During a recent trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, a friend and I got a really good deal getting a three-attraction combo ticket with Audubon Nature Institute.  It was a February special for $50, it gets us admission to all three of their attractions: Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium, and Audubon Insectarium. 

Regular adult admission for each attraction is $30 or $35 depending on if it is a peak busy day or not.  After the first scan at an attraction, we had 3 days to visit the remaining 2 places.

Getting There

The first attraction we wanted to use was the Audubon Aquarium.  It was right next to the Audubon Insectarium but we chose the Aquarium first since we were meeting friends of my friend there.  They were both located about a 15 minute walk/stroll from where we stayed: Wyndham Garden Baronne Plaza.

We went to the French Market for lunch first, which is an open air market place in the French Quarter location.  We both got po’ boy sandwiches from Alberto’s Bistro before heading to the aquarium which was just a few minutes walk/stroll away.

Audubon Aquarium

Audubon Aquarium initially opened in September 1990 and recently had a $41 million dollar renovation finished in June 2023.  The new expansion also included the Insectarium moving into the same building that reopened at the same time.

The aquarium has only aquatic life from the Americas.  With 10,000 animals across 530 different species from North and South America.  The 4 main exhibits are: Caribbean, Amazon, Mississippi River, and Gulf of Mexico.

The aquarium was really easy to get get around as there were ramps where needed and an elevator to get to the second floor.  I really enjoyed the underwater glass tunnel in the Caribbean exhibit as I get to be immersed in sea life from all angles above me.

The Amazon exhibit was encased in a glass cylinder and was like a giant greenhouse that had macaws, piranhas, anacondas, stingrays and more. Mississippi River had a really cool looking white alligator.  Gulf of Mexico had a giant and tall shark tank that was really impressive.  I like the glass floor window where we can look what’s under us.

I thought this aquarium would be bigger, but we only spent about an hour at the Audubon Aquarium.  Good thing the Audubon Insectarium is in the same building and right next door as that is where my friend and I will go next.  His friends won’t join us for that part as they will rejoin us later.

Audubon Insectarium

Audubon Insectarium opened June 2008 on the main floor of the US Custom House Federal Building.  It moved to the same building as the Audubon Aquarium in June 2023.  It is the largest museum in the US that is dedicated to just insects.

The new and current location is larger and has the following galleries: Butterfly Pavilion, Wow!, Pollinators, Healthy Soil, Bug Bayou, Field Camp, Bug Appetit, Metamorphosis, and Diversity.

I thought the Insectarium was mostly aimed at a younger audience.  Many of the interactive displays and games were educational and were easy enough for kids to use and understand.  This was basically a science center but with bugs and insects.

The Butterfly Pavilion was one of the more popular exhibits and it was quite large with so many butterflies flying around.  It was very spacious and had wide enough pathways for a wheelchair to get by easily. 

I also tried a chocolate cricket chip mini cookie which didn’t taste too bad.  It was still an interesting and worthwhile trip visiting the Insectarium as we only visited it for about an hour too.

Audubon Zoo

The Audubon Zoo required us to take an Uber to get to.  We couldn’t get a wheelchair accessible so my friend had to lift and carry me into the vehicle.  It was about a 20 minute drive from our hotel.

The zoo originally opened in 1914 and through many additions and expansions, it now covers 58 acres (ha) of land and has over 2000 animals.  The major exhibits are: African Savanna, Asia, Audubon Aviary, Jaguar Jungle, Louisiana Swamp, Reptile Encounter, Sea Lion Theater, South American Pampas, and World of Primates.

I could tell that this zoo would already worth the price of admission since it was so much bigger than the aquarium and the insectarium put together.  Oddly, all 3 attractions have the same $35 admission.  We actually stayed right until closing at 5pm after being there for 3.5 hours.

After entering the zoo, our plan was to follow the map and head to the right.  We saw a flock of flamingos before entering Asia to see orangutans and elephants.  There were paved pathways or slightly rocky trails everywhere so it was easy enough for me to wheel around.

South American Pampas was closed for renovations, but we did see African Savanna, Jaguar Jungle, World of Primates, and Louisiana Swamp.  We spent a lot of time at Reptile Encounter, which was inside a building.  The new Wings of the World Aviary opened less than a year before our visit had over 60 birds in a natural lush environment that was very wheelchair accessible.

Final Thoughts

Buying the 3 attraction combo pass to Audubon Nature Institute was definitely worth the $50.  Current price is $60, otherwise each attraction costs $35.  The zoo was the most worth it as there is so much to see that it needs 3 or 4 hours to see everything.  The aquarium and insectarium could be done in about an hour each.