St. Charles, Magazine streets offer a fun training run while visiting New Orleans

A runner heads down the St. Charles Avenue sidewalk in front of Audubon Park.

A pair of walkers and a runner make their way around Audubon Park on a trail that circles the park.

A streetcar heads down St. Charles Avenue. The neutral ground – the local term for the street median — is a popular place for runners because of its long unbroken stretch and the soft but sure footing it provides.

Shortly after Mardi Gras 2013, beads still adorn a fence along Magazine Street in the Garden District.

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When visiting many towns, it can be a challenge to find a runner-friendly path for a workout. But that’s not a problem in New Orleans.

St. Charles Avenue runs from the popular Canal Street at the edge of the French Quarter all the way out to Audubon Park. Along this stretch of road, you’ll encounter skyscrapers and offices as you run through the Central Business District and grand homes and some neighborhood businesses as you head through the Garden District and Uptown

And once out of the CBD, the street features a wide dirt and grass neutral ground – or median, as it would be called anywhere else — that is perfect for runners.

At just about any time, you will see locals and tourists running the neutral ground. With Tulane and Loyala universities located in this area, there are often students running this stretch. There aren’t many major intersections to cross in this area, but cars will turn across the neutral ground. However, I found most drivers watch out for pedestrians and will politely yield.

You will share the neutral ground with the St. Charles streetcars, but yielding to them really is no problem. Run against the traffic, and you can easily step out of the way. And if you don’t want to run the whole stretch, just bring an RTA pass or a small amount of change, and you can ride the streetcars out or back.

Audubon Park is roughly four miles from Canal Street. A wide asphalt trail encircles the park, and there are many other trails throughout. Plus there are many scenic features to distract or entertain a runner.

On one recent Sunday morning, I ran out St. Charles Avenue and back on Magazine Street. The traffic was light on Magazine on a Sunday morning. The sidewalks are a bit broken up, but they really posed no problems for me. And the street features a bunch of interesting small businesses and homes. It’s an area that’s worth visiting.

One of New Orleans local running stores, Varsity Sports, is located on Magazine Street. They offer organized runs. Unfortunately, they aren’t open on Sundays, so I couldn’t visit the store. But a visit is still on my bucket list for NOLA.

Click on this link to see a Google map of the route that runs from Canal Street out on St. Charles and back on Magazine Street.

Here are some links to other running routes in New Orleans:
WalkJogRun routes
BeFitNola routes
MapMyRun routes

The sights of New Orleans

Beads still adorn a fence along Magazine Street a few days after Mardi Gras 2013 in New Orleans.

Beads decorate a light post while a Mardi Gras mask dresses up a balcony in the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Light and shadow play on a tomb in St Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans.

Tipitina’s, New Orleans, La.

Live oak trees and moss throw shadows on a path through Audubon Park in New Orleans on a Sunday morning.

A group of street musicians entertain passers by on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans.

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