How many times have you made an unplanned stop at City Park and thought to yourself, “Man, I wish I would have brought my bike”? My friend Erica from Joy Ride Bike Rentals is partnering with City Park to offer bicycle rentals on the weekends, making your impromptu park visit even more enjoyable. There’s going to be a fun and free Blessing of the Fleets this Saturday, and I wanted to tell you all about it, especially since there will be free snowballs (this is NOLA Eats, after all). I’ll be there, too, so be sure to say hi if you’ll be joining in on the fun. Read on for the details!
Joy Ride fleet at New Orleans City Park
New Orleans City Park is well known for its beautiful grounds, the New Orleans Museum of Art, Storyland, the Amusement Park, Botanical Gardens, and the list goes on. In 2009, the park completed another project– Big Lake. With this came another great service of renting pedal-boats and rowboats to park patrons. In the wake of its popularity, City Park is expanding its rental family to include bicycles and a gondola.
On Saturday, July 10, 2010 City Park will hold a Blessing of the Fleet. The ceremony begins at 11:00 am with an official blessing from Deacon Robert Normand. Following will be a celebration with FREE bike and boat rides until 1:00 pm. This event is FREE and open to the public.
Joy Ride Bike Rentals, a locally owned company, is joining forces with City Park to bring guests the option of bicycling throughout the park. Also added to the line-up is NOLA Gondola, offering relaxing and romantic gondola rides. Bicycles will be rented during the existing boating hours of operation: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm. Gondola rides will be offered from 1:00 pm – 10:00 pm, Wednesday through Sunday (subject to heat, wind or severe weather). Visitors to the area surrounding Big Lake can also find Plum Street Snoballs shaving ice every Saturday and Sunday.
“We wanted to be able to offer our guests a variety of options when visiting City Park,” stated Lisa Laraway, City Park Director of Recreational Services, “The grounds are so beautiful and seeing it from Big Lake is quite an experience. The waterways connect, so you can actually pass under most of the bridges throughout the park. We are also excited about the bike rentals. Many don’t realize that we have designated bike paths throughout- it is another great way to see what the park has to offer.”
RATES
Pedal and Rowboats: $10 per boat per half hour
Public Gondola rides: $5 per person, per 15 minutes (up to six passengers)
Private Gondola: Starts at $45 for two, for half hour ($10 each additional passenger)
Call Roberto at (504)450-4400 for more information
Bicycles: Hourly = Adult $8, Child $6, Children’s Trailer $8
Day = Adult $30, Child $25, Children’s Trailer $30
