419 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: 504-589-2636
Fax: 504-589-3851
Open All Year
Overview. New Orleans likes her heroes mysterious. That's why Jean Lafitte, pirate and smuggler, is remembered as a controversial figure in the Crescent City. With his band of outlaws, the Baratarians, Lafitte hid out in the bayous and ran his contraband right under the noses of authorities for decades. In 1815, Lafitte's Baratarians helped Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans, the War of 1812's largest land victory. Today, Jean Lafitte lends his name to a series of National Park Service sites honoring the cultural diversity of the Louisiana Mississippi Delta region and the culture of the Acadians, or "Cajuns," who settled in the area in the 18th century and, to this day, help give Louisiana its unique flavor.What to see and do. Several separate sites make up the park: The French Quarter visitor center, serves as the park's headquarters; the Chalmette Battlefield, six miles southeast of the city, preserves the site of the Battle of New Orleans; the Barataria Preserve unit near Marrero encompasses thousands of acres of marshes; and the Acadian unit, actually comprised of five separate sites with its main location in Lafayette, celebrates "Cajun" culture. Located at 419 Decatur St. in the French Quarter, the visitor center offers three programs. The tours accommodate 30 people on a first-come, first-served basis. You'll find the center open each day from 9 AM to 5 PM. The Chalmette Battlefield, which preserves the battlefield where Jackson's troops routed the British on January 8, 1815, is a popular stop on Mississippi cruising trips. It is also an easy drive from New Orleans along the St. Bernard Highway. Besides the battlefield, which can be toured by car along a 1.5-mile route, Beauregard House, a Greek Revival plantation house, has an extensive array of exhibits about the region's history. Rangers recount the details of the Battle of New Orleans in daily talks and living history demonstrations. On the weekend of January 8, troops once again gather on the battlefield to commemorate the decisive American victory. The center is open from 8 AM to 5 PM daily. The Barataria Preserve, located on the West Bank right across the Mississippi from New Orleans, contains close to 20,000 acres of marsh, cypress swamp, and hardwood forest. You can stroll along the trails and boardwalk that wind for eight miles through the preserve, or, if you brought along your pirogue, you can ply your way through more than 20 miles of waterways. The visitor center has exhibits about life on the bayou and the natural history of the area. Nature walks and canoe trips are regularly scheduled. The center is open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily. The Acadian site's in Lafayette, Eunice, and Thibodaux enlighten and entertain visitors with their emphasis on "Cajun" culture. Each site holds craft and cooking demonstrations, as well as rousing musical programs where everyone can laissez les bon temps roulez. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, ride with the park's ranger and volunteers for a unique educational program on board Amtrak's Sunset Limited, The Crescent, and City of New Orleans. Rangers and volunteers present programs on the region's cultural and natural history.
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