Lafreniere Park

We went here today for the carousel and they were having a party. No biggie, but when I said «oh man», the woman manning the ride said in a rude tone in front of my children, «imagine that… somebody paid to have it reserved…» as if us paying $ 1 a person was wrong. Her name is Nicole and she was terrible. If I didn’t have my kids with me, she’d have gotten a chewing out. People like her are why minimum wage is just fine as it is. We won’t be going back and we’ll be telling everyone including this review. City Park is more expensive, but their employees leave the attitude behind.

I have always loved coming here. Even more now that they are trimming drooping branches and fixing the jogging path to make it more level. I would actually jog in the grass because I was afraid I’d sprain my ankle lol. So I’m happy that they are fixing that. One loop on the jogging path equals 2 miles.
The dog park was a great addition to the park. Small dogs can have their own little space. Big dogs can have their bigger space. Joggers don’t have to dodge as much poop.
There are plenty of potential picnic spots, whether in the grass or under shelters where there is a grill and wooden tables. I’ve seen plenty of people host children’s birthday parties here with a spacewalk.
Great place for a stroll, a lot of joggers in the evening if you need to be surrounded by motivation for that first step, different hungry ducks and geese to feed, soccer games to join. Go and enjoy the outdoors, it’s a beautiful day :-)

I really enjoy this park. We live in the city but when I bring my partner to work I love to stop here. It’s great for children, dogs and adults. They have walking paths and paths for bike riding. Lots of bridges and water. The ducks are like your typical city ducks. Aggressive. The second you sit on a bench they yell at for food. They will chase your little ones. I really like that they differentiate walking and riding paths. The dog park is nice but when it’s hot there’s not enough shade. All in all good park if you happen to be in Metairie and want to kill some time outdoors.

Went here for the lights in the park and it was beautiful! It’s set up where you drive through the park and see the lights from your car. They have a little section where you can actually park your car and walk around which is nice. The line to get in was so long so you ended up waiting about 45 minutes to see actual lights which was the only downside.

I love this park! It has a little bit of everything. Frisbee golf course, a fenced off dog park area, lakes, concession stand, water pad to cool off in the summer and a merry go round. Also soccer fields, a walking trail and music in the summer. Also a drive through Christmas light show that has a musical accompaniment. The majority of the Christmas lights and decorations are thanks to the late Al Copeland (founded Popeye’s and a few other restaurant ventures) who was famous for having the best light show in his neighborhood when he was alive, though he downsized as he got older. Then there is the are to walk around during the holiday season with concessions and more lights and the merry go round going.
I have come to walk with friends, picnics and to hang out to listen to the summer concerts. Every inch of this park seems to be fully utilized for optimal fun and games. I like to bring my stale bread to feed the ducks, though it can sometimes to be a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie «Birds», so be very careful. These birds, ducks and geese seem to have no fear of humans any more.
On top of the holiday lights, there are activities on a lot of holidays here. Fireworks at the fourth of July, a halloween shindig geared to kids, and so much more. It seems to be popular during all times of the year. I always enjoy coming to this park, no matter the reason.

Lovely park — very different feel from the other major parks in the New Orleans area. The lake is beautiful and offers a great jogging/​walking trail. Plenty of parking, even when there’s an event. And the event spaces are somewhat separate from the lake, so you’ll still find parking and solitude. There’s a bird sanctuary with tons of ducks and other birds, areas for fishing, and picnic tables. There’s even a designated Frisbee Golf area! I saw a lot of families walking their dogs. Entry and parking were free. Very safe as well (coming from a petite young woman!).

I love the park but if you are going to rent a shelter for $ 150 in the summer, be wary of wasp and other bugs. The flies will surround your food by the hundreds and a few roaches may venture forth from the trash cans. Look out for spiders under the table and wasp nest up high. I had to buy spray and kill at least 4 or 5 nest full of wasp. Had a fan to keep the flies off the food to no avail.
I recommend bringing and setting up your own canopy with screen, BBQ grill and table. A little like going to the beach. Cheaper, cleaner, and no insects. (I’m assuming this is allowed as I saw people doing it.)

Awesome place to do whatever you want.
Awesome dog park. Dogs are friendly!
Great place to walk or just take a lap. Cheap date! 2 mile lap.
Play soccer or football or just BBQ.
Feed the ducks… Bring Bread.
Rent some boats and take your girl on the lake. PDA!
Come during Christmas time and watch the light show. Bring a jacket!

