Lafreniere Park in Metairie

We went see the Christmas lights. It was crazy busy as it was the Sunday before Christmas. The main road was signed for directions, the staff at the entry were super nice. There was a police car stationed at the ticket area. There were staff directing traffic in the park. It was a beautiful lights display. The driving part was perfect and the walking part was beautiful. I liked the roped off area near the displays on the driving area so we could go back and walk it too. We rode the carrousel also which was a treat. At only $5 per car and $1 per person on the carrousel it's very affordable for all size families. When we were there they were acting out the story of the Grinch on stage. Kids were writing letters to santa and dropping them in the box. Just so many activities going on and snacks to buy. The lines at the snack area was seriously long so we didn't stop for any. I absolutely love this and look forward to seeing this every year!

We just did the drive through christmas lights celebration. It was very cool. The kids really enjoyed it. We went on the 22nd of Dec and the line to drive in was pretty thick. Didn't help that people didn't want to wait their turn and thought it best to cut in front of the cars who had been waiting for over 30 mins. I'm all about generosity, particularly during the holidays, but I have no such feelings for those who believe their time is more important than the rest. I digress. The lights were awesome. There's an area where you can park and walk around with the kiddos and purchase fair type refreshments. All in all, a good time and worth checking out.

Awesome park!! I'm so glad our vet recommended this park! Trails, Ponds, Dog Park, Wildlife, Playground, Restrooms, Picnic tables and grills, Concession Stand, Soccer Fields, a Carousel, and Disc Golf! I'm probably forgetting some stuff, but as you can see, there's plenty here to enjoy! Highly recommend!Restrooms: Clean and openDog-friendliness: Off leash dog park and dogs are allowed on a leash on the trails.

We had a great time looking at the Christmas lights they were many it was only $5 to get in. There were two concession stands to get hot chocolate popcorn and many other treats. There was a box to write letters to Santa as well as a craft area to make your own ornaments. You can drive around and look at the lights as well as Park and walk around and see even more lights. There are many photo opportunities there to take pictures the area is safe and I recommend everyone go there.

This is no longer a safe park for me. I went walking yesterday around 3:30pm and someone smashed two of my windows and took my purse. I wasn’t even there 40 minutes😢 the park closed for 6pm and I waited until 5:15 for someone to come dust my car for fingerprints. I reported the incident at 4:15pm. According to the police they did not have security because they do not need it for the winter holidays and there’s no cameras by the bathroom 😢 I’m now out of my last $53.00 and all of my important information that was in my purse. What a way for me to spend my new year eve at a park that I loved soo much. What a way to spend my New Year’s Eve. I’m now left with the cost to replace two of my windows and now these ppl have my drivers license with my address. On top of that I told the police when I walked up to my car someone rushed out of the bathroom on with a hoodie on and a backpack that looked ashamed and sat on the bench watching everything unfold from a far and the police did absolutely nothing!! I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PARK. IT’S JUST LIKE THE CITY!! UNSAFE!! BY THE WAY, THIS WAS DONE TO TWO CARS INCLUDING MINES BY THE BATHROOM ON DOWNS SIDE

Great exercise loop. We love walking and jogging the 2 mile loop around the outside of Lafreniere Park. There are exercise pads at two different spots that help wake up the walk and give you some alternative exercises.Bathrooms are usually relatively clean.We also enjoy the various animals that are at the side of the trail: geese: ducks: cats: chickens: rabbitsNormally there is ample parking unless there is a huge soccer event or something like that going onIt’s like having a free gym down the street from your house.

This is a huge park with a lot of water. I'd like to give 5 stars but I can't because the water is nasty and there is bird poop everywhere. If you're a bird watcher this is the place for you. There are many different species of birds here with lots of ducks. This park is a great place for a picnic. The wildlife here is very friendly and will let you get close enough to take photos. Bring some binoculars. There are fish in the water in some areas of the park.

