New Orleans Leisure

The city offers plenty of opportunities for exercise and sports enthusiasts to get out and enjoy themselves, with the city’s parks providing extensive boating, fishing, walking and cycling prospects. Meanwhile, four professional sports teams provide exciting matches to the delight of spectators.

Spectator sports

New Orleans is home to four professional sports teams: New Orleans Saints of the NFL; New Orleans Hornets of the NBA; New Orleans VooDoo of the AFL; and the New Orleans Zephyrs, a PCL baseball team that is affiliated with the New York Mets. The city hosts two college football bowl games annually: New Orleans Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. The city also holds the Bayou Classic, which is an annual college football game between Grambling State University and Southern University. Nine Super Bowls have been held in the city.

Water sports

New Orleans is all about water. Surrounded by swamps, America’s largest river as well as the Gulf of Mexico, there are plenty of outdoor water activities to enjoy here. The City Park is a great place to begin your water outings on a humble scale. Canoes and paddleboats are available to rent for excursions to nearby park lagoons, which are home to bass, catfish and perch, making this a popular spot for fishing. Phone: +1 504 482 4888; website: www.neworleanscitypark.com/index.html.

Walking and cycling

On the other side of town, paths along the edge of Lake Pontchartrain, near Lake Shore drive, are shaded by oak trees and improved by playgrounds, benches and a few refreshment stands. Across the lake is St Tammany Trace, a 31-mile trail that is popular with cyclists and horseback riders, joggers and walkers. Converted from an old railroad line, this paved path goes from Covington to Slidell, through Fontainebleau State Park, historic towns and horse farms. Outdoor enthusiasts have an opportunity to see foxes, deer, wild turkeys and swamp rabbits, which are a part of the ecosystem.