When Walt Disney first opened Disneyland, he exposed people to a world of imagination and days gone by. The park, divided into different lands, set the stage for future amusement parks, and is still the king when it comes to themed entertainment.
As readers of this site undoubtedly are quite familiar, the main sections of Disneyland are Main Street, U.S.A., where classic American architecture and transportation recreate a bygone era. Fantasyland, where you can meet the heroes and villains of your favorite Disney stories. Tomorrowland, where you blast into the twin orbits of innovation and exploration. Chart a course for Adventureland and embark on a bold expedition into excitement and intrigue. Come play in the deep scrub of Critter Country. Frontierland celebrates the trailblazers, settlers and other heroes of the American Old West. Then, there’s Toontown, where you can experience a miniature interactive metropolis full of topsy turvy architecture and screwy sculptures.
All of these sections, though inspired by actual places, are a hodge podge of different styles that are unique to the world of Disney. One section of the park, however, is an homage to an actual American city; one that has been in the news quite a bit lately.
New Orleans Square is the place where you can celebrate Mardi Gras all year round. It’s home to swashbucklers and haunts alike. Even though millions of visitors have experienced a taste of the Big Easy at Disneyland, we wondered how it compares to the real deal. First, let’s compare attraction to attraction.
At Disneyland, you can pay your respects to the grinning ghouls at the Haunted Mansion. There are 999 haunts who are “dying” to meet you — and they always have room for one more! Will you be their 1000th “gloom”-mate?
The city of New Orleans is famous for it’s ghost and cemetery tours. Located on the opposite end of the French Quarter lies Rampart Street. Here, you can tour one of the most famous cemeteries in the city; St. Louis No. 1. In this expansive graveyard, you will find the graves of some of the cities first inhabitants, as well as some of the newest. Highlights of the tour include the final resting place of Marie Laveau, the so-called Voodoo Queen, as well as the future home of Nicolas Cage. Since May of 2015, visitors must be part of an organized tour to enter this cemetery. Virtually every walking tour company offers tours of this facility, but if you want to help preserve a part of it’s history, check out Save Our Cemeteries (http://www.saveourcemeteries.org/) . This group is dedicated to the upkeep of the graveyards of the Crescent City, and every dollar you pay goes towards supporting their cause.
The Gracie Mansion at Disneyland resembles many of the homes that can be found in the Garden District of New Orleans. On a recent trip to the city, the staff of Palm Beach Happening were lucky enough to find a tour that covered a little bit of everything in the former American sector; Magic Tours NOLA (http://www.magictoursnola.com/) . They offer a daily tour of the neighborhood, starting just outside the Still Perkin’ Coffee shop, and down the street from Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. (In addition to the Garden District Tour, Magic Tours NOLA also offers tours of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the French Quarter, as well as a Ghosts, Haunts and Voodoo Tour.)
The tour began with a brief jaunt through the graveyard, where some of the burial traditions were explained. It continued with a roughly two mile walk around the streets, stopping to show off some of the large mansions located in this part of town. Highlights of the tour included John Goodman’s House, Sandra Bullock’s House, and the former home of Anne Rice. Other highlights included a home where Edgar Degas spent time in the city, as well as numerous other historic sites.
When night begins to fall on the French Quarter, the spirits come out to play. Of course, in New Orleans, with bars on every corner and alcohol available in almost every store, the spirits are always flowing!
Ghosts, voodoo, zombies, and even the occasional werewolf have been known to inhabit New Orleans, and the French Quarter is arguably the hotbed for paranormal activity in the city. Numerous companies offer to be your guide through the spiritual wonderland, including Haunted History Tours and French Quarter Phantoms. By taking part in these tours, you can get a history lesson, and get a glimpse into what strange and mysterious events helped to shape the Big Easy.
You might even capture some spirits on film, though none materialized during our recent visit.
Perhaps a pirate chanty is more to your taste. Disney offers the chance to board a boat in the Pirates of the Caribbean and sail down into the misty pirate caverns to discover the curse of Davey Jones.
The pirate history of New Orleans is a colorful one. In the French Quarter, you can explore a bar once owned by a notorious pirate at Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. You can also take a swamp tour, which is eerily reminiscent of the beginning of the POTC ride. You can hear stories of how Lafitte and his men assisted Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans, and even explore the National Park that bears his name.
Disneyland offers live entertainment that sizzles on the stages and streets in New Orleans Square. Delight in the tasty tunes of Jambalaya Jazz Band or get down with the traditional jazz and blues of the Royal Street Bachelors. Be sure to catch princess Tiana’s Mardi Gras Celebration as she performs hoppin’ songs from The Princess and the Frog.
