By Suzanne Rowan Kelleher

updated 5:32 p.m. ET June 13, 2007

Celebrations start up at the drop of a hat. Every dwelling has its own ghost story. And alligators live in the swamp next door. Why do kids love New Orleans? Because it is a city unlike anywhere else. In a country where so many of our urban areas look and feel oh-so-yawn-similar, New Orleans is a one-of-a-kind treasure box filled with distinct music, exotic food, and colorful architecture. Thankfully, the historic splendor of New Orleans—the cast-iron galleries of the French Quarter, the elegant Antebellum mansions and oak-lined boulevards of the Garden District—came through Hurricane Katrina with little or no damage. Perhaps most of all, kids love New Orleans because there’s so much their families can do here that they can’t do anywhere else.

1. The perfect day begins at Café du Monde, not your ordinary tourist magnet. In business since 1862, this world-famous institution is revered for its beignets (pronounced ben-yay), light-as-air squares of fried dough dusted lavishly with confectioner’s sugar. Priced at three for $1.35, beignets are this town’s guilty pleasure. Yes, they really are as scrumptious as everybody says (and twice as messy, so get lots of napkins for little fingers). Be there first thing in the morning to nab an outside table overlooking Jackson Square, the classic New Orleans postcard with its medley of street performers, tarot readers, musicians, and artists selling their works. Ask your white-jacketed waiter to bring you some of the famous chicory-laced café au lait, then sit back with the kids and indulge in prime peoplewatching. On your way out, pick up a few packages of beignet mix (a bargain at $2.45 each) so you can recapture a bit of New Orleans when you get home. (800 Decatur St; 504/525-4544; open 24/7; cash only)

2. More than 1,300 creatures live at the Audubon Zoo, including a Komodo dragon, a herd of playful sea lions, a pair of white Bengal tigers, and a family of extremely rare white alligators. (Tip: Be at the swamp at 3 p.m. sharp on Wednesdays and Saturdays, gator feeding time.) Little kids will love touring the zoo aboard the Swamp Train, while big kids won’t be able to get enough of the high-tech Safari Simulator ride, which makes you feel like you’re on a real wildlife expedition. Check out the schedule of terrific special events, including sleepovers, kids’ nights out, and breakfasts where kids get hands-on time with favorite animals. (6500 Magazine St; 800/774-7394; closed Mondays; Admission: $12/adult, $7/child 2-12 years, free for under-2s; zoo/aquarium combo $25/adult, $14/child 2-12 years; free for under-2s)

3. Folks have gotten around New Orleans by streetcar since 1835, first in steam-powered cars and later in horse-drawn ones. Kids get a kick out of the lovely wooden electric cars that have been clickety-clacking since 1923. At $1.25 a ride, streetcars are a bargain slice of history and one of the most fun ways to get from A to B. (Tip: Buy a one-day VisiTour pass for $5 or a three-day pass for $12.) The most useful line for visitors is the Riverfront line, which travels a two-mile route along the Mississippi River, making stops at the French Quarter (Esplanade Avenue), the French Market, Jackson Brewery, Canal Place, the World Trade Center, the Riverwalk, the Hilton Hotel, and the New Orleans Convention Center.

4. The belle of the French Quarter since 1886, the 655-room Monteleone Hotel still turns heads with its exquisite baroque facade, liveried doormen, dazzling chandeliers, and rumored resident ghosts. Rooms are large and luxe, with the kind of sumptuous fabrics and lovely furnishings that convey an Old-World gentility. Kids will love the heated rooftop pool and revolving piano bar in the lobby. You can catch live jazz every night in the lounge, and there are three restaurants, a gym, and a full-service spa. For $36 per child, you can upgrade to the “All About Kids” package, which includes a disposable camera, coloring book, crayons and a deck of cards, plus admission to the Louisiana Children’s Museum and either the Aquarium of the Americas or the Entergy IMAX Theatre. (214 Royal St; 504/523-3341; rooms $200-$375, occasional specials as low as $99)

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5. One of the coolest things about New Orleans is its above-ground cemeteries, known as “cities of the dead.” In an impressive display of urban planning, these cemeteries were indeed laid out like mini cities, with parallel streets running between the rows of lavish above-ground vaults and intricately-carved stone tombs in which wealthy citizens were laid to rest. Anne Rice set much of her Vampire Chronicles series within the walled Lafayette No. 1 cemetery, and key scenes from the film version of “Interview With a Vampire” capture its spooky beauty. The best way to explore is with a guided cemetery tour by Save Our Cemeteries. (Tour departs from the Washington Avenue Gate; $6/adult, $5/teen 12-18, free for kids under 12; no reservation necessary)

6. If you’ve never been to a Cajun hoedown, here’s your chance to put that right. Get the whole family into comfy shoes and head for Michaul’s Live Cajun Music Restaurant, where everyone gets free dance lessons. The dining room is suitably rustic (think wooden floors, picnic tables, checked tablecloths) and the menu features all the usual suspects—gumbo, jambalaya, fried chicken, étouffée, and shellfish done every which way. Not that you come here for the food. The minute the band starts to play, the dance floor fills and the foot stompin’ begins. Don’t be surprised if one of the resident dance instructors pulls you onto the floor to teach you the two-step. Let go. Have fun. This place promises “the most fun on two feet” and delivers. (840 St. Charles Ave; 504/522-5517; reservations advised)

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7. Little kids can feed their big imaginations at the Louisiana Children’s Museum, a 30,000-square-foot interactive wonderland with over 100 hands-on exhibits. Junior can pilot a tugboat down the Mississippi, be the anchorperson in a TV studio, go rockclimbing, and do the family’s grocery shopping—all before lunchtime. The giant bubble-making station is a hit with all ages, and the under-4 crowd has a dedicated play area all to itself. (420 Julia St; 504/586-0725; Admission: $7/person)

8.  Hungry kids can lead to high food bills. Get the ultimate cheap lunch at Johnny’s Po’ Boys, an eatery whose interior is as humble and scrappy as the sandwich itself. The po’boy is New Orleans’s answer to the submarine or hoagie, served on French bread with the filling of your choice. The classic po’boy is made with fried oysters or shrimp, but favorite deli foods—roast beef, ham, meatballs—also have strong followings. Nobody does po’boys like Johnny’s. If you ask for your po’boy “dressed,” it will come with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise. (511 St. Louis St; 504/524-8129; open noon-4 p.m. daily; cash only)

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