The Audubon Zoo and the Aquarium of the Americas are the two biggest non-bar, non-restaurant attractions a New Orleans group can build a real day around — and they’re also the two attractions groups most often mismanage, because they’re not in the same place and they don’t run on the same clock.

The Zoo sits Uptown, inside Audubon Park off Magazine Street. The Aquarium sits downtown on the riverfront, a short walk from the French Quarter. They’re connected institutions under the same nonprofit, but they are not next door to each other, and treating them as a single stop is the most common planning mistake groups make with either.

This is the ticketing-and-logistics page. For the kid-specific angle, see the kids and families guide; for how these fit into a broader outdoor day, see the outdoor activities guide.

Quick Checklist

  • Decide whether your group is doing the Zoo, the Aquarium, or both — don’t assume both fit in one day without planning transit time between them
  • Confirm current single-day and combo ticket pricing directly with Audubon Nature Institute before your trip — pricing structures change
  • Ask about group rates and reservation requirements for your exact headcount when you call
  • Decide if the Insectarium is worth the add-on for your group’s interests, or a skip
  • Check whether a membership (if any member of your group already has one, or if the group is large enough to consider one) beats single-day tickets for your visit length
  • Plan transportation between the two sites if you’re doing both — they are not walkable to each other
  • Build in 2-3 hours per site, not a rushed single hour

Two Sites, Not One Stop

Audubon Zoo — Uptown, inside Audubon Park. A full-scale zoo with a strong Louisiana wildlife and swamp-habitat section that distinguishes it from a generic regional zoo. Set inside one of the city’s best parks, so there’s a genuine option to extend the visit into a broader Audubon Park afternoon.

Aquarium of the Americas — Downtown on the riverfront, a short walk from Woldenberg Park and the riverfront corridor. Gulf Coast and Americas-focused exhibits, generally a 2-3 hour visit on its own.

The Insectarium — Housed at the Aquarium site (the standalone Uptown location has closed in past years — confirm the current location when you book). Worth adding for groups with entomology-curious members or kids who’ve already done the standard zoo-and-fish-tank circuit; skippable for groups tight on time.

Because the Zoo and Aquarium sit in different parts of the city, doing both in one day means committing to a transit leg between them — rideshare or the streetcar, depending on where your group is staying. Groups based in the Lower Garden District or Bywater should expect a genuine cross-town trip either direction.

Group Ticket Math: Single-Day vs. Combo vs. Membership

The three ticketing paths worth comparing before you book:

Option How it works Best for
Single-site ticket One admission, one site, for one day Groups doing only the Zoo or only the Aquarium
Combo ticket Discounted bundled admission across Audubon sites (Zoo, Aquarium, Insectarium) Groups planning to hit two or more sites during the trip
Membership Annual pass, sometimes with reciprocal benefits at other zoos/aquariums nationally Groups with a local host, repeat visitors, or anyone weighing a return trip

Don’t assume the combo ticket is automatically the better deal — it only pays off if your group will genuinely use both admissions within the ticket’s valid window. A group doing a rushed one-day downtown itinerary that skips the Zoo entirely gets no value from a combo price built around visiting both. Call or check the official site for current combo pricing and validity windows before deciding, since these structures shift year to year.

For a genuinely large group, ask specifically about group-rate thresholds when you call — most attractions of this size have a group booking desk for parties above a certain headcount, with its own pricing and reservation process separate from the standard online ticket flow.

Splitting a Mixed-Interest Group

Not every group wants to do both sites, and forcing a uniform itinerary on twenty people with different interests wastes everyone’s morning. A few ways groups actually split this:

  1. Parallel tracks, same time slot. Half the group does the Zoo, half does the Aquarium, and everyone regroups for lunch or dinner. Works well if your group is spread across two rental vehicles or two rideshare clusters anyway.

  2. Sequential, same day. The whole group does one site in the morning, the other in the afternoon, with a lunch break and transit leg between them. This is the most demanding version logistically — only attempt it if your group is genuinely up for a full day of walking.

  3. Sequential, different days. Pair the Zoo with an Uptown/Magazine Street afternoon one day, and the Aquarium with a riverfront or French Quarter day another. This is the easiest version to actually execute and the one most groups land on once they map the geography honestly.

If your group skews toward a mixed-age or mixed-interest family reunion rather than a uniform-interest crew, option 1 or 3 tends to keep everyone happier than forcing a single combined day.

Getting There With a Group

To the Zoo: Uptown, accessible via the St. Charles streetcar line plus a short walk, or a direct rideshare. Groups already doing a streetcar-corridor day can fold this in without much extra transit planning.

To the Aquarium: Downtown on the riverfront, walkable from the French Quarter and Warehouse District, an easy add for a group already spending the day downtown.

Between the two: No direct walking connection. Budget a real rideshare or transit leg — this is the detail groups most often underestimate when they try to cram both into a single afternoon.

Pro Tips

  1. Call ahead for anything resembling a large group. Group-rate desks and reservation requirements exist for a reason — a walk-up party of fifteen or more can create real friction without advance notice.

  2. Don’t assume the combo ticket is cheaper for your itinerary. It only wins if you’re actually using both admissions; run the math against your real plan, not a hypothetical one.

  3. Budget real transit time between sites. The Zoo and Aquarium are not close to each other — treat the trip between them as its own itinerary item, not a rounding error.

  4. Ask about the Insectarium’s current location and hours when you book. It has moved before; don’t plan around an old address or an assumption from a prior trip.

  5. Pick a lane on group structure before arrival. Decide in advance whether you’re splitting the group, going sequential same-day, or spreading across two days — don’t leave it as a group-chat debate on the morning of.

  6. Verify pricing and hours close to your trip. Group rates, combo pricing, and hours all shift over time — confirm with the official Audubon Nature Institute site rather than an old blog post or a prior visitor’s memory.

  7. Pair with the surrounding neighborhood, not just the attraction. The Zoo sits inside Audubon Park with Magazine Street nearby; the Aquarium sits on the riverfront near the Quarter. Either makes a stronger half-day when combined with its surroundings rather than treated as an isolated stop.

For a Big Group

Both sites can absorb a large group, but neither is designed around a same-day double-header for twenty-plus people without real planning. The groups that get the most out of this pair the Zoo or the Aquarium with the neighborhood around it — Magazine Street shopping after the Zoo, a French Quarter afternoon after the Aquarium — rather than trying to check off both institutions in a single rushed day.

For corporate groups looking for a lower-key team outing between meetings, either site works as a half-day that doesn’t require alcohol or a late night to be worthwhile — genuinely rare on a New Orleans itinerary.

For the largest selection, book 6+ months out.

See where to stay for large groups →