The park was pretty big and clean. A small group of us came here to enjoy the Christmas lights. I do believe it was free since we parked nearby and walked right on in. I think you can drive into the park itself and park there, but I am unsure since my friends said something that I can’t remember. Plus, it seemed like there was a good amount of people that parked outside and did the same thing as well.
I do believe you have two options of viewing the lights: walk or drive. I am not positive about this aspect since the rows of cars that night seemed like they were following cars through the park for the lights and not necessary there to find parking. The was definitely a designated area for the cars to drive through so I am assuming driving through the park is an option.
There was a food shack (?) that sold hot chocolate, nachos, funnel cake, and other snacky items. It was opened pretty late since our group was here around 8 ish (?) to 9 PM. I think everything shuts down at 10 PM since everything became dark after we all got our food.

This will not be a long drawn summary on the park itself. This review is focused simply on the light show they have. This was my first going through it and must say the park can surely do a better job then having everything thrown together like a gumbo and hope that people will enjoy it. I didn’t and my nieces did not as well
I certainly hope the money collected to drive through this mess is used to upgrade some of the figures or at least add more next year. I did not walk through the «walking tour» of it and will try it again next year hoping the park does a better job compared to the disappointment I saw this year.

Even as few as 10 years ago, I still thought of Lafreniere Park as not much more than the big wide open green space in Metairie where my nephews and niece always had their soccer matches. Well, that and a nice, safe place to go feed the ducks if I didn’t have the time to venture over to city park. The duck sanctuary and lagoon with walking trail was always lovely and well maintained.
A lot has changed over the years and a lot of money has been poured into this park to develop it into a showpiece for Jefferson Parish. Although the park never expanded in acreage, it seems so much bigger now due to all the enhancements. In the center lies a large gazebo under which there are large parish wide events throughout the year like the Taste of the Town food and wine event, and well as the seasonal family friendly concert series in the fall and spring. There are also plenty of smaller gazebos to rent for private parties and functions like corporate events..
There is a gated play yard for kids with lots of swings, slides, climbing apparatuses and hills to slide down. On the other side of the park there’s the carousel which is fun no matter how old you are, and a splash park (which i think is restricted just to kids, but im not certain of that). There’s also a separate dog park with trails and play space just for them. The sports fields are still there of course and there’s also one of the only Frisbee Golf courses I know of In the area.
There’s also lots of space to find a little peace and quiet. The Children’s Memorial Garden was added a few years back as a reflective and quiet spot where engraved bricks memorialize children who were lost too soon and to give parents who endured miscarriages a place to remember and honor their lost angels. I now have a brick in this garden for my own little one, my special guardian angel. So I now have more reason to spend time here sitting, thinking and reflecting.
I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the Christmas light display. It started out with Al Copeland’s family donating their massive private light display years ago, but the park and parish have acquired many more lights and displays over the years. It is now a full driving tour as well as walking tour. Admittedly, it’s not up to par with Celebration in the Oaks, but it is still a must-​see and makes for a very nice family outing in the busy Holiday Season.
Lafreniere park is lovely and a rare quiet spot in the heart of busy Jefferson Parish. Go enjoy it and see for yourself.

This park is amazing! I am from Houston and I am sad to say that we don’t have a park that can be compared to the one here.
There is a very large man made lake or pond with a bird sanctuary in the middle of it all. This place feels bigger than Memorial park.
When there is an event going on, this place gets packed! People were making their own parking spots.
We made it twice to this great park since it can hold tons of people at once; you can still find a spot near the water and birds. We were able to sit down and relax. This park has a lot of amenities: plenty of trails, gazebos, and a carrousel!

My dog LOVES this park. It’s clean & inviting. Lots of dogs to play with on this nice fall day. We will be back often, indeed.

Lafreniere is a great park! And like other reviewers have noted, it is a young park in comparison to others in the area. I remember going to this park when it was still very new and its amazing to see how far it has come over the years. It used to be just a jogging path with a few man made lakes. Now it has exercise equipment, playgrounds, a dog park, a live music stage (compliments of Al Copeland) and a water/​spray area for kids. Since my visits are so spaced out every time I go I find a new addition. I think its great that the park is constantly being upgraded. I can’t wait to see what the next 30 years will entail for Lafreniere Park.

I love to bring my pup to the park, and he loves to bird watch/​chase and people watch. I don’t let him chase the people. I don’t think they would appreciate it.
There is so much room at the park it’s very enjoyable even when it’s packed with a soccer tournament or any other event. The park has fireworks for New Years and 4^th of July, Christmas lights during the holidays, and other festivals and events during the year. Lots of families come here for birthdays or reunions since there are pavilions to rent. There is also a walking track with workout stops along the track. The dog park is pretty big and nice, complete with separate areas for big and small dogs. Overall a Great place to hang out any day of the week!

