The New Orleans Collection: Alligator Sculpture

The Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park is one of my most coveted places to meander in New Orleans, which is why it's part of The New Orleans Collection. I like it because it’s peaceful, it’s free, and I feel safe there. Yes, safety is a thing for me when I’m taking photographs around town. I get into such a flow that I don’t know what’s going on around me all the time. Each time I go to the sculpture garden, I try to observe a different sculpture. Some of them are more appealing to me than others, naturally. They did an expansion a couple of years ago, and while I have walked through it many times, I haven’t stopped to really get to know each sculpture. Lucky for me, I can go anytime, and I do take advantage of this beautiful space.

Many times, when people come to the great city of New Orleans, they miss out on places like this because they want to see the cliche tourist places. My advice is almost always to head to City Park, though. Rent a paddle boat, walk along the Big Lake, and just enjoy the day. And definitely hit the sculpture garden! You'll see my fascination with it and why I put it in The New Orleans Collection of prints. The main attractions in City Park are all within walking distance, so you could hit them all at once. It’s a magical place, and I think you'll think so, too.

Alligators are a huge interest of mine, as you see in the New Orleans Collection. I have two in it (link to the other one here), after all. One is live, one is a sculpture. I could solely photograph animals, if I’m being honest. But alas, there is so much more to New Orleans I had to capture. This sculpture makes me smile because aside from Steve Irwin and Santa from The Cajun Night Before Christmas, not many people can hop on an alligator and sit there. I couldn’t resist adding to this collection a good photo of this alligator and person sculpture. The gold ring in the background is also one of my favorite sculptures in the garden, so it was perfect. If you go to the garden, check these sculptures out!