There's something special about the New Orleans Lakefront -- a place where the city slows down just enough for you to actually feel it. If you're visiting New Orleans and want to catch a real vibe beyond the usual tourist stops, this is where you go. The energy out here is unmatched. Bounce music floats through the air, blending effortlessly with old-school R&B playing from nearby speakers. The smell of crawfish boiling, charcoal burning, and chicken grilling travels with the breeze coming off the water. It's culture, community, and comfort all wrapped into one experience. Today we came out simply to relax and enjoy a weekend of perfect weather while digging into some crawfish -- and honestly, it doesn't get much better than that. And if crawfish isn't your flavor, you still have great options nearby. Landry's Seafood House remains one of my personal favorites, offering great food paired with some of the best waterfront views in the city. Whether you want to slow-cruise in your exotic car, take a peaceful walk along the water, or sit back and watch the boats sail by while reading a great book, the lakefront gives you space to do it all. Bike rides, jogs, family gatherings, or simply sitting still and letting the breeze reset your mind -- there's plenty to do here that requires absolutely nothing at all. The beauty of the lakefront is that no two visits feel the same. You can make it a multi-day experience and walk away with completely different memories each time depending on your mood. Some days it's music and laughter. Other days it's quiet reflection and sunsets. If you're looking for your own slice of paradise in New Orleans -- somewhere to relax, reset, and truly enjoy the moment -- make your way to the lakefront. Trust me, the vibe speaks for itself. read more

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Always a great time at the lake with crawfish and a daiquiri. There's a lot of parking spread around the lake as well as places to eat. read more

Lakeshore Drive - Lakes Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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This is really an amazing place for a walk and to enjoy some stunning views of the lake. It is obviously a very popular place and with good reason. I really enjoyed my time here watching the sunset and getting some walking in. read more

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Simple!!! A must see and walk this area! Sunsets and sunrises are the best! Hands down a worth it!

Beautiful day at the lake. It's sunny, high tide, with a cool breeze and just peaceful. For a Saturday, there's not a ton of people out here, so walking is more tranquil and relaxing. Being a native South Floridian, I really enjoyed being surrounded by water. As my first time walking this stretch of the trail, I noticed that there were a lot of folks fishing but no one was catching anything lol. They're probably just doing it for leisure. I hear you can catch more fish by the seawall at the Sea brook bridge than over here. IDK, but either way, it's still a great way to enjoy the outdoors. read more

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Lake Vista is the Longest continuous bridge over water in the world at 25 miles to the north shore. Fresh water rivers run through the lake and salt water comes from the gulf. Lake is tested weekly to make sure it's safe for swimming. read more

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Great quiet destination for a waterfront stroll. Encountered a few fishermen along the way. It was very windy but clean and peaceful. read more

Lakeshore Drive - Lakes Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Nice view of Lake Pontchartrain. There is a mini boardwalk alongside the lake. Pleasant and chill ambience.

I absolutely LOVE the work that has been going on to beautify the Lakefront. I LOVE to come out here and watch the sunset or watch a storm roll through, or sit and drink an adult beverage and people watch. Some folks like it as a great space to do some exercising, like walking, roller skating, running, or biking. Some folks like to sit on the seawall and fish. Some folks like to watch the boats go by or to see how many varieties of birds go past. There is plenty of space to picnic, hang out, play games, or just chill. YUP, I am a fan of the Lakefront. read more

Lakeshore Drive - At the lakefront across from Mardi Gras Fountain. - Lakes Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

This drive along the south bank of Lake Pontchartrain is lovely and relaxing. My favorite memory, before I realized where we were at, was once I came down to visit my sister and her then boyfriend, now husband (I was 17 or 18) and had a BBQ and picnic with their friends. It was wonderful to see the sunset and to hang out with them and their cool friends (my sister is 7 years older than I am). I officially moved here in 2011 to go to the University of New Orleans as an adult student. UNO is right next to the lakefront and Lakeshore Drive. During nice weather (not too hot, not too cold), I would like to sit at a table and do my homework. I know, I am odd, but it is lovely. I couldn't stay too late because the occasional drunk would come by. I did have to be careful of the squirrels who are not afraid to beg if you have food. Cops are at the west end of the drive looking for people speeding, as they tend to congregate there. There are several spots that are covered with picnic tables, and uncovered picnic tables. Watching the boats in the spring and summer are lovely. Watching a storm just coming is beautiful, just don't stay too long, they will close the flood gates if it comes to it. They are doing construction fortifying the pump stations to help drain the city if need be, which is awesome. The road is smooth. The reconstruction of the Mardi Gras fountain is beautiful during the day, and lit up at night. Just wonderful. Go get a daiquiri from the nearby drive thru and come relax! read more

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Potential Potential Potential!!! Lakeshore Drive should be more than it is. It's a gorgeous part of the city that has all the ingredients to be one of the main social spots of the city but it doesn't have the right chef to put them all together. Lakeshore drive has some cool restaurants like Landry's(best outdoor patio for dining), Brisbi's, The Blue Crab and a few others. There is a lighthouse and a marina which along with the restaurants are all in the same area on the west side entrance to Lakeshore Drive. They have improved the lake side side walk with pouring concrete, and adding new light poles and benches. The other side of the street needs some improving. They never seem to cut the grass enough so at times it looks really shitty. The Mardi Gras fountain is also on this side of the street and 9 out of the 10 times I drive by, it's not operating. Putting up some colored lights at night would make this absolutely gorgeous. The shelters are also abandoned with flaky painted bricks and in desperate need of renovation. I see some activity at the far western shelter and I've heard that a eatery of some sort is going to open soon. This would be great. Lakeshore drive continues on into a nice neighborhood, then you get into the University of New Orleans area followed by the eastern side of the drive where the street ends. You'll see a lot of people fishing and bbq'ing on the eastern side but it too has a few of the run down shelters as well. I know it sounds like I'm trashing Lakeshore Drive but I'm not. I love it over here. I come here often to eat, bike, jog, walk and sometimes to just sit and watch the sailboats or the sunsets. I just think the city could do so much more to make this the place to be. Setting up food truck festivals on certain weekends of each month, fixing up the shelters and adding snowball stands in them, chartered wine cruises at sunset, and maybe a fishing pier on the eastern end would make this area phenomenal. read more