In the city of New Orleans, you can hear a different live band each night, and every street is filled with performers of varying talent. On Bourbon Street, you might even be lucky enough to see a dance troupe which has been featured on America’s Got Talent.
If you’re interested in seeing frogs, though, you might want to take a trip to the Audubon Nature Institute. The Audubon Zoo is located in the center of the aptly named Audubon Park, at the edge of the Garden District. This amazing facility features a wide variety of animals from all across the globe, with a special focus on animals that call Louisiana home. It has a large alligator exhibit, as well as cougars, foxes, frogs, and even a rougarou!
The zoo also features a world class aviary, African savana, and the World of Primates, which includes monkeys, gorillas, and orangutan. The Asian domain offers a glimpse of sun bears, elephants, and a rare white tiger, while the Jaguar Jungle and South American Pampas show how our wild animal friends to the South live.
The Audubon Zoo also features numerous architectural features dating back more than a century, and even provides a way for kids (and kids at heart) to cool down in their Cool Zoo; a small water park located within the gates of the zoo. (Additional admission charge applies.)
For a good overview of the attraction, take a ride on the Swamp Train. This narrated journey takes you behind the scenes of the South American Pampas, loops in front of the popular Louisiana Swamp exhibit and then weaves its way around the sea lion pool and reptile house.
The train is handicap accessible and departs every 30 minutes from the Carousel train depot and the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit. Three stops along the route include the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit. Sea Lions and Reptile Encounter. Tickets are only $5 for adults and $4 for children.
The restaurants in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square are some of the best in the park. Try the jambalaya in the French Market Restaurant or the cuisine of the elegant Blue Bayou, where boats float by your table. To chase away the heat, drop on by Cafe Orleans for a satisfying sit-down meal or venture to the Mint Julep Bar for a bit of Southern hospitality and a refreshing drink, as well as delicious fritters, ice cream and other sweet treats.
The food in the Big Easy is one of the main attractions. The French Market, located on Decatur Street near the Mississippi River, offers a wide variety of food vendors, each one with their own version of your favorite New Orleans fare. Po boys (think hoagies or subs) are king in the city, and nearly every restaurant has their own version. Beignets (small fried dough balls) and coffee abound, and the liquor flows freely. It has been called an adult version of Disney, and the fact that almost every visitor there is imbibing with some adult beverage adds to the mystique.
Disney is famous for their gift shops. Crystal D’Orleans offers exceptional custom crystal for everything from paperweights to chandeliers. For something a bit more gothique, try Port Royal and revel in its rogues gallery of scary souvenirs featuring Jack Skellington and his friends. And if the pirate in you feels the need to plunder, check out Pieces of Eight for hats, doubloons and other treasure inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
New Orleans is no different, where a souvenir shop can be found on almost every corner. There, you can purchase a reminder (or several) of your trip to the Crescent City. Personally, I’d recommend the pralines, and the obligatory t-shirt of two!
Disneyland attempts to recreate the sights and sounds of the historic French Quarter with the picturesque courtyards, lacy wrought-iron balconies, the swing of jazz bands and smell of down-home cooking. Everything about the architecture invokes the grace and elegance of the Old South, with its lazy summer days and vibrant nights. The style is influenced by a comely combination of French, Creole, Cajun and American traditions.
The actual French Quarter is also a combination of styles, though most of them are heavily influenced by the Spanish occupation during the second half of the eighteenth century. The balconies are a sight to behold, but the smell is something that I wouldn’t want to recreate. Bourbon Street is especially ripe during the middle of a hot summer afternoon, and it’s best to hold your nose and keep walking. Odor wise, the best times to visit the street are after a rainstorm, or first thing in the morning.
In the past few years, the city leaders of New Orleans have tried to make the city more inviting to visitors. The public transportation system, which consists of busses and streetcars, can easily transport you to any of the major tourist areas. Although it is a very pedestrian friendly town, taxis and pedicabs are also readily available for when your feet have simply given out.
In the years since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has been forced to adapt to a changing economic climate, as well as to take a hard look at how they prepare for natural, and man-made disasters. If you want to visit one of the oldest cities in the United States, and get a taste of culture, cuisine, and hospitality unparalleled in the country, you should plan a trip to the Big Easy. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Have you visited New Orleans? Let us know your stories about this fabled American city which captured Walt Disney’s imagination.
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