It's an easy spot to bring the kids. There are two playgrounds, a carousel, a nature trail, etc..I wish the larger playground had more grass and less dirt and I wish the bathrooms were kept up. They're nauseatingly - but you definitely don't want to puke in there - gross.The nature trail is nice but they need a quarter machine for bird feed and some signs saying not to feed the animals bread. Birds get zero nutrition from bread but it fills them.. So they don't eat what they actually need. So having a bird "sanctuary", where the birds are not taken care of, is kind of a joke.

I drove thru 2 months ago&saw 30-50 seagulls. Now there are none. Last week I met a lady there who feeds the critters. She informed me that 2 weeks ago they added chemicals 2 get rid of algae. It ended up getting rid of algae but also killed 52 seagulls in 1 day. Now, my picture of mama duck with 13 babies can't go into the water because it's poisoned. There's no fish either. I don't understand why they didn't buy a ton of goldfish instead to eat the algae & get rid of it naturally instead of killing &/or hurting&harming the wildlife. I pray that they learn & take notes from from this hard hitting lesson!!! Maybe in time the water will be safe.

I take my dog here regularly. It is free and the park is nice. There is an area for small dogs and a very large area for all dogs. There are rules posted and every now and then the park patrol checks in but it's pretty much unregulated. The only rule that I have seen them be strict about is the no kids under 10 rule, I guess bc it's easy to see and obviously dangerous. It's a big place, lots of room and well maintained.There are a few benches and a water fountain for ppl and dogs, and a track. I like it. No one checks to make sure all the dogs have their shots though...anyone can go, u just walk in. The closing times change depending on time of year. During the spring and summer it closes at 8 and other times, it closes earlier.

Saw this there. Weird looking dogs running around. One ate my sandwhich but for him it was okay. I have never been to a park completely made of dogs but this one was different. Yes there was a source of nourishment, however they did not say how much the dogs had to pay to drink. I tried to bring my fish tank but Mr. Greg said it was not allowed? Maybe next time. The food was good, theres free brownies everywhere.

Lafreniere Park has blossomed into a lush, thriving natural green space. With careful planning and vigilant nurturing for over three decades, the park now sports open green spaces, multiple use lawns, fountains, family picnic areas, hills, landscaped gardens, boating, fishing, tot-lots, paths, trails, man-made ecological marsh environment, a championship Frisbee golf course, carousel, soccer and softball fields and a conference center. Growth of the park is always ongoing, currently with the development of a dog park and children's spray park and in the future with the planning of a labyrinth and additional picnic area shelters.

This park is my favorite place. It has expansive areas that scream "best picinic spot" it has a little gym, frisbee golf spots, the bark park for dogs, extensive trails, countless birds and squirrels, and multiple pavillions. It's completely free and public, but it's never too crowded. Highly recommend this place for dates, parties, and casual outgoings.

