Some of the best things to do near New Orleans aren’t actually in the city at all. Park your rig or book one of our Ponchatoula cabins at Fireside RV Resort and you’re roughly an hour up the road from the French Quarter and the WWII Museum, plus only minutes from swamp tours, a wildlife safari, and antique shopping right here on the Northshore. Here are seven favorites our guests love, with real drive times so you can map out your days.
Quick take: the marquee New Orleans sights (WWII Museum, French Quarter, Audubon, a river cruise) sit about an hour south of us. The quieter Northshore gems (a swamp tour, Global Wildlife, Ponchatoula’s antique row) are 10 to 50 minutes away. Stay here, day-trip everywhere, and come home to a lazy river instead of a parking garage.
What are the best things to do near New Orleans?
The best things to do near New Orleans mix the big-city classics with the wild, green Northshore just across Lake Pontchartrain. You get world-class museums and beignets one day and gators, giraffes, and antique shops the next. Here are our seven picks, roughly from the farthest to the closest.
1. The National WWII Museum
If you do one thing in the city, make it this. The National WWII Museum is regularly ranked the top attraction in New Orleans, and it earns it. Adult tickets run about $37 and it’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 945 Magazine Street. Give yourself most of a day. Don’t miss “Beyond All Boundaries,” the 4D film narrated by Tom Hanks, the real warbirds hanging in the US Freedom Pavilion, and the USS Tang submarine experience. It’s roughly an hour south of the resort, so head out after breakfast and you’ll beat the afternoon heat indoors.
2. The French Quarter and Jackson Square
Good news: wandering the French Quarter costs nothing. Park once in a garage (trust us, don’t try to street-park), then walk. Start at Jackson Square, step inside the St. Louis Cathedral (also free), and grab a plate of hot beignets at Cafe du Monde. Bring cash, it’s a cash-only counter and a few bucks gets you powdered sugar all over your shirt in the best way. From there it’s all yours: Royal Street galleries, the French Market, live music drifting out of every other doorway. Figure on about an hour’s drive, taking I-55 down to I-10.
3. Audubon Aquarium, Insectarium and Zoo
Traveling with kids or grandkids? The Audubon attractions are an easy win. The Aquarium and Insectarium now share one building downtown at 1 Canal Street, with penguins, sea turtles, and a walk-through Caribbean reef tunnel. The Zoo sits uptown on Magazine Street, home to a Louisiana swamp exhibit with white alligators, elephants, and a jaguar habitat. An all-three combo ticket runs around $50 for adults, and everything opens by 10 a.m. Same easy hour south of the resort.
4. A jazz cruise on the Steamboat Natchez
For something a little different, climb aboard the Steamboat Natchez, the last authentic steam-powered paddlewheeler on the Mississippi. The daytime harbor jazz cruise is about $43.50 for adults, runs roughly two hours, and pushes off from the Toulouse Street Wharf right in the Quarter. You get live jazz, calliope music, and a narrated look at the river that built this whole region. It pairs perfectly with a morning in the French Quarter.
5. A Honey Island swamp tour
Now we’re getting close to home. Some of the best gator-spotting in Louisiana is on the Pearl River and Honey Island Swamp, and the tours launch out of the Slidell area, only about 50 minutes east of the resort on I-12. A typical tour runs a couple of hours and floats you past cypress knees, herons, and plenty of alligators sunning on the banks. Prices vary by operator, so book ahead and ask what’s included. This is the kind of thing folks fly in for, and you’re practically next door.
6. The Global Wildlife Center
This one surprises people. About 30 minutes up in Folsom, the Global Wildlife Center is a 900-acre free-roaming preserve where giraffes, zebras, bison, and camels walk right up to your covered wagon. The safari-style tour lasts around 75 minutes and you feed the animals from a cup as you go. Adult tickets are about $21, seniors $19, and kids ages 2 to 11 are $15 (little ones under 2 ride free). It’s a genuine bucket-list morning for animal lovers, and a whole lot closer than a real African safari. (Heads up, they close for maintenance in January.)
