The New Orleans Lakefront Airport, which officially opened in 1934, is an Art Deco gem. Having heard about beautiful murals housed in the Airport, my parents and I recently stopped by to check them out. While I was outside taking photos of the entrance, we met the new airport director who shared some of the Airport's significant aviation history with us. One of the highlights is that Amelia Earhart stayed overnight in a VIP Suite which is now the Airport Director's Office. Her overnight stay occurred on her way to California for what was to become her final flight. In addition to VIP Suites like the one that Earhart stayed in, in its heyday the Airport housed a dance hall called the Walnut Room, a post office, a surgical clinic, and a restaurant. During the 1960s, the Airport was enclosed in concrete with the purpose of being used a nuclear fallout shelter. More recently during the flooding following Hurricane Katrina, the Airport took on approximately four feet of water.

Now after years of renovation, the airport is undergoing a renaissance and is recapturing its former glory. The second floor of the atrium houses the beautiful murals by Xavier Gonzalez that we had heard about and which the Airport Director said are about to undergo a renovation. Although the murals are what initially caused us to visit, upon entry into the terminal atrium we were immediately dazzled by amazing detail from the floor to the ceiling and everywhere in between. I could have spent hours in there absorbing the fine details and history. The Airport should be on every tourist's (and local's) "must see" list.

Here is a link to the adorable cafe located in the terminal which is open for breakfast and lunch: http://messinasterminal.com.

For more information regarding the Airport see: http://www.lakefrontairport.com/index.html

For information regarding its history and recent renovations see: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/09/new_orleans_art_deco_lakefront.html