Crew Cuts

A LOUISIANA LIFE

BY DENISE TROWBRIDGE

AirTran Airways Crew Member Shannon Cadres on the family-friendly side of New Orleans.

Shannon Cadres, an AirTran Airways reservation agent, may live in Atlanta, but she visits family in New Orleans so often, it’s like she never left. A native of Gretna, Louisiana, just across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans, Cadres says most people don’t think of the city as a family-friendly destination—but that’s a mistake. With seven cousins ages 13 and younger, she should know.

FAMILY FUN
Cadres and her family always head to the French Quarter’s Café Du Monde (www.cafedumonde.com; 800-772-2927) for beignets, a French donut covered in powdered sugar. Across the street, they peruse local artwork that hangs on the wrought-iron fence surrounding Jackson Square (www.jackson-square.com). “I love looking at all of the art,” Cadres says, but she usually just window-shops due to her studentsized budget. (She’s majoring in early childhood education at Georgia State University.)

Jackson Square is also home to significant historical buildings, including the St. Louis Cathedral (www.stlouiscathedral.org)—the oldest cathedral in North America—and the Cabildo, where the Louisiana Purchase was signed. It’s also a great spot to grab a horse-drawn carriage or catch an impromptu street concert by local musicians.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Cadres enjoys strolling along the Mississippi River at Woldenberg Riverfront Park, which runs from the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (www.auduboninstitute.org)—a place her cousins love—to Jackson Square.

City Park (www.neworleanscitypark.com), a 1,300-acre park dotted with lagoons and centuries-old live oak trees, is another kid-friendly destination. Young ones can play at Storyland—a fairy tale-themed playground—or ride the antique carved wooden carousel. “My grandfather used to take me to Storyland,” Cadres says. “Then we’d go get a snoball.”

The park is also home to the New Orleans Botanical Garden, New Orleans Museum of Art (www.noma.org) and Bayou Oaks Golf Facility, the largest municipal golf complex in the South. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” Cadres says.

LOCAL EATS
A snoball—one of the greatest local culinary treasures—is made of shaved ice topped with thick flavored syrup and extras like crushed pineapple or sweetened condensed milk.

While snoball stands begin sprouting up in April, seafood is always available. Cadres loves Ralph & Kacoo’s (www.ralphandkacoos.com; 504-522-5226) for local staples like gumbo, catfish and shrimp po’boys.

New Orleans “isn’t like any other place in the US,” Cadres says. “You can’t go anywhere else and find this kind of food or culture. Everyone is family here.”