Top 4 Things To Do With Kids Near Lake Charles

About 35 miles east of Orange, Texas, sits Lake Charles, Louisiana’s playground. Lake Charles is an excellent place for a fun family vacation, and it’s also a remarkable way to spend a day exploring with your children. From nature trails and splash parks to mini-golf and more, there is always something to do in Lake Charles for the whole family. Our team at Granger Chevrolet recommends planning a day with your family in any of the locations below. Not only will you be making some fantastic memories, but you’ll also have fun spending the entire day together.

Creole Nature Trail

Image via Pixabay by Hamsterfreund

Whether your family loves walking along the beach, fishing for freshwater or saltwater fish, or visiting wildlife sanctuaries, Creole Nature Trail in Lake Charles, Louisiana, has an abundance of outdoor activities to choose from. Your kids will love exploring the over 400 bird species, watching for alligators, and trying their best to catch some delicious Louisiana blue crab. The Creole Nature Trail is affectionately known as Louisiana’s Outback and allows you and your family to get up close and personal with nature.

Take a drive along the roads that cross through the trail to see if you can spot some alligators. You may be able to see them lounging on land or drifting with the water’s current with only their beady eyes above the surface. With 26 miles of surf and sand on the Gulf of Mexico to explore, you’ll find plenty of opportunities for discovering some unique shells. You can also choose between a guided or self-guided tour through the trail. There are plenty of tour companies that will give you an intimate view of the abundant flora and fauna. For some fantastic wildlife and nature views, be sure to take a drive on Price Lake Nature Drive, Lacassine Wildlife Drive, or the Wetland Walkway.

Millennium Park

Directly on the Lake Charles waterfront sits Millennium Park. This local favorite features several amenities that you and the kids will enjoy. When you plan your trip to Millennium Park, be sure to bring along everything you need for a delicious picnic lunch and swimsuits and towels so the kids can play around in the splash park. There are also restrooms, green lawns to run on, and walking paths to explore.

The 20,000-square-foot playground includes several components where your children can spend the afternoon expending all of their energy. They can pretend to be searching for treasure on the pirate ship or crawl up and down the rock climbing wall. Perhaps they’ll enjoy walking on the maze bridge or on top of the spider web. The Eagles Nest treehouse, Hazel the Steamer, and the Arthur Stillwell train are all waiting for your children to explore, play, and discover their day away.

There’s also a Tot Lot with swings and a shaded seating area for the little ones. Plus, they’ll stay safe as the playground was built on a rubberized surface to provide maximum safety.

Putt-Putt of Lake Charles

Putt-Putt of Lake Charles is ideal for spending a fun day outdoors. Children love miniature golf, and with two 18-hole courses to play, you can have double the fun without breaking the bank. If you’ve had your fill of mini-golf, be sure to visit their Bat Zone that includes four batting cages for either the beginner or more experienced batter. They also offer cage rentals you can reserve just for you and your family.

Al Kurts first opened this Lake Charles golf course in 1958. His goal was to build an amusement park where families could have a safe, clean, and wholesome entertainment option that was also affordable. In 1998, they moved to a different location so they could expand. In 2003, they brought in batting cages, and in 2008, they added a clubhouse to accommodate birthday parties and special events and provide some much-needed shade from the summer heat.

Sam Houston Jones State Park

When you want to surround your children in nature, Sam Houston Jones State Park is the ideal location. Located on Sutherland Road in Lake Charles, this natural treasure was named after the state’s 46th governor, who was a Texas folk hero who traveled extensively into Louisiana. Since this park opened, caretakers have been doing their best to preserve this 1,087-acre tract of land. This lush woodland forest is situated north of the most productive birding region in the area, which makes it an excellent place for watching almost 200 species of birds.

If your family loves all things trees, they’ll have a blast discovering the wide variety of hardwoods in the park. You’ll find tree-filled lagoons, a mixed pine and hardwood forest, and over 70 acres of restored longleaf forest. Longleaf pines are some of the oldest living southern pine trees and used to be abundant across the United States. Unfortunately, logging, farming, development, and other land-use practices have driven them down to only 10% of their original population in Louisiana.

The state park is also filled with multiple waterways, so you and your family can bring along kayaks, canoes, and motorboats. Two boat launches are available on the Calcasieu River that also provides access to Calcasieu Lake, so you can explore as much of the water as you’d like. With three hiking trails in the park to choose from, you and the kiddos can explore every nook and cranny of this vast forest. Be sure to walk the old stagecoach road, where you can tell your children stories of how stagecoaches run by teams of horses used to traverse along the very same path they’re walking.

Now that you have four ideas for that next family day, which one of these Lake Charles locales do you plan on visiting first? Is there a favorite of yours that we missed? If so, we’d love to hear about it. Contact us today to let us know, and we’ll be happy to add it to our list. Our staff is always looking for local events and activities to recommend to our customers.