Regarding traveling with small children, take games, toys, favorite pillows, etc. for in the car. An option you now have that wasn’t available when my son was small is a portable DVD player – I checked websites like bestbuy.com and they are available for under $100, come with DC power cords (you can plug them into the car’s outlets), can be attached to a seat back, and include two headsets. If your kids are old enough to have different preferences get them each a player.

When we traveled equivalent distances by car (ex. New Orleans to Orlando) we would stop for the night midway. We would choose a hotel with a pool AND room service, so the hotel stay would be part of the vacation. For example, Holiday Inn has hotels off the Interstate in Nashville, Birmingham, and Memphis with indoor pools (you are traveling in January):

Once you are here, New Orleans has a lot for kids to do:

There are many sightseeing opportunities in the greater New Orleans area, including carriage rides/tours, plantation tours, swamp tours, ghost tours, and even Katrina disaster tours. The steamboat Natchez also does a harbor tour. There are numerous tour companies and your hotel can help with the arrangements. Try to avoid scheduling an outdoor tour until you know the weather forecast for the day in question.

There is a free ferry across the Mississippi at the “foot” of Canal Street. It is a short trip but like a harbor cruise w/o a guide:

The Aquarium and Audubon Zoo are world-class attractions (www.auduboninstitute.org) and you should see them if you can. There is a shuttle boat (not free) between the Aquarium (which is next to the French Quarter) and the Zoo (which is several miles away). You can also drive to the Zoo (which has free parking) or take public transit from the French Quarter.

The Louisiana State Museum is in the French Quarter:

New Orleans City Park has an amusement park with rides and attractions for children + free parking (www.neworleanscitypark.com).

Check for ideas on other things to do.

You don’t need a car to get around in the French Quarter, Central Business District, or Warehouse District. Also, the parking regulations are Byzantine and there are lots of Parking Control Agents. If you drive or rent a car, leave it in a lot or garage unless you are traveling away from downtown.

Regarding crime, questions like yours tend to attract highly negative “answers” from people who do not live here and who have little or no idea what they are talking about. Use the same common sense necessary in every major city in the world and there is little chance you will be a victim of anything except a need to visit the gym: Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t leave something like a camera-bag, purse, or backpack unattended on a park bench while you wander off to take photos. Etc. New Orleans isn’t even in the top 25 “most dangerous American cities”:

New Orleans has mild weather from late October to early May and the city stays green all year most years (rarely freezes and almost never snows). However, the weather in January is not predictable this far in advance and you need to checek the forecast just before leaving home.

Hope you have a good trip!