You are not likely to find a lot of grandiose homes in the Mid City area. This is mainly a place of middle class families, with more modest homes. But make no mistake many are over a century old and much sought after for their unique New Orleans character.
You’ll find wonderful restaurants and the Fair Grounds where we hold the Jazz and Heritage Festival every year. The very beautiful City Park is in this area with the New Orleans Museum of Art and the extraordinary Botanical Gardens.
Carrollton Avenue extends all the way from the river and the old town of Carrollton, crosses Canal Street and through Mid City. Here you’ll find some great eating places like the locally popular Mandina’s, and Brocato’s which features wonderful Italian style desserts and gelato.
You’ll also find the beautiful City Park and its New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), the excellent Besthoff Sculpture Garden, the fun and fantastic Children’s Museum, the extraordinary Botanical Gardens which is right next to Story Land and the amusement park with its train and antique carousel.
In this neighborhood is the Fairgrounds where you can enjoy horse racing. Also, at this same spot is the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival which occurs the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May. If you are in town for Mardi Gras you’ll find the huge over-the-top Endymion parade rolls from Mid City to downtown the Saturday evening before Mardi Gras.
A popular spot to picnic and relax is Bayou St. John that borders City Park. The waterway used to run all the way from the lake to downtown in the 1800s but now only goes out to the lake. Here you can kayak, canoe and paddle board. Here you can also do the Bayou Boogaloo festival in the summer.
Other places to eat are Ralph’s on the Park (a Brennans’ restaurant), Cafe Degas (authentically French), Morning Call Cafe, an old establishment in a new building that serves their famous coffee and beignets, Liuzza’s, the ever popular Parkway Bakery & Tavern founded in 1911 that makes some of the best po’boys in the city. You’ll also find Ye Olde College Inn and the famous Rock & Bowl where you can dance to local bands and bowl at the same time.
Easy access to Mid City is by way of Canal Street and Esplanade Avenue which passes north of the Quarter from the river to City Park.