It’s a long read but please read. Love the park and the splash pad. My complaint July 20th at around 11:30 am we arrive at the park we see kids playing on playground and splash pad so of course, I get my grand baby ready and changed to go play on the playground and splash pad, we get all the way to the only entrance they have to get into the playground and then through the playground is the only entrance to get into the splash pad. Let’s just say that you were blocked off from entering the playground by a barricade and a poster board sign that was hand written and said “private party park closed for the day.” 🤔 So at this moment there is a few kids having break downs crying and us parent standing like how can you shut the playground down for the whole day? Now mind you there is other birthday parties going on that is cabanas parties that is suppose to have access to the playground. So yes kids were there and we had upset children now because these people at this private party will not even let us on the playground.Fast forward to a weekday, I call Lafreniere park rental department:Me: Hi good morning im calling to see about party rental for a birthday party.Employee: ok ma’am do you know the date and what type of rental you would like?Me: well I was wondering on what’s the price on having the playground and splash pad for the day for a private birthday party?Employee: I’m sorry ma’am but we only offer private renting of the splash pad not the playground and the splash pad rental hours are only from hours of (didn’t catch the starting hour) but the party has to end at 12:00 pm, it’s only morning hours to rent the splash pad privately because at 12:00 pm is when the splash pad opens to the public.Me: really!!! You sure?Employee: yes ma’am I’m the person who does all the bookings for parties?Me: yes ma’am I’m not questioning your offer, I'm just trying to understand why when I went to the park Saturday morning around 11:30 a.m. July 20th 2024 the playground entrance was barricaded with a sign saying “ private party park closed for the day. We were not allowed to get into the playground or splash pad.Employee: Ma’am I’m sorry that was not supposed to be barricaded and the splash park was rented but only to 12:00. Did you speak to a park ranger? They should’ve handled the situation?Me: a park ranger? No I did not I was confused on how you can close a public playground down for a private party but these days anything is possible, so no I didn’t.Employee: well did you still want to book a party?Me: ummm noMy thing is while I was there I seen a couple of park employees pass that area look at some of the parents while trying to figure out how the park is shut down to a private party explain to their crying children that they can’t go play because there is a party, while the children are not understanding why they can’t play but other kids are playing.Now Lafreniere Park as a parish owned recreational center knowing on weekends, in general there is party’s and a lot of things going on, is there an employee that goes around the park to make sure these parties are going like they should be? If not maybe that could be something y'all should look into.If there is said such employee, how was this allowed to happen?Because if someone was monitoring these things, those people who had that party that day and thought that they were that entitled to shut a public playground down, was made to follow the actual rules that day. Kids hearts wouldn’t have gotten broken, some kids were old enough to see that there was only one type of group of people allowed on the play area and had questions for their parents, that just broke our hearts as adults. No child should even have to think that would be a reason why. Some people drove a distance to come play at your park that day.Do I blame the park? Like I said, that situation should’ve been taken care of as soon as barricades went across the playground entrance.My blame is those people who knew what was in their contract.They just thought they were entitled.Playground: Not sure we couldn’t get in due to a barricade with a sign that said closed for the day private partyDog-friendliness: I see dogs all the time therePicnic area: Nice everyone was having their parties and rode the carousel. Too bad the other parties going on that day couldn’t enjoy the playground or the splash pad

Hoping for the Spring & Fall Concerts to return. They were always fun and a nice safe family event. I just looked at the event site and was disappointed to see that there are no events listed on the site. We're dropping the ball on this beautiful park. We should have family events all during the Spring, Summer & Fall. We do enjoy the Christmas display after Thanksgiving.

This park is stuck in a time portal. Downs Blvd and the sidewalk along W. Napoleon is deplorable with no bike lanes. Road cycling along Downs you will lose a good amount of air pressure. Plenty of soccer fields, a dog park, and frisbee golf, they’re almost done repaving the walking path. Farmers market on Wednesdays. Visiting parks in other cities highlights how much this park heavily misses the mark.

Our Zumba group went to the park for a picnic. We brought our folding chairs, a picnic lunch & a variety of home baked desserts. We sat under the shade of a large tree behind the snowball building since there is construction going on near the tree we usually gather under. The weather cooperated. It was a shady cool day from 12noon until 3:30pm- at which time we gathered our belongings & our trash- leaving this lovely spot as we had found it (nice & clean). The park is so lovely.Picnic area: We chose our spot. Just a grassy spot under a tree behind the snowball stand. Perfect.

Nice and quiet, I go here often to get away from the house or do some work on my phone.The only issue is that it would be nice if they had some bathrooms and vending machines.Even when I bring the kids to feed the ducks, if we forget to get drinks or someone needs to use the bathroom we have to leave.Restrooms: I can't find any

The most relaxing and enjoyable place to spend a day near New Orleans. It's a very large park to walk with stretch stations available.There is a great variety of birds and ducks to see. You can also view rabbits, with cats and chickens... all living harmoniously throughout the park.