7. Historic downtown Ponchatoula
You barely have to leave. Ten or fifteen minutes down the road, downtown Ponchatoula proudly goes by “America’s Antique City,” with block after block of antique shops packed into early-1900s storefronts along Pine Street. It’s a lovely, low-key afternoon of treasure hunting, small-town cafes, and strawberry everything in season. Want to add a stop? The Abita Brewery over in Covington (about 30 to 35 minutes east) runs a friendly $10 guided tour with a few beer samples, and the kids get root beer, so nobody’s left out.
How far is New Orleans from the Northshore?
Downtown New Orleans is about an hour away, roughly 55 miles, taking I-55 south and then I-10 east into the city. That’s the sweet spot: close enough to pop in for a museum or a jazz brunch, far enough that you sleep somewhere quiet, green, and easy to park. Here’s how the drive times stack up.
We’re about a mile from I-12 Exit 47, and I-55 is only a short hop over, so you can aim your day in almost any direction. The city is south, the swamp and Slidell are east, the wildlife preserve and brewery are northeast, and the antique shops are basically out the front gate.
What else is worth doing around New Orleans besides the French Quarter?
Plenty, and a lot of it is calmer and cheaper than downtown. On the Northshore alone you’ve got the Honey Island swamp tours, the Global Wildlife Center safari, the Tammany Trace biking and walking path, historic downtown Covington, the Mandeville lakefront on Lake Pontchartrain, and Ponchatoula’s antique district. It’s the locals’ version of a New Orleans trip: get your beignets and brass bands in the city, then retreat across the lake for gators, oak trees, and elbow room. Want the full rundown? See our guide to things to do around the resort.
When is the best time to visit New Orleans?
Fall (October and November) is the sweet spot for weather near New Orleans: mild days, cooler nights, and a full festival calendar without the peak-summer swelter. Spring brings the huge festivals like French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest, when the city sees some of its biggest visitor crowds of the year. Summer is hot and humid with quick afternoon thunderstorms rolling through, but you’ll find thinner crowds and better deals, and honestly, a July afternoon feels a lot better floating our lazy river than fighting Bourbon Street. Winters here are mild, which is exactly why so many snowbirds park with us from November through March.
Where should you stay near New Orleans?
Stay on the Northshore and you get the whole region without the city price tag or the city noise. Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula gives you two easy options: bring your rig to one of our 163 full-hookup RV sites, or book one of our furnished cabins if you’re traveling without an RV. Either way you come home to a family pool, an adults-only pool, a year-round lazy river, a fishing dock, and free reliable Wi-Fi.
And here’s what you won’t find on your bill: we don’t tack on a resort fee, we don’t charge to lock in your specific site, and there’s no sneaky community impact fee either. We’re family-owned, the sites are spacious and well-drained, and the owner honestly might know your name by day two. It’s real camping without the nickel-and-diming. Check current rates on our pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
The National WWII Museum is the most-visited and highest-rated attraction in the city, and it's about an hour south of the resort. Plan on most of a day, and buy timed tickets ahead in busy season.
Loads. The Audubon Aquarium and Zoo, the Global Wildlife Center safari in Folsom, a Honey Island swamp tour, and our own pools and lazy river back at the resort all keep kids happy. Ponchatoula's antique shops and the family-friendly Abita Brewery tour round out an easy few days.
About an hour, roughly 55 miles: you take I-55 south, then I-10 east into town. Close enough for a day in the city, far enough to sleep somewhere quiet and green.
Fall is the most comfortable for weather and crowds. Spring is festival season, so the city draws some of its biggest visitor crowds. Summer is hot but cheaper and less crowded, and winter stays mild, which is why it's prime snowbird season on the Northshore.
Yes! Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula sits about an hour north of the city with 163 full-hookup RV sites and furnished cabins, plus pools, a lazy river, and no junk fees. It's a popular home base for exploring New Orleans and the Northshore.
Ready to plan your trip? You’re about an hour up I-10 and I-55 from the heart of New Orleans, and minutes from the swamp, the safari, and the antique shops. Check dates and book your RV site or cabin at Fireside RV Resort, and come see why we say life is better in the shade.
