Celebration in the Oaks Preview Party with Jingle Bells & Beer

This holiday season, two of New Orleans’ popular holiday events will combine into one. The Celebration in the Oaks Preview Party and Jingle Bells & Beer combined into one big festive event to start the holiday season off. This is an event that is fun for the twenty-one and over crowd and is an annual fundraiser. Patrons will enjoy entertainment, rides, and all-you-can-imbibe brew in both the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park and the Botanical Garden.

“Jingle Bells & Beer was already one of the most-anticipated events of the year, so why not add more to the mix,” said Celebration in the Oaks Director Julie LaCour. “Joining forces with the Preview Party is really going to kick the holidays off in style.”

You get both the fun of the amusement park with the elegant experience of the garden. Your general admission ticket will include unlimited beer, Amusement Park rides – including the iconic City Park Train – and snacks within the confines of Carousel Gardens. If you will go VIP you will enjoy a full bar and food from Acme Oyster House, Casa Borrega, Gris-Gris and Saint John, Katie’s Restaurant and Bar, Legacy Kitchen, Rosemary & Roux, Sala NOLA, Short Stop Poboys, and more.

Come be a part of this celebration as it goes to a very good cause.  City Park Conservancy’s annual operating budget is largely reliant on self-generated activities, often weather-dependent, and Celebration in the Oaks plays a key role in funding the Park’s continued maintenance and beauty each year. The public’s investment and attendance at Celebration in the Oaks supports City Park’s success going forward.

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Swamp Fête Celebrating South Louisiana Culture

Louisiana’s Audubon Zoo will host Swamp Fête this November. The event celebrates South Louisiana culture. There will be fun activities for all ages including Cajun and Zydeco music, dancing, a Cajun menu and native Louisiana animals.

The live music will be at both the Capital One Stage and in the Cajun Dance Hall. The lineup for the Capital One Stage includes Roots of Music, The Pine Leaf Boys, Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, and Lost Bayou Ramblers. The Cajun Ballroom lineup includes Cajun Music Preservation Society, Sarah Jayde Williams, and T’Monde.

Patrons will learn about wetlands and wildlife conservation through presentations. The Swamp Exhibit will be the popular spot where you will see Sassafras the Louisiana black bear cub along with his friends two North American black bear cubs from Alaska.

Due to efforts of the wildlife experts the Lousiana black bear is now off the endangered list. This is good news for Louisiana’s official state mammal.

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A New Development for New Orleans Six Flags Property

Ever since the destruction of New Orleans Six Flags during Hurricane Katrina, the amusement park has sat rotting.  The 227-acre property
will be redeveloped by Bayou Phoenix.

Troy Henry the leader of Bayou Phoenix has big plans for the property which includes water parks, youth sporting facilities, two hotels, an 8.5-acre clear lake for swimming, a movie studio, an amphitheater, retail outlets and other amenities.

“Today is just the beginning. There is an incredible amount of work that needs to be done, but we are here for it,” said Jeff Schwartz, economic development director for the City of New Orleans.

The next year the plans will be drafted and the site cleared out.  After the old rides are demolished and junk removed, they can get a better lay of the land.  This means the plans might change during the project. With the help of Henry’s partner, Thomas Tubre, an owner of a local construction company, the project will be a success.

“They do all the technical stuff, all the crazy stuff most people cannot do,” Henry said. “So, once they get in there, we may have to move some of the components around. They’ll be the same components, but maybe not in the same place.”

“We look forward to bringing new commerce to New Orleans East. There’s significant untapped potential for family entertainment and travel sporting events,” said Henry.

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New Orleans New Restaurants This Fall

New Orleans has many new restaurants on the scene this fall. They are all in different stages and in different areas throughout town.

The first up that has opened its doors is Mister OSO which opened September 26th. This new project was created by the founders of Billy Blatty (Barcadia) and Denver (The Culinary Creative Group). It is housed in what used to be an arcade tavern. They serve smoked meat tacos, ceviches and Latin American. This will not be the first of Mister Oso, as there is already a very successful one in Denver.

Las Cruces Tex-Mex just opened its doors in Metairie. The founders of Central City BBQ are the team that is opening this new place. It will be a friendly family outdoor space that serves tacos and margaritas.

Gaia is a new-age steakhouse that is something different to the market. The food will be cooked on a charcoal grill and they will also serve seafood and charcuterie and raw shellfish. They will even serve a high-end steak coated in gold. It will be housed in the former Melting Pot.

Ba Chi Kitchen & Bar

This is a restaurant that is coming back to a new location in Fat City where Korea House used to be. The original was closed in July so many residents are familiar with the cuisine and they will also have a lounge and a bar.

Felipe’s Taqueria in Jefferson Parish serves tacos, burritos, nachos and plates over the counter. They also have a full bar with tons of cocktails to choose from. There is indoor and outdoor seating along with a greenspace patio.

There are plenty more that will open their doors in late winter or early new year. There are a ton of new dining places popping up all around New Orleans, some existing changing up and some new to the Big Easy.

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Live Music at the Dew Drop Inn

This fall is going to be great for the fifty-year-old Dew Drop Inn in Central City. For the first time in more than half a century, they will be hosting live music. The Dew Drop Inn is a staple in New Orleans and is said to be “the swankiest spot in the South. It has been New Orleans’ leading Black music venue for three mid-century decades.

The musicians who have played there date from the 1940s to 1970. Deacon John Moore is still on the scene and is helping with the renovation of the historic property. He is excited and hopes that they can book Irma Thomas who actually got her start at the club. The club has opened its doors and had many famous musicians play including Allen Toussaint, Earl King, James Booker, Charles Neville, Earl Palmer, Ray Charles, James Brown and Little Richard.

Curtis Doucette Jr, the lead developer is excited about the renovation. “I have to say, this is the very first time that I’ve fallen in love with a building. Before I fell in with the building itself, I fell in love with the history that was made in this building,” says Doucette.

The famous club started out as a barbershop at 2836 LaSalle St. in the 1930’s. In fact, there were several structures that housed a barbershop, restaurant, bar, hotel and entertainment venue. When it reopens, it will have all of these except the barbershop, explains Gabrielle Begue, a historic . tax credit consultant.

So the hodgepodge that Gabrielle described, in various states of collapse, is what we’ve been propping back up and making better than ever. It’s been a real kind of labor of love to breathe new life back into these historic buildings,” describes Kristian Sonnier of Ryan Gootee General Contractors.

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