The second best lakefront along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. By now, if you've read a few of my reviews, you know that I am a huge fan of the water. This love was ingrained in my brain long ago as a child and some of my fondest memories are tied to large bodies of water. If you would permit me to do a little reminiscing, I will share a few of them with you. 1. Offshore powerboat races - As a kid my dad used to bring us out to the lake to watch Al Copeland and his buddies haul ass in their big time powerboats. I will never forget seeing those rooster tails flying up behind those boats as they powered on by. It was truly and incredible experience that I was very sad to see go. Another great memory was my young brain trying to understand why my dad had to explain that we may have to run away if a boat decided to careen into the crowd. Luckily it never happened because I have a feeling I would've just sat there and yelled "cool". 2. Motorcycles - driving by the lake is pretty incredible, but riding a motorcycle down this road is even cooler. I can never forget the several years I attended the Steel Pony Express motorcycle rally that was held at one end of the lakefront. My friends and I would use Lakefront Drive as the way to get to the rally not because it was the fastest, but because it was the best view. I think there would be far less instances of road rage if people chose their path based on that methodology. 3. Seawall - The seawall here was always a great place to come and feed the birds when I was a kid. Besides that memory, who can forget the images of the seawall during a storm. Those waves smashing into those concrete stairs cause such a blast of water that you'll never forget it. 4. Police - I can never forget the time after high school that two guys I knew decided to race down this road. The loser was disgusted and decided to do a burnout as he left. Problem was, he did a burnout right in front of a cop. Needless to say, he ended up with quite an expensive citation. Thanks for letting me share. The end! read more

I love this drive. Driving along the lake is just a great way to enjoy a beautiful day OR to watch a storm blow in. I wish the authorities (or whomever) weren't such pills about driving around...but if you want to see why they don't let folks go cruising...check out this video from 1982: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG3kCShyV8w Right now, because of the construction, you can only drive from Pontchartrain Expressway towards UNO. Cannot wait until all the construction is finished. Hoping that it will be 5 stars when it's done. read more

Such a beautiful area, but there is a smell. Kinda boggy. I'm sure people here are more used to it. But sheesh. I was not. Still gorgeous

I couldn't resist being the first to review the beautiful Lakefront! Ahh the childhood memories of Filipino picnics, someone coming early to stake out a shelter, everyone coming around 1pm with their homemade dishes even though the party started at noon (Filipinos running late, gotta love it!), rolling down the hill, grown ups playing cards and mahjong! It was a fun time! More recently I went to the Lakefront even though part of it was closed off because of bad weather. My friends and I brought some crawfish and ate under a shelter watching the sunset. Then of course it got dark and we had finished gorging ourselves at that time so it was time to leave. In the past I've found it's a great place to ride your bike and enjoy being near the lake, listening to the birds, watching people relax etc. my friend and I biked from the museum to the lakefront and back. Man I was not in good shape but it was a fun ride! I remember when there used to be a Jeager's on the lake, when Coconut Beach was right there. Man I'm sounding like an old person. What can I say, I love being near water and the lake is as beautiful a place around town! Enjoy our lakefront! read more

Beautiful last pit stop on our weekend visit. Was very peaceful and refreshing when we were there. Wish we would've spent a lil more time exploring the lakeside. read more

Lakeshore Drive - Lakes Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

This place is also a must-see spot in New Orleans. If you're going there, I highly recommend you find the coolest time in the day. I'm talking about temperature. This is a game changer. You don't want it to be hot or too cold. Go out there and bike or walk. read more

I love the Lakefront. I first started coming here back in high school on weekends. My friends and I would gather and hang out by the car listening to music with a bunch of other high school students who were doing the same thing. I don't really remember cops patrolling in those days. I guess they didn't care about high school students potentially falling into Lake Pontchartrain. Alas, Katrina hit, we all grew up and everything changed. The Lakefront is still really nice and it's a cool place to hang out on "Sunday Funday" after a Saints game or whenever the weather is nice. The reason for the three stars is because the cops are INSANE out there. They will pull you over if you don't look like you work or live in the area and if you are going so much as 3 miles over the limit, you will get a ticket. Trust me, I went to UNO, so I am quite familiar with the "rules" of the Lakefront. Lucky for me, I have never been in any kind of trouble, but I see people getting pulled over all the time. I mean I get it, it's a residential area, but they do not mess around so be careful. read more

Many years as a student at UNO had me frequently taking trips down Lakefront Drive. It's a quick, easy ride from West End all the way down to UNO, at least it is after all the construction is done. It's not only a quick path to UNO, it's also quite scenic. You get a great view of the Lake, especially when storms are moving in, plus there's lovely park quality picnic areas as well. Hopefully the construction will make Lakefront drive truly shine, maybe even more than it used to. read more

Beautiful place to go for a run, a drive along the lake or just to chill out with friends or alone. The newly finished construction has definitely made this area much nicer. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a great view of the lake or a beautiful place for natural scenery. read more

Beautiful sunsets! I enjoy going on Wednesday evenings to watch the sailboats on the lake.