At Audubon Zoo's front gate, near the Membership window, the spot where the Hancock Whitney ATM used to stand now holds a different machine. You put cash in and get a prepaid Mastercard back. The kiosk works the opposite way from the ATM it replaced. It turns bills into plastic, because apart from one candy cart, no counter inside Audubon takes bills anymore.
The change took effect on October 1, 2026. The Zoo's own FAQ now says the Zoo is "fully cashless as of October 1, 2026." The rule reaches