Celebration in the Oaks Tour

Hop on "Santa's bus” for a narrated tour to New Orleans’ City Park, one of the ten largest urban parks in the country, home to the largest collection of mature live oaks in the world. Trees in the oldest grove are over 800 years old!
Enjoy the view of 19th century mansions, brightly decorated for the holidays, in the city’s original Creole area as we travel Esplanade Avenue, a boundary of Faubourg Treme, the subject of the hit HBO television series “Treme”.
See historic City Park transformed into a holiday wonderland. Its ancient oak trees are aglow with massive ornaments decorated with over 1/2 million sparkling lights. Children from over 200 area schools create handcrafted ornaments to decorate Christmas trees that line the walkways in the Carousel Gardens & Storyland.
Lighted exhibits include the Cajun Night Before Christmas, the “Who Dat” Tree, Santa Gator, a life size Nativity scene, and “A Jackson Square Holiday”. Live nightly musical entertainment features a mix of school choirs, orchestras, bell choirs, dancing troupes and gospel groups.
The Friends of City Park Holiday Gift Shop and the Botanical Garden Shop are open nightly for special holiday shopping. Food and drink are available for purchase at the Holiday Café which features a variety of local and holiday fare.
Experience New Orleans…Christmas Style!
Tour departs at 6:00 pm Daily from December 1st-10th, 12th-23rd, and 26th-30th from the Lighthouse Ticket Office located at Toulouse St. and the Mississippi River (at the Steamboat Natchez Dock) and returns at approximately 9:00 pm. Cost includes the narrated motor coach tour, group escort, and admission to the Celebration Grounds, Historic Train Garden, Conservatory of the Two Sisters, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, Storyland, and the Botanical Gardens. Private tours may be arranged at other departure times.