Lovely place to see a lot of birds those Canadian geese act like where's the bread bro?Playground: There is oneRestrooms: Actually very clean which is crazy for a parkDog-friendliness: There's a dog park with a bead dog in front of itPicnic area: Come share some picnic with the birds

It's an excellent spot for the novice fisherman and for kids because there's plenty of room for mistakes and don't have to worry about snakes or gators. Plenty of panfish for kids to get the fishing fever. Then there's quite a few nice bass for experienced fisherman. Personally have caught up to 7.55 lbs but have heard of people catching a lot bigger. It's nice place to take kids and make a day of it with playgrounds and food/snowballs and restrooms

Probably one of the best parks in Metairie! It's in a safe area. It's next to restaurants and a gas station so if you need to grab a quick bite or fill up, you're never too far.It's very clean and very peaceful. It's very easy to walk around and take in the sights and sounds. Not to mention the year round events such as "Que Pasa Fest".There's also areas to play soccer.This park is perfect for taking families or going on dates with your boyfriend/girlfriend.The only real negative I would say is that in certain areas, there's a lot of duck poo on the ground but I believe it's regularly cleaned so that shouldn't be a problem!

Beautiful park with lots of activities to enjoy. On Wednesdays they have Farmer's Art Market year round and in December, they have the holiday market on Saturdays. They have seasonal activities and events as well. There's a carousel, a playground for the kids, walking paths, meditation garden, nature trail and a dog park. It's a great neighborhood park filled with soccer fields and more.

Great walking trail, with decent restrooms. Very upkept park. Wish the disc golf course had better signage, but awesome wildlife and beautiful little escape! I love that the playground is covered with a tent like thing because park equipment gets hot in the summer. I will say they are very proud of their small splash pad for kids… $5 a head and that’s only for 90 minutes of play…

Nice, calm, well kept park. There are a couple different play areas for kids to plan that are mostly fenced around to keep a better eye. there's even a fun little water park that doesn't really run during the winter, but it's nice to know for summer time. There's tons of space for kids to kick a ball or run and play tag or even areas for them to actually play officially with nets. There's tons of trees for shade. There's a nice large lake That's pretty to look at. And even a concession stand close to the kids play area. ample parking during the winter, but I'm not sure how full it would be during the summer if everyone is here. definitely a great stop and especially if you have kids and are trying to kill time before your flight takes off since the airport is right down the street.

Absolutely Beautiful Park. They're beautiful big trees that provide ample shade though out the park, several benches, a dog park which has 2 weight classes, two workout stations about a mile apart, and about a 2 mile track with an alternate track, and so much more. This park also acts as a median in between two very busy streets. This is very family friendly park, great for walking, working out, picnics and so much more. Making it a great landmark in Metairie.

This park is very pretty with very nice facilities. I just want to warn anybody that goes there that there is one small sign when you drive in that says if you park on the grass you will be towed. We were there this weekend for a very busy soccer tournament where there was absolutely no parking available. We did pull up on the grass right near a parking spot. The other option was to park illegally in the parking lot which would block inflow and outflow. We did not want to do that and we did not see the sign about parking on the grass. We were there for one hour, and our car was towed. The company that they use is not open on the weekends. Therefore if you get your car towed you will not be able to get it out over the weekend. we found ourselves stranded with four children. We had No money because our wallet was in the car that was towed. The towing company hung up on us every time we called and said that they were closed. Very scary situation. Just want to warn others. The park/park rangers will tow even with out of town plates/no way to get home/no money. They chose to use a towing company that is closed on the weekends. Moons towing company is very very corrupt. Hope to help anyone avoid the scary situation I ended up in with 4 kids last night. As it is easy to miss the one small sign on the way in.

This is one of my fav parks to just relax at. We can go and bring our dogs, since it's super pet friendly! There's a playground for kid's, art installments. It's pretty big park and you can find peaceful spots to meditate and chill if you want alone time in nature. My fav sections are the wooden walkways over the water. It's so beautiful.

Decided to stop by and eat after picking up some takeout Park was quite crowded near the soccer fields but on one side of the park they had quite a few parking spots. We stayed for about 3 hours it's so beautiful a lot of ducks and seagulls water and a beautiful small waterfall nice place to take your kids or even for a romantic date don't forget a blanket