Having been dubbed the city’s “front porch,” the Mississippi River will be the main tenant in an extensive redevelopment of New Orleans’ Riverfront District, including one of the largest contiguous riverfront parks in the US.

The project, called Riverfront for All, is spearheaded by Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans & Company, and the Morial Convention Center, and will unlock a key stretch of land, expanding access for locals and visitors to enjoy riverfront access in a way that honours the original design of the city.

Transforming the last two industrial wharves on New Orleans downtown riverfront will create close to five kilometres of parkland extending from Crescent Park in the Bywater neighbourhood to Spanish Plaza at the foot of Canal Street. Once finished, the park will enable people to walk, bike, jog all the way from Spanish Plaza to Crescent Park. The facelift will notably include to the riverfront near the French Quarter.

A key part of the area’s regeneration, the Audubon Nature Institute, completed a renovation of the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium, which reopened last June. The project was the biggest renovation of the Aquarium since it opened on Canal Street in 1990 and made the Audubon campus the only aquarium/insectarium under one roof in the world.

River District Neighbourhood  

At the same time, the River District Neighbourhood (near the Convention Centre) will activate undeveloped urban riverfront land to create a mixed-used neighbourhood with green spaces and community gathering places, along with dining, retail, housing, and entertainment options, including a new Top Golf location.