Lafreniere Park Photo Gallery by Coleen Perilloux Landry at pbase.com

Lafreniere Park

Lafreniere Park is located in Metairie, Louisiana, adjacent to New Orleans. It is situated in the middle of suburbia and nearby is a busy interstate highway. Formerly a horse racetrack known as Jefferson Downs this park offers something for everyone, from soccer fields and running tracks for the athletic to passive areas for viewing wildlife and water. It is a dedicated Bird Sanctuary. The Marsh area has an elevated walkway connecting several areas of the park with a gazebo along the way for quiet reflection. There is a beautiful carousel for the young and the young at heart.
It is a publicly owned park and citizens pay a monthly fee of $1.10 attached to their water bill for its upkeep. It was established in the mid 1970's and dedicated in the early 1980's.
If you click on the small image you will get the larger image. Usually there is a description underneath the picture. Please note there are many pages to this gallery.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the New Orleans metro area and Lafreniere Park suffered some minor tree losses and heavy waterfowl losses. Many of the egrets were hanging dead in the trees where they fled for safety. The Park was closed on August 26 and then used as a dumping ground for trees and tree debris picked up in Jefferson Parish. It was turned to mulch. As of today, January 11, 2006, the Park is still closed to the public. The ducks, swans, and geese that were so accustomed to people must wonder "where did everyone go."
The Park reopened to the public on March 3, 2006.

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND READ THE STORIES UNDER THE PHOTOS, ESPECIALLY THE SHOTS AFTER KATRINA. THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS A PHOTO/JOURNAL.

December 11, 2008	Pavilion at Sunset	Park History	Lafreniere
Lady can you spare a dime	Gazebo in Marsh Area	More water	Autumn in Southeast Louisiana
Mushroom	Family and gulls	Birdwatching from the gazebo	Roosters
Everyone enjoys the birds	Honoring fallen heroes on Veterans Day	Soccer tournament	Bird Sanctuary Sign
Bright November Day	Single Swan	Wetlands area for birds	Willows_waterfall_ ducks
White Ibis	Heron fishing	Afternoon swim	Ibis and autumn leaves
Sculpture in Childrens Memorial Garden.jpg	Memorial plaque in Garden	Ornamental pomegranate in Childrens Garden.jpg	Dancing Cormorants
Pekin-Mixed Duck	Bird Sanctuary was established by Bissonet Garden Club	Nutria	Mallard
Girl feeding birds at dusk	Park at dawn	Goose and her favorite girl	Honoring the War Heroes
Swans under bridge	Carousel at Lafreniere Park	Lafreniere Park Carousel	Marsh Island
Seagull	January 2005	June 2005	Guarding the Gazebo
Egret waits patiently	Keeping up the pace	Cock of the walk	Lady Swan grazing
Evening Parade	Nesting Swans	So new so perfect	Well used jogging path behind Foundation Center
Mallards in rain puddle	She and her dog	Feed the birds	Love Birds
Coot_notice feet	Parterre Garden Plaque	LP Christmas lights	Lafreniere Park Christmas Lights
Blue Native Louisiana Iris	Louisiana native irises	Wood Duck	Intent on Winning
Sailing on Lake Lafreniere	Uncle Sam Jam	Fourth of July_Lafreniere Park	Crested Ancona Ducks
Swans in the Rain	Swans	Geese on a Hot Day	Early morning feeding the fowl.
Teahouse of the August Sun	Feeding the Ducks	Geese, gander and crested duck	Where Did All the People Go
Lunch is Served-Sept. 16	September 16_Hurricane Katrina aftermath	Bewildered Birds	October 19, 2005
Hurricane Debris Site	"We're Still Here" October 19	Damage from Hurricane Katrina	Hup-two-three-four Oct. 28
Bird Sanctuary	Stillness of Winter	It Was a Long Winter--Park Reopened March 3	Fascination
Geese On Golden Pond	First Day of Spring 2006	Renewal of Life	New Goslings for Two Mammas
The Arranged Marriage	Thirsty	New Babies	Park at Sunrise
Only Eleven Hours Old	Sunset	:: Lafreniere Park Swans ::	:: Lafreniere Park Swans ::
Look Over Here, Y'all	Unsubtle	Summer Sunset at the Park	Carousel in Motion
Volunteers Help Repair Damages of Katrina	Swan Babies and Their Parents of Spring 2007	Where are those swans when I need them?	Much too early in the year for babies
Lafreniere's First Registered Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)	April 2008	Beginning of the Snowstorm of December 11, 2008	The Snowstorm of December 2008
The trees are wondering why they are cold	Snowball Fight	Snowstorm - Notice Pavilion in Background	Poor Visibility
Snowstorm of December 2008	Not Even Falling Snow Can Interrupt This Lady Jogger	December 11, 2008	Sundown in the Park
God Bless America - Independence Day	When the Shadows Lengthen and the Evening Comes....	Making Snow	Mama Swan Cuts a Path Through the Ice for Her Cygnets
Swan Makes its Way Through the Ice	The Week the Lagoon Froze Over	A Winter Visitor	Poor Babes in the Woods
Water- Cool, Clear Water	Beautiful Brown Rabbit	Dog Park Dedicated on January 7, 2012	Dogs Try out their New Park
Birds of Winter at the Park - Ibises and Seagulls

comment |

Katy		25-Oct-2009 04:33
What a lovely gallery. As I walked round the park today I was feeling exceedingly grateful that we have this beautiful space to enjoy, and that I live so near it! :) Thank you to everyone who brought our park back to life after Katrina. Lafreniere is for everyone ...it is an oasis ..a place to re-connect with nature, each other, ourselves. It's a real treasure of our community.

