Audubon Park

AUDUBON’S
Haute French-Creole Table Service Restaurant

At the heart of Audubon Park is Audubon’s, our original signature table service restaurant. Audubon’s is a refined high-end establishment, where low-key elegance is favored in place of in-your-face theming. The real star here is the food. Our chefs pride themselves on French-Creole cuisine prepared in the finest haute style. The restaurant’s location is suitably classy, set back from Lafayette Street within an Antebellum mansion estate.

Like New Orleans’ Audubon Park, this restaurant is named after - and inspired by - celebrated ornithologist John James Audobon. As such, there is a light yet confident bird motif throughout the setting, from duck figures in the wrought iron fencing outside to the sparrow-shaped stained glass windows. This ornithological theme is most prevalent in the estate’s glass-and-copper Audubon Aviary, a walkthrough sub-attraction associated with the restaurant. Diners waiting for their table - or even guests passing through Disney Quarter - are invited to explore this gorgeous building, structured like a scaled-down Crystal Palace.

The aviary overall is only one-quarter acre large, with a walking path circling two ponds. Fish such as Channel catfish enliven the ponds. The second pond includes a small American alligator. Since they only grow one inch a year, our gator can remain for a decade or more before being traded out to a zoo.

Audubon Aviary primarily hosts a collection of bird species, kept here as a tribute to the great ornithologist. Our menagerie mostly consists of waterfowl and wading birds. Species include:​

Ruddy duck​, Wood duck​, White-winged Dove, Inca Dove, Purple Gallinule, Brown-crowned Night Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Tri-colored Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Scarlet Tanager, Painted Bunting, & Northern Cardinal

The main restaurant is found within a Southern Gothic mansion known as Audubon Villa. While we purport this to be the New Orleans home of Audubon himself, in design the building rather reflects the various genteel mansions of New Orleans’ Garden District and Audubon Park, in particular Colonel Short’s Villa mixed with Parker House. This is a picturesque pre-war Antebellum manse, a two-story white villa completely surrounded by balconies, with large Doric columns and curlicue iron accents.

The restaurant’s interior is laid out precisely like a private home, with diners greeted and treated as guests to a fine dinner party. Hostesses meet arriving parties in an entry foyer. (Audubon’s enforces a strict formal dress code for diners.) Framed watercolor Audubon sketches line the walls. Between these and bird books on display, the restaurant continues the quietly understated avian theme.

The mansion’s common rooms form dining spaces. Without a single large dining hall, but with tables set up throughout the living room, banquet room, den and elsewhere, diners enjoy a great degree of intimacy. Private dining rooms are decorated with Mardis Gras krewe finery. The exterior patios, sealed with mesh and cooled by straw ceiling fans, provide additional dining space in a more open air setting. There is one additional wing on the mansion’s back side, a post-war extension which greatly resembles New Orleans’ famous Commander’s Palace.

The menu at Audubon’s reflects the very best culinary history and traditions of New Orleans. The focus here is Haute French-Creole cuisine, a fusion style combining French, Spanish, West African and Native American influences. Creole food is noticeably distinct from the more familiar Cajun style, less spicy and with a more subtle balance of flavors. Audubon’s strives to match the standards of New Orleans’ best Creole establishments - places whose foundations teem with centuries of living history - with a respectfully-curated menu.

Oysters Rockefeller - Our signature dish (choice of baked or broiled, served on the half shell and topped with creamy herb sauce); Note every Oysters dish is counted and served with a specific souvenir number card
Pommes de Terre Souffles - Fried puff potatoes
Pompano Pontchartrain - Grilled fillet of fish topped with crab meat and white wine butter sauce
Trout Meuniere Amandine - Served with giant asparagus
Crab Maison - Jumbo lump crab with green onions, capers, and Creole mustard aioli
Tuna Tartare - with banana chips
Conch Croquette
Audubon's Salad - Red leaf lettuce, chevre, heirloom tomatoes, & Acadiana honey mustard vinaigrette
Dessert - Black bottom pecan pie with whiskey caramel sauce, Creole bread pudding, Bananas Foster (prepared tableside), Soursop semifreddo with coconut, Key lime pie with buttermilk chantilly
Drink - Lavender & lemongrass vodka Collins, Caribbean milk punch, Wine selection

THE HIGHTOWER BAR
Themed Bar & Restaurant

Welcome to the Hightower Bar.

In 1961, George Hightower, a wealthy owner of a Northeastern shipping company for supplies at sea, died mysteriously in his home. Just down the road from the Hightower Mansion was the Hightower bar, George’s pride and joy. Due to his line of work, his mansion acted as a temporary home for many of his guests and he always brought them to the bar for a drink.​

On the night of October 31 1961, George was said to be murdered by his wife, Constance, during his annual Halloween Ball. The strange thing was that hours after the incident occurred, the guests and staff all disappeared. Locals had reported a strange green light that appeared in the mansion upon discovery of everybody’s absence. Even three hitchhiker seen in front of the mansion promptly vanished at the sight of the blinding light. It seems The Hightower Bar also experienced something strange that night. The bartenders working that night had disappeared as well.