Now the only reason why they don’t get five stars is because I am totally biased and City Park with Audubon Park a close second is my favorite park. But I have to give props to Lafreniere Park for impressing me. Did you know that they have a carousel you can rent for kids parties? Yeah, me either!
Apparently my college gf had her adorable chubby daughter’s bday party at the carousel. I am not ashamed that when the lady said last ride I jumped on that carousel so fast you would think it was the last ride of my life! Apparently all the horses go up and down unlike the one in City Park Storyland but I did not investigate fully to check on this. Another bonus is that when it is cold like it was this past Saturday, you can close the entrances save one to keep it warm! They also have benches to put the food, cake etc. and they supply huge trash cans. It was pretty fun! The kids and adults all had fun!
Now, keep in mind that the park gets EXTREMELY busy at times. My gf tried to warn me that this weekend there was a lacrosse tournament but little did we all know that over 60 teams would be descending in the park and would make parking almost impossible! I circled the entire park twice to figure out where the carousel was (note it’s behind the splash park and the playground).
The park has tons of amenities such as ponds to feed the ducks, walking/​running/​biking paths, workout stations, dog park, splash park, carousel, playgrounds, and picnic shelters. It’s quite clean as well!
Happy Park Enjoying y’all!

Do you like to feed birds? How about nutria, and turtles, maybe rabbits and squirrels? How about lounging in the sun or the shade? Do you feel like flying a kite or taking a peaceful walk on a concrete path?
Take a trip to Lafreniere Park in Metairie. It is located on the east bank of Jefferson Parish near the Metairie and Kenner line. People play soccer here and cook out. Kids run around laughing, and while it may not be the most beautiful park in the world, it is serene.
The most annoying people are by far the Frisbee golfers who take the game so seriously that if you are sitting in an empty space they will yell «DO NOT MOVE!» And then something about playing through. They act so annoyed that you are using a common area for something like sitting down and minding your business. You can spot a Frisbee golf area by the garbage can looking things with chains on them and the group of super serious people carrying these bags full of stuff and swinging their arms like Olympic discus throwers.
Like any other park, some people don’t pick up their dog crap and I firmly believe that we should collectively shame these people. So. PICK UP YOUR DOG’S CRAP OR THE FRISBEE GOLFERS WILL GET YOU!
The park stays clean, and for the most part no one bothers anyone else. Except the Frisbee golfers…

Lafreniere is a great park in my opinion. It has lots of activities to keep you busy or if you just want to sit and relax it also has plenty of benches.
This park is very kid-​friendly. The activities they can partake in include feeding the ducks, enjoying the spray park, riding the carousel, or playing on the playground equipment. I also have been here a few times to watch soccer games. They have over 7 fields just for sports.
What I really like about the park, though, is that it is rarely ever crowded during the week. It is also one of the cleaner parks in the city. There are nice ponds in this park which adds to the beauty of the park. If you have a dog take your dog to the dog park. It is a very nice dog area with lots of friendly dogs and owners there! If you like to jog they have a 2-​mile track circling the park.
I love Lafreniere Park and think it is a wonderful asset to the people of Jefferson Parish!

I have been here a few times prior to City Park opening a disc golf course. This is a pretty big one, not as big as City Park or Highland Park, but with the hills and such, it is fun. More chances of losing your disc in backyards though. Also on weekends, there is usually a large amount of familys gather around, with LOTS of small children that have the tendency to pick up the disc as the stop rolling. Gotta yell a lot to drop it, which most of the kids don’t understand.
Been out here for 4^th of July too and its a nice time with the fountains and such.
Also been here for a family reunion under a pavilion. Also a good time, but I prefer City Park by a long shot.

Lafreniere certainly is not the most beautiful park in the NOLA metro area, but I’m giving it 4 stars for the variety it offers. I also appreciate the fact that it has matured so much from its birth just a short 30 years ago, so it’s young for a park. The history is pretty interesting too. Like many large tracts of land in the area, what is now LP was a plantation owned by land grant by a Québécois who took the name de la Freniere. Curiously, it does not appear the «freniere» means anything in French. In 1954, a harness racing track was built and operated until 1959 when the track was converted for thoroughbred racing and re-​named Jefferson Downs.
When Hurricane Betsy damaged the track in 1965, Jefferson Downs was moved to Kenner where it operated until 1992. With the site vacant after Betsy, a popular movement began to establish a park there since jefferson Parish had no signature park. But it was not until 1982 that the park was opened. I remeber it as a vast expanse of grass and saplings and not particularly attractive. A park without trees is just not a park.
But the park really has matured in the last 30 years. There are some nice, shady areas, and there are many other attractions it provides like a carousel, walking/​running path, soccer fields, snack bar with snoballs, and nice shelters for picnics. There is also what is probably the best free dog park in the area, a large, mostly grassy area that is very fun and safe for your dogs. Sometimes I bring my lunch out there and just watch the dogs play. One criticism is the water features. I understand they are man made, but there is simply too much poured concrete at the borders. The lagoon looks more like a lazy river feature at a resort than a natural waterway.
Lafreniere is no Audubon or City Park, but it is trying hard to catch up. It’s a pleasant place to visit.