Celebration in the Oaks lights City Park from November 27 to January 1, and the part on foot, the Walking Tour, runs through the New Orleans Botanical Garden as well as Storyland and Carousel Gardens. Tickets go on sale November 1, online only, and some time slots are expected to sell out. A few miles away, Longue Vue House and Gardens has no light show, but it holds a free holiday market on December 6. Here is how each works, what it costs, and where to eat.
We run Botanical Garden Near Me, a directory of public gardens and arboretums across the United States, and we are a guest here. Top of New Orleans asked for the gardens. They supplied the restaurants.
The plan, in order
Buy Celebration in the Oaks tickets online from November 1; there is no box office, the event is cashless, and there are no refunds. Pick the Walking Tour if you want the garden, and pick a Value Night (November 29, December 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 or 17) if price matters. Eat before you go in, because outside food and drinks are not allowed. Do Longue Vue in daylight on another day; it is open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Celebration in the Oaks and the Botanical Garden
The New Orleans Botanical Garden is in City Park, entered at 5 Victory Avenue: 10 acres with more than 2,000 kinds of plants, one of the few remaining public gardens built by the WPA. During Celebration in the Oaks, November 27, 2026 to January 1, 2027, the Walking Tour includes the garden, Storyland, Carousel Gardens, unlimited rides including the City Park Train, and free hot chocolate and marshmallow roasting. It runs 6 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, with last entry half an hour before closing. Tickets are $20 on Value Nights, $35 otherwise, or $25 when combined with the Driving Tour; children 2 and under are free. Parking in City Park is free but fills up. There are no Santa photos this year and no pets on the Walking Tour. By day the garden is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: adults $17 with a Louisiana ID or $27 otherwise, children 3 to 12 $8, and free for Louisiana residents on Wednesdays. Its Japanese garden is closed for renovation.
Longue Vue House and Gardens
Longue Vue is at 7 Bamboo Road: eight acres of gardens designed by Ellen Shipman around a house you can see only on a guided tour. Garden admission is $15 for adults in advance or $17 on arrival, and $10 or $12 for children 4 to 16; parking on site is free but limited. The Merry Market, its holiday market of local vendors, is on Sunday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it is free, on a Free Family Sunday when garden admission is free for Louisiana locals. On Wednesday evenings from December 2 to 23 there are After Hours events in the Playhouse, 5 to 7 p.m., $45 each, ending with a Lyrica Baroque winter concert on December 23. Louisiana locals also get in free on December 24. Longue Vue is closed on Christmas Day.
The full list
Hours, prices and directions for each of these, with the official page for each, are on our side. The botanical gardens near New Orleans page on Botanical Garden Near Me lists them, closest first.
Where to eat after
Three tables, each checked against its hours: two in Mid-City near City Park, and one in the French Quarter. They come from Top of New Orleans lists: Mid-City and seafood. The scores are theirs, not ours.
Parkway Bakery & Tavern
Insider Score9.4
Po-boys · Mid-City
Lunch with a daytime garden visit. About 1 mile from the garden on Hagan Avenue, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday. The roast beef po-boy, and expect a line.
Mandina's Restaurant
Insider Score6.9
Creole · Mid-City
Dinner before the lights. About 1.1 miles from the garden on Canal Street, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, 9:30 on Friday and Saturday. Turtle soup and red beans and rice.
GW Fins
Insider Score9.9
Seafood · French Quarter
For a special night. About 2.7 miles from the garden on Bienville Street, open from 5 p.m. every day until 9:30, 10 on Friday and Saturday. Book ahead. Fish of the day and lobster dumplings.
Scores are Top of New Orleans Insider Scores. Restaurant photographs from Yelp and Tripadvisor.
Sources. New Orleans City Park, Celebration in the Oaks event page and Botanical Garden page; celebrationintheoaks.com Tickets, FAQ, Driving Tour and Maps pages; Longue Vue House and Gardens, Visit and The Grounds pages and its November and December 2026 event listings; all checked October 23, 2026. Restaurant hours from Top of New Orleans records. Top photo: the Tunnel of Light at Celebration in the Oaks by Bart Everson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; other photo credits are under each photo.
Botanical Garden Near Me writes for Botanical Garden Near Me. Botanical Garden Near Me lists public botanical gardens, arboretums and conservatories across the United States, with hours, admission and directions taken from each garden's official site. This piece was written for Top of New Orleans.