Nowadays, no one goes near the mansion or the bar. Due to the large “HM” sign, the residence has garnered the name of “The Haunted Mansion”. Strange noises are said to be heard from inside and the local caretaker and his dog have almost been driven mad by supposed sights of gleeful ghosts. Recently, the bar has been re-opened by locals in order to attract more visitors to the town. The once great Hightower Bar is now being considered a tourist trap as the tale of Halloween 1961 is told to customers.

You enter the bar and the first thing you notice is the paintings on the wall. George Hightower, Constance Hatchaway (his bride), Madame Leota (her role in the story is unknown to keep the mystery of the story), and other characters who all have the ability to be the famous “Ghost Host” but we don’t know who exactly. A large blocked off staircase leads to the second floor of the bar where George would take his extra special guests. A chandelier filled with cobwebs, the axe coming out of George’s portrait, and the disappearing and re-appearing handprints on the wall and ceiling are all indicators of the bar’s haunted demeanor.​

Each drink at the bar is named after a specific guest who visited when George was alive like:​

Constance Hatchaway - Regular Cosmopolitan
Little Leota - Vodka and Lime Juice
Hitchhiker’s Delight - Regular Margarita
Sally Slater - Orange Juice and Vodka
Captain Clyne - Whiskey and Lemon Juice
Good Old Fred - White rum and pineapple juice

Every night, the lights go out and a green light appears from one of the windows. A ghost bartender describes the story of the Halloween of 1961. With the sudden flash of lightning, the ghost of George Hightower would appear at the top of the stairs and raise a glass. After the lights come back on, the ghost disappears and everything returns to normal.​

TIANA'S PALACE
Character Dining Soul Food Restaurant

Tiana’s Palace is one of the most colorful and energetic restaurants in all of New Orleans! Princess Tiana founded the restaurant with her husband, Prince Naveen and ever since it’s remained as busy as it was on opening day.

The entire interior is both extravagant and colorful as Tiana gears up for Marti Gras, the busiest time of the year. The decorations are up and the celebration is about to begin. Most of the rooms are themed to reflect the fun night life and parties of New Orleans. One of the “secret” rooms is themed to the swamp where Tiana and Naveen got married. Vines hang from the ceiling as Mama Odie’s creature friends are scattered around the room. Occasionally, Dr. Facilier’s shadows will fill the room but Mama Odie’s magic quickly casts out the darkness of the shadows.

The Menu is made up of classic New Orleans cuisine like Jambalaya, Crawfish Etouffee, Red beans and rice, and Tiana’s famous Gumbo! For dessert, guests can enjoy some of her delicious beignets topped with powdered sugar and sometimes served with ice cream!

During guests meals, Tiana, Naveen, and Louis will come around and greet guests. You may have a conversation with Tiana about cooking, a good talk with Naveen about the Marti Gras festivities, or ask Louis about life with the big boys!

A live band plays at Tiana’s Palace with Louis leading with his trumpet.

The windows use the same effect used in Magic Kingdom’s Be Our Guest restaurant. The outside looks like the bustling nighttime streets of New Orleans.

Overall, Tiana’s Palace is a wonderful restaurant for families and lovers of Disney’s Princess and the Frog as guests get to be part of Princess Tiana’s journey!

THE PADDLEWHEELER
Celebrity Chef Table Service Restaurant

The Paddlewheeler is a fully functioning stern-wheeler riverboat which functions as an exclusive table service restaurant. This charming 19th-century craft docks on Audubon Park’s lakeshore, but it doesn’t remain there. The Paddlewheeler rather actually travels the resort’s lagoon. Guests will dine in fine Southern splendor as if they were on a river voyage down the mighty Mississippi, with picture-perfect views of the Grand American and Disney Quarter and Harbortown.

Seatings are available reservation-only, as a meal aboard The Paddlewheeler is a carefully timed affair. Meals come prix fixe, with the cost of a cruise including food and a live jazz performance. There is regularly one lunchtime cruise and two dinnertime cruises, with the later dinner timed to climax with waterborne views of the park’s Age of Magic nighttime spectacular.

In place of a set menu, or even a set culinary style, rather The Paddlewheeler serves as the stage for a rotation of celebrity chefs. There are countless great New Orleans chefs eager to strut their stuff on our riverboat, ready to wow guests with personally-designed full-course menus. At present, our schedule includes Emeril Lagasse, Nina Compton, Donald Link, and Susan Spicer.

