Audubon Riverview Park — Attraction in New Orleans

Ah, what a lovely place to spend the sunset most days of the year! The view of and across the Mississippi River is splendid and clear. If you bring binoculars, you'll see a host of native and migrating birds, according to the season. The "Fly," as natives dub it, is named for a long-gone food court that sold snoballs, popcorn and the like. The Butterfly-shaped building's supports collapsed into the river and the building was never replaced. I've never understood this because I know any place that sells food at that location would make a fortune. But the park made a decision. Now it's a riverfront overlook with parking. The problem with the park, however, is that the extensive amount of money allocated to stem erosion has not been maintained. An impressive rock and fencing riprap installation has been allowed to deteriorate, and native trees have grown to block the view and are not removed. One of the overlook shelters is completely blocked from the river view and therefore, rarely used. There also seems to be a shortage of one shelter. They are spaced too far apart from shelter 2 to shelter 3, as if another shelter should've been installed in-between. A fourth overlook and tree maintenance would improve this area immensely. In high season, now through October, the Fly is packed with people every weekend and every good sunset. But there are areas where people park on the grass, tearing it up and creating mud that erodes into the street and drains. I wish those areas would be provided with granite rocks and cut-ins for proper parking. Concreting the area further causes runoff problems. And granite "paved" cutins would work perfectly. They have added a fabulous bathroom near the ball courts, but the tiny, old bathroom, up front, remains in deplorable condition. It never has enough toilet paper, or a hand dryer, and is always overused because MOST PEOPLE PARK up front to picnic and barbecue. There are not enough garbage receptacles for high use weekend days, and they are not collected in a timely manner. Those problems aside, it is still a gem of a place to watch the river flow, see ships wend their way down and up the river. It's magical, and few places on the planet can say that...

The Audubon Riverfront, affectionately known as "The Butterfly," officially opened in 1986, as commemorated by a plaque on site. While this riverfront space offers ample room for ball sports and kite flying, it unfortunately falls short as a pleasant destination for those seeking a leisurely walk along the Mississippi River.

Despite being less than 40 years old, the infrastructure is in a shocking state of disrepair. The street running through the Butterfly along the river is in terrible condition, forcing drivers to swerve erratically around obstacles. The sidewalks are in even worse shape—some sections have been barricaded off entirely as they crumble into the river below.

The area does feature beautiful oak trees that provide much-needed shade along the entire riverfront. However, the overall lack of maintenance makes the space feel unwelcoming and neglected. This is particularly disappointing given that New Orleans has limited riverfront recreation areas, and this prime location has suffered from decades of inadequate care.

The Audubon Riverfront represents a missed opportunity for the city—an ideal spot that desperately needs attention and investment to realize its potential as a cherished...

This place is like an Oasis hidden from the tourist. You locals know what I'm talking about. A couple times a month i like to hop on my bike and take a ride to this park. It is seven miles away but my bike has a big battery. I will peddle along the Mississippi River Trail for five miles and then relax here for about an hour. As i sit on the edge of the river there are many families nearby also enjoying this beautiful, secluded Oasis. There are no hot-dog carts, no peddlers, no tourist attraction, no noise. The families that do come here do so to enjoy a baseball game or a soccer game. Maybe some fishing on the river or perhaps just to see the occasional ship passing by as it makes it's way up river. I know there are personal barbecues going on, some crawfish boils, maybe there is some grilling of fish caught that day in the river. All i can say is the less this place is known, the better.(remember, you didn't...