Family Fun in Gonzales Louisiana

Louisiana offers a wealth of family-friendly and family-centric fun to be had in Louisiana, it's the perfect destination for all ages. Find family attractions and things to do in Louisiana that will keep everyone entertained.

Dive into marine life at the Aquarium of the Americas or go eye to eye with a jaguar at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. See history brought to life at plantation homes along the Mississippi River. Take the controls of the 'International Space Station' at the Sci-Port Discovery Center in Shreveport, where interactive exhibits bring natural and physical science to life. Kids can learn about the Cajun way of life at Vermilionville in Lafayette, and they can hold a baby alligator at the Alligator Park in Natchitoches. The whole family will have a ball at any of the hundreds of festivals held each year throughout the state. Your kids will never forget the times they had in Louisiana.

Along the road between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Gonzales awaits. This city brashly proclaims itself the “Jambalaya Capital of the World.” With so much competition in the neighborhood, you better be able to back up such a claim. And Gonzales does. For more than 40 years, Gonzales has held an annual springtime Jambalaya Festival and even has a Jambalaya Park next to the city hall. The town’s name does not originate, as one might imagine, from the Spanish colonial days of Louisiana. Rather, the town was named after a local resident of the late 19thcentury. With its proximity to the Mississippi River, there are a number of antebellum plantation homes within a short drive. Gonzales is a shopper’s xanadu. Its sprawling Tanger Factory Outlet Mall attracts people from miles away. The same goes for the 165,000-square-foot Cabela’s, which is part museum, part retail store for campers, fishermen and hunters.