend pass is also available). Judging by the musical talent scheduled to appear on seven different stages (including Soul Asylum, Clarence Carter, and Chicago), the admission fee is a real bargain! The festival gates open at 4pm today, and they'll wrap up Sunday night.

Two of the local Catholic schools are having their fall festivals this weekend as well. St. Ann Church and School in Metairie is presenting "St. Ann and All That Jazz" tonight through Sunday. Dragos will be there tonight preparing their to-die-for chargrilled oysters...
St. Mary Magdalen, also in Metairie, is having their Seafood Festival starting tonight and running through Sunday. Scheduled tonight is their seafood platter dinner in the cafeteria, and a wide array of food will be served in the back field all weekend (everything from smoked turkey legs to gumbo to crawfish cakes and much more). This is NOT the weekend to be on a diet!

Disney Movies at NOMA

If you happen to be a member of the New Orleans Museum of Art, then this series of events is for you! The museum is presenting a 5-weekend Disney movie series to get you ready for the upcoming Dreams Come True exhibit that opens in mid-November. Here is a list of the movies that will be shown:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs October 3 &4, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm

Cinderella October 10 & 11, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm

Sleeping Beauty October 17 & 18, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm

The Little Mermaid October 24 & 25, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm

Beauty and the Beast November 6, 5pm and 7pm; and November 7, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm

Remember, these screenings are for members only, though if you're not a member, you can still enjoy the museum's exhibits for free as a Louisiana resident (thanks to the generosity of the Helis Foundation).

New Orleans Area Free and Frugal Events this Weekend

Hopefully this weekend won't be a complete washout, but this weather is not what I'd ask for on the weekend! If you want to venture out despite the weather, here are a few free and family-friendly events happening in the area:

Take Time for Lunch on Saturday 9/12, 11am to 1pm at the Edible Schoolyard at Samuel J. Green Charter School (2319 Valence, New Orleans). Visit informational booths, tour the edible schoolyard garden, and the kids can participate in activities just for them.

Along similar lines, the Young Leadership Council is holding a Community Revitalization Day on Saturday from 9am to 12 noon at their headquarters (1840 Euterpe Street, New Orleans). If you're looking for service hours (or rather if your children need them!), come help plant a community garden and paint the YLC meeting room's walls.

Also on Saturday, you can visit the Sankofa Marketplace in the lower 9th ward from 1pm - 4pm. Kids visiting the marketplace can receive a free book courtesy of the New Orleans Public Library Martin Luther King branch bookmobile. Stop by this or any of the other area farmers markets and support our local farmers and fishermen.

On Sunday at 1pm you can celebrate author Roald Dahl's birthday at Octavia Books. Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of my older son's FAVORITE stories, so maybe I'll surprise him with a trip Uptown!

Enjoy your weekend and remember, GEAUX SAINTS GEAUX!!!!!

New Orleans Area Free and Frugal Events this Weekend

Labor Day weekend is a big weekend in New Orleans, but not a big family-friendly weekend thanks to the Southern Decadence festival. Here are a few family-friendly events I found that might keep you busy this weekend:

• The Morgan City Shrimp & Petroleum Festival starts Thursday and runs through Monday. Live music each night, a hands-on Children's Village (Saturday through Monday), and fireworks Sunday night are a few of the festival's highlights. Free admission.


• Kids can make their own beanbag toss at the Home Depot kids workshop. Saturday from 9am to 12noon - check with your local Home Depot store for details.

Check out farm fresh produce at one of the area farmers' markets:

• the Upper 9th Ward Farmers' Market on Saturday from 1pm to 4pm.
• the Crescent City Farmers' Market on Saturday from 8am to 12 noon
• the Westwego Farmers & Fisheries Market on Saturday from 8:30am to 2pm
• the Gretna Farmers Market (3rd St. & Huey P. Long Avenue) on Saturday from 8:30am to 12:30pm
• the Camellia City Market in Slidell on Saturday from 8am to 12 noon

We're getting into festival season, so look for more family (and budget) friendly events in the coming week! Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

Some free and frugal events this weekend

There's a school supply giveaway being held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church (1823 Washington Avenue - at Dryades, New Orleans) on Saturday from 10am to 1pm. If you're still in need of school supplies, head on over!


If you have musically-inclined children, bring them and their instruments down to the New Orleans Jazz Historical Park on Saturday from 11am to noon. There they will be able to play with the New Wave Brass Band! I wonder if they'd enjoy my one year old's harmonica skills?


There are several local farmers' markets that are open on Saturday. These are great venues for teaching your children about where their food comes from and for encouraging healthy eating. You can purchase beautiful, fresh produce that is oftentimes less expensive than buying from the grocery store chains, and support local growers at the same time! Here are a few to check out:

• Crescent City Farmers' Market: 8am to 12 noon (corner of Magazine & Girod, New Orleans)


• Westwego Farmers and Fisheries Market: 8:30am to 2pm (484 Sala Ave. at 4th St., Westwego)


• Upper Ninth Ward Farmers' Market: 1pm to 4pm (Holy Angels Church, 3500 St. Claude Avenue, New Orleans)
  

For your artists-in-training, see the Bywater Art Market at Mickey Markey Park (Royal & Piety, New Orleans). This market is held the third Saturday of each month from 9am to 4pm, and there are often demonstrations by the artists of their crafts to pique your little ones' interests.

The Knack at Michael's is hosting a kids' craft event on Saturday from 10am until 1pm. Bring your children (ages 5 and up) to your local Michael's to create a personalized metal pencil tin.

Whatever you decide to do this weekend, just get out and enjoy it!