On April 7, kites flew over the Mississippi, a fireboat sat in the river and jazz played on ground that had been a warehouse at the Governor Nicholls Street Wharf. Audubon Nature Institute's account of that morning describes hundreds of people gathered for the opening of a six-acre addition to Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park. With that piece in place, Audubon says the public can now reach the river all the way from Spanish Plaza to Crescent Park. That's two and a quarter miles without a break.
This is the first fall the walk has been connected end to end. It also isn't finished. Audubon has already said the next phase includes tearing down part of the warehouse at the Esplanade Street Wharf. It's taking public input on that phase through a community survey that closes December 1. If you walk this stretch, now is the time to have a say in what comes next.
What six acres added between the Moonwalk and Crescent Park
Audubon's Riverfront for All project turned the last working wharfs on this stretch into public park. It links Crescent Park to the Moonwalk and creates 2.25 miles of connected park space along the river "for the first time in generations." The Governor Nicholls section added:
- Expanded green space and shade trees
- A playground built around a Louisiana marsh theme
- Shaded seating and cooling misters
- An open-air covered venue called the NOLA Front Porch
New Orleans CityBusiness reported that the site gives the public access to the river at Governor Nicholls Street for the first time in decades. The opening also expanded the Moonwalk, which is named for the late Mayor Moon Landrieu. Former Mayor Mitch Landrieu represented the family at the ceremony. EskewDumezRipple and Hargreaves Jones designed the park after what Audubon calls extensive research and public input.
At the opening, Audubon CEO Michael J. Sawaya put it this way, according to Audubon's release:
"New Orleans has always been a riverfront city, and today, for the first time in generations, people can truly enjoy walking along this stretch of the river."
The practical details for a long walk
A 2.25-mile walk needs some planning, and two different managers set the rules along it. Audubon runs Goldring Woldenberg. Its park page lists the basics:
- Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 6 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday
- Restrooms: The park has no public restrooms. Audubon points visitors to the lobby restrooms at the Aquarium and Insectarium
- Parking: Lots in the surrounding area are paid, and Audubon doesn't manage them. The Riverfront for All page also notes that free parking is not included
- Pets: Animals must be leashed and under control
- Security: Park security is on site 24 hours a day
Crescent Park, at the downriver end, runs on a different schedule. Fox 8 reported in January that the French Market Corporation handed the park over to the City in summer 2025, and the City's Parks and Parkways department now manages it. The Bywater Neighborhood Association lists Crescent Park hours as 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily and mentions a dog run, two public parking lots and bike paths. Those hours come from a neighborhood page, not a City one, so check them before a late walk. Even so, the gap is clear. On a fall evening, Audubon's end stays open for hours after the Bywater end closes. If you plan to walk the full length, start downriver and finish near Canal Street.
The same lawn is also a ticketed venue
The new section is already part of the city's event calendar. NOLA Funk Fest held three days at Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park, October 16 through 18. According to New Orleans & Company's listing for the park, more dates are booked for the rest of the year.
| Date | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 5–8 and Nov. 12–15 | Mermaids at Audubon Aquarium | 1 Canal St. | Audubon event at the upriver end of the walk |
| Nov. 6, 7–10 p.m. | Scales & Ales | Audubon Aquarium | Evening event |
| Nov. 7 | Sustainable Streets Race | Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park | Presented by Global Green USA |
| Nov. 13–15 | We Belong Here | Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park | Ticketed, strictly 21+ |
| Dec. 31 | New Orleans Eve | Woldenberg Park | Recurs every Dec. 31 |
We Belong Here is the big one. Fox 8's fall festival guide describes it as an electronic music festival making its New Orleans debut at "the newly expanded Goldring Woldenberg Park," with a 360-degree stage. The festival's site sells single-day, two-day and full-weekend passes and says the event is strictly 21 and over. Audubon's rental page shows that festivals like French Quarter Fest have long used the park. The extra six acres just make that use more visible.
Neither the organizers nor Audubon has said how much of the park will be fenced off that weekend. For your regular walk, the safe plan is to check Audubon's calendar before heading out between November 12 and 16.
Free mornings near the French Market
Free programming also happens just off the walk. The French Market District lists a free Wednesday morning yoga class at Oscar Dunn Park, 700 Decatur Street, from 6:45 to 7:45 a.m. Audubon's gates open at 6 a.m., so you can walk the river before class and be on your mat by 6:45.
The district also hosts Market Morsels, a free noon-to-1 p.m. cooking demonstration with storytelling at the historic Farmers Market. The October lineup included a Culture & Cuisine program featuring Black Masking Indians and Gumbo Marie. Dates change from month to month, so check the district's events page for November and December sessions.
Esplanade Wharf is the next piece, and the survey closes December 1
That brings things back to the warehouse at Esplanade. CityBusiness reported in March that Governor Nicholls was the second of three planned phases. It said planning for the last phase, including demolishing part of the Esplanade Wharf warehouse, would start later in 2026. Audubon's opening release says the same. No design has been released, and neither source gives a cost or a construction date for the final phase.
That's why the survey matters. Audubon's page says the results "will help guide planning for the next phase" and lists December 1 as the deadline. The survey starts by asking how you're connected to the park. You can choose visitor, interested citizen, donor or other, or write in your own answer. If you've used the misters in August, wanted a restroom at Governor Nicholls or walked past a fenced-off festival setup, that's the kind of experience the survey is asking about.
The timing stands out next to other projects in the city this year. Axios New Orleans reported in August that the Lafitte Greenway extension from Alexander Street to Canal Street was put on hold after a $35 million cut to infrastructure funding. Paths on Peoples Avenue and the Hollygrove Greenline Trail were also delayed. While those neighborhood green-space projects wait, the riverfront project is heading into its planning stage, and the public input window is open now.
If you have questions about how changes along the riverfront could affect the French Quarter, Marigny or Bywater blocks near your home, the team at Century 21 Action Louisiana follows projects like Esplanade Wharf closely and is happy to talk them through with you. Contact us any time.