LAFAYETTE TROLLEY TREATS
Quick Service Cajun

Long before the Disney Quarter Streetcar Line switched to electrical, horse-drawn trolleys traveled the neighborhoods. One of those old green-and-yellow carriages has now been repurposed into Lafayette Trolley Treats. Located near the current Streetcar Line station, Trolley Treats provides simple Cajun quick service. The eatery’s menu and ambiance borrow from Cafe du Monde and other famed New Orleans gastronomic hubs. Guests exploring the brick-lined Lafayette Street will be enticed by the smell of freshly frying beignets, which make for a delicious light snack in between meals, or guests may fill their stomachs with lightly-spiced Cajun po’boy sandwiches or other savory dishes.

Audubon Park’s fountain plaza, shaded by moss-covered oak trees and cooled by lakeshore breezes, provides ample outdoor dining space for this and other nearby quick service restaurants. Tables circle a central fountain inspired by Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia...not a New Orleans detail, granted, but still one which oozes with quiet Southern gentility. Live musical acts, ranging from jazz to zydeco and more, appear in an open air gazebo bandshell.

Here are some of the dishes guests will find when trying Trolley Treats:

Main - Pulled pork sliders, Southern BBQ chicken, St. Louis baby back ribs, Alabama white BBQ shrimp
Sides - Corn pudding, Collard greens, Coleslaw, Baked beans, Mac & cheese, Fried pickles

GUARDHOUSE GRILL
Quick Service Southern Barbecue

The smoky scent of fresh Southern barbecue draws guests towards Guardhouse Grill, located in the security guardhouse where Audubon Park’s gates open out onto the French Quarter. Slow-cooked Southern specialties branch out from the typical New Orleans roster. An adjoining glassed-in veranda provides a place to eat where diners may watch people and trolley cars pass by.

Here is a mere sampling of the delicious eats at Guardhouse Grill:​

Beignets - Signature dish, fried fritters topped with powdered sugar, also available filled with seasonal fruits
Additional food - Fried chicken or catfish po’boys, Crawfish croquette, Fried okra, Hushpuppies, Chocolate chip cookies with sea salt
Drink - New Orleans-style chicory coffee, French roast coffee, Mint julep (regular or virgin)

ADDITIONAL DINING

In addition to our signature original restaurants, Audubon Park also claims several chain restaurants ranging from familiar table service brands to simple grab-and-go quick service. The same beautiful Audubon Park ambiance seen so far extends to these eateries. While we expect our dining partners to be long-term tenants, chain restaurants are easily replaced as Disney Quarter evolves, with only light decorative theming inside and out to blend into the environment.

The Cheesecake Factory, the ever-popular family-friendly American restaurant, enjoys a large garden estate setting. Dining space is located in a post-war Antebellum mansion dating from 1872, in what was originally a merchant’s home designed in the emerging Ecole de Beaux Arts style.

Earl of Sandwich occupies a similar mansion designed in a late 19th-century Victorian “gingerbread” style. This home is built into the corner of a pre-war estate’s garden plot, reflecting the neighborhood’s redevelopment and subdivision as the city diversified.

A grouping of smaller quick service chains is found in the fountain plaza near Trolley Treats. These chains include Ghirardelli Soda Fountain, Panera Bread, and Sugarfina. They are located in structures much smaller than the surrounding mansions, structures which reflect the neighborhood’s supporting staff such as a Carriage House or a streetcar Switch House. The plaza overlooking the lagoon provides plentiful seating and shade where guests can enjoy their to-go treats.

RETAIL

There are few retail stores to be found in Audubon Park, whose focus is primarily dining. Retail chains are located on Magazine Street, which is modeled after the Magazine Street retail area in New Orleans’ Garden District. Storefronts are two-story turn-of-the-century warehouses with lived-in upstairs balconies and wide ground level window displays. This small Magazine Street section appears as an offshoot from the main Lafayette Street, found closer to the retail-heavy French Quarter.

Retail brands in Audubon Park trend towards more upscale fashion, jewelry and accessories, all the better to match the area’s ritzy grandeur. Shops include:​

Anthropologie​
The Art of Disney​
Chapel Hats​
Disney Christmas Store​
Swarovski​
ZARA

DISNEY QUARTER STREETCAR LINE
Transportation Attraction

Just like the real New Orleans, a heritage streetcar line traverses the entirety of Disney Quarter. Trolley tracks travel garden medians dividing up the Quarter’s main boulevards. Wrought iron fencing and pedestrian crosswalks ensure guest safety while also bringing an invaluable kinetic transportation option to the Quarter.

Our streetcars date from the early 20th-century, and were historically among the first electric public transportation. Overhead cable lines power beautiful red trolley cars with accents of yellow. The Disney Quarter Streetcar Line begins in Audubon Park, and offers free rides with stops in the French Quarter before terminating in City Park. Audubon Park’s covered station is a masterpiece of glass and oxidized copper, designed to complement the aviary at Audubon’s.

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