Eight Reasons We Love Mid-City

Whether you’ve lived in New Orleans for years and are looking for a new neighborhood or your family is moving to New Orleans from another state, we are so glad you found New Orleans Mom. We have compiled a ton of resources for living in New Orleans with kids, and we strive to represent and serve all families and perspectives. If you don’t see what you need on New Orleans Mom, please reach out!

Living in Mid-City New Orleans With Kids

Just one month shy of the birth of our first child, my Houston born husband flew to New Orleans to close on my dream home in Mid-City. We had spent months looking for our new home in a variety of neighborhoods trying to find what would best suit us. I grew up in Gentilly and knew I wanted to be in Orleans Parish, and Mid-City has been the perfect fit for our New Orleans family.

Hail Endymion! {The Best Part of Living in Mid-City New Orleans}

living in Mid-City New Orleans with kidsGrowing up in New Orleans parades are a staple for me, and Endymion has always been my favorite! It is important to me to expose my kids to all things Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Endymion is one of the three super krewes, and the only parade that does not ride the traditional St. Charles route. With its signature floats and the greatest bands from near and far, it is a must see. Our home is just a couple of blocks off the route, and a yearly Endymion party is a staple now for my family and friends. We are those crazies setting up two … maybe three … days in advance; we love being out on the route meeting with other Endymion fans over a cold beer and a multi-ladder setup. Endymion day is an all day affair to celebrate with friends and strangers alike.

Best Restaurants in Mid-City New Orleans

There are so many great restaurants in Mid-City! You can spend all day just eating from Biscuit & Buns for a unique breakfast to Blue Oak BBQ or Brown Butter for a family lunch to a date night with drinks and dinner at Vessel NOLA. Don’t forget Katie’s Mid-City for your Sunday brunch; the andouille cheese grits and eggs cochon are to die for! The list goes on and on. The best part: when you live in Mid-City New Orleans, you can walk with your kids to all of these places!

Schools and Childcare in Mid-City New Orleans

New Orleans kids love living in Mid-City! Mid-City is full of schools from daycare to high school, private to charter. We were lucky to land our girls in a charter school that we love after trying for two years through One App (now NCAP; learn more about the process here). City Park is a short walk from Mid-City, and we love to spend cooler afternoons their playing on the numerous playgrounds or climbing the oaks and attending their numerous events like Swing in the Oaks and Celebration in the Oaks. There are also numerous after school activity places like City Park Movement and Art and Nola Aikido, as well as a brand new public library in Mid-City.

Night Life for Parents in Mid-City New Orleans

Mid-City New Orleans is full of bars and venues for the perfect easy date night for parents. The craft cocktails at both Vessel Nola and Treo are delightful. If you are looking for live music in New Orleans head to Rock n Bowl or Chickie Wah Wah to hear great local music. There are so many local bars with event nights as well from Mid-City Yacht Club for crawfish Fridays to Bayou Beer Garden for trivia nights and Finn McCool’s throws a really fun block party for St. Patrick’s Day. No sitter? No problem! Head over to the family friendly Secondline Brewery for a great beer or two, food truck and music. All New Orleans kids love to pass a good time at Secondline. My kids refer to it as, “the place with all the legos!” and they always make a new friend or four as it is always packed full of families.

best restaurants in mid-city New OrleansMid-City is Eclectic and Perfectly NOLA

I work from home and I have memories of the the sweet sounds of “I have blueberries, I have peaches” as Mr. Okra brambled down the street in his infamous truck. It often sent me running outside to buy fresh fruits and veggies. Occasionally, the very merry NOLA Social Ride club comes noisily down our street and everyone runs out to watch all their lit up bikes and happy riders make their way down. Bayou Boogaloo is Mid-City’s annual festival held right on beautiful Bayou St John; live music, local food and the homemade boats and floats that people make to enjoy it on the Bayou is quite the sight to see!

Best Coffee Shops in Mid-City New Orleans

Mid-City is chock full of local coffee shops. Our personal favorite is The Station on Bienville. We love to walk there on weekend mornings to enjoy a lazy breakfast at this adorable converted gas station turned coffee shop. There is also Monkey Monkey, The Bean Gallery, and Church Alley to satisfy all of your New Orleans coffee fixes.

Accessibility of Mid-City New Orleans

One of the best qualities of Mid-City is being able to walk or bike everywhere! With the beautiful new Lafitte Greenway and the bike paths along Orleans Avenue and the Bayou, you can get to just about anywhere in Mid-City without a car. Heading to downtown New Orleans with the kids? Just hop on the streetcar and you will find yourself at the Aquarium or the Riverwalk. The interstate is a hop away at both Carrollton and Canal.

Grocery Stores in Mid-City New Orleans

Ahhhh Costco. NOLA moms rejoiced when Costco opened up, and it is so close to Mid-City on Carrollton! Rouse’s and Winn-Dixie are just across the street from each other, and we have a fairly new Whole Foods in the area as well! Want to shop more locally grown? Check out the Crescent City Farmers Market on Thursdays.

Drawbacks of Mid-City New Orleans With Kids

Every area of New Orleans is going to have its problems, and Mid-City is not excluded. Homes are more expensive than in other areas of the city. There is a high chance you will not have off street parking, which is not ideal after a Costco run. Generally speaking, the backyards in Mid-City are smaller because it is an urban area.

All in all, living in Mid-City New Orleans with kids has been a wonderful way to raise our young family in the city. We love that Mid-City has so much to offer and a true community feel. 

Jessica
Jessica is a native New Orleanian, raising her two young daughters in Mid-City with her husband. After Katrina, Jessica ended up in Houston, Texas where she worked as a corporate event/party planner and met her native Houstonian husband. When they found out they were expecting their first child, they made the move back to New Orleans as Jessica had always wanted to come back home. Jessica is the owner and designer of Nolafionnah Custom Children's Boutique where she loves to design and make clothing for the special little ones in your life. On the weekends you can often find her at a festival, walking to local eateries in her neighborhood with her family, or enjoying a cold one at one of the family friendly breweries around town. Wine, Dateline, and Instagram are a few of her favorite things

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