Katelyn Shaw		08-Oct-2009 19:09
i love the parks natural beauty i love the the play area for me its my favorite. lafreniere is the beauty of metairie

Charlie King		12-Feb-2009 05:53
Thanks for the beautiful gallery, Coleen. I live in Covington and find your detailed photo journey very interesting. Very good work that took much time; it is appreciated!

Tony		08-Feb-2009 01:09
Coleen, Thank you so much for these photos, and especially for your service to the park. I grew up on York St. in the 60�s and 70�s two blocks from the park. As young boys my brother, our friends, and I had many great adventures in the old abandoned Jefferson Downs Racetrack. As I remember, the racetrack was abandoned after Hurricane Betsy. It only took a few years for nature to claim the grounds with over growth. It was a different time then and we had free range over the neighborhood. We were admonished by my Mom to never go into �the racetrack�. Being boys yearning for adventure we just couldn�t resist. (I am sorry to say we didn�t deserve her trust but we�ve come clean since). Many of the original buildings remained in place until the late 60�s. All of the buildings were surrounded by deep brush and over growth. Over the years we explored the abandoned stables, camera towers, offices, concession stands and eventually made our way to the old viewing stands. To young boys it was like finding evidence of a lost civilization. Some of the stables still had tack and tools on the walls. We once found reams of movie film strung through the trees and bushes that had images of horse races. Eventually most of the buildings were bulldozed. But the massive cement foundation for the viewing stands existed until the park construction began in the early 70s. It was a wild place, exciting for explorations, and probably not the safest place for young boys. After college I bought a duplex on Wytchwood Dr that backed onto the park, with the prospect of Lafreniere Park as my backyard. But I was transferred in early 80�s before I moved in, and eventually sold the property. I am nostalgic about those times. I am happy to see the park as a friendly and attractive place for the newest generation who live in the old Willowdale subdivision. You�ve done a good job.

John		27-Nov-2008 04:18
Thank you for these beautiful pictures. While I'm a LaFreniere, I'm originally from Marquette, Michigan. I hope to take my family to the park from here in TN some day. Thanks also to Katie Bowen LeCluyse & anyone else who helped landscape the park.isor at the park.

ken		22-May-2008 03:01
Thanks for the pictures..I too lived in the area in the early 60 s and would ride my bike fron akron avenue to the racetrack area. What a lovely transformation in present times even after Katrina.

Katie Bowen LeCluyse		13-Jan-2008 16:13
I've just spent an hour viewing your incredible photos. This page is so meaningful because I was the original Landscape Supervisor at the park. along with my small crew, we planted the original group of 350 trees in addition to grass and shrubs. I moved to Kansas 13 years ago and return to New Orleans 1-2 times a year to visit family. After Katrina, I drove by the park, saw the huge mounds of trash, kept going and cried. After seeing your beautiful pictures, I am going to go back and spend some time there. Thank you for sharing all of this.

krystal		03-Jul-2007 22:47
Beautiful Pictures!!!! My kids love to go to this park. Love the play area and feeding the ducks. Actually we are all going there tonight for the Uncle Sam firework display! Keep up the good work. Krystal B. (Destrehan,La.)

Ron Asp		27-Aug-2006 16:15
Coleen, Its a pleasure comming and spending time in your gallery..so many interesting shots, they are all so good. Seems like every day there is a photo challenge out there...Its pretty rare when my camera is not with me or I am planning a photo outing. Thanks for sharing your photos. Ron

Sharon Gibson		10-May-2006 21:44
This is truly the best place for fun, relaxation and serenity. I miss this park so much. I have since moved to Texas and I have not found another place that compares. I am glad that it has reopened and I hope that other people can find what I found in this place. Keep up the good work. You are number 1 in my book. I can't wait until I visit home and return to the magical place where you can find peace. Thanks a million

nicole		29-Jan-2006 17:21
I live right near there s a kid i played everyday other there, i cant wait until im able to gte back in the park from after the hurrican.anyone knows when it'll open again

mike		27-Jan-2006 22:09
Hello Coleen: Thank you for the great pictures. I lived in Metairie in the early 1960's and used to play in this area as a boy. It was a block from my house. At that time the race track was still there. The area surrounding the track was undeveloped and kind of wild. We called it "The Swamp". As a eight year old boy it was the perfect adventure playground but could be a bit dangerous. I cannot believe the transformation! I have lived in completely different part of the country for over 35 years and could have never made a virtual trip back to this place without your pictures. Thanks again.

papajim		20-Oct-2005 02:38
Fantastic gallery. The latest additions, showing the return of the area, are very lifting. There is never a short time perusing your galleries. Very nicely done. I will look forward to further updates.

Nunes BEIRAO - PHOTO		02-Apr-2005 01:20
Hi, Coleen I really enjoyed my time passing through this gallery, where I found some shots that are simply superb and wonderful. Just excellent!!! Cheers from Portugal.

Rosi Blaurock		27-Feb-2005 13:50
Beautiful gallery.

PANKAJ_SHAH		25-Feb-2005 18:35
EXCELLANT PARK PHOTOS, ESPECIALLY BIRD PHOTOS

Sheena Woodhead		22-Jan-2005 15:15
An excellent gallery and a very beautiful park which certainly has a lot of opportunities for photographs.

J.Landry		19-Jan-2005 01:55
Very nice ... :-)

Tommy Junger		14-Jan-2005 13:06
Wonderful place and beautiful photos

Dennis Steinauer		22-Dec-2004 04:57
What a beautiful gallery -- what a beautiful park!

rosalie edwards		29-Nov-2004 00:35
I love park at dawn. How peaceful

Elaine (etfitz)		19-Nov-2004 23:27
Beautiful gallery!

petesie		19-Nov-2004 05:02
Wonderful gallery.

Gayle P. Clement		18-Nov-2004 23:06
Quite a nice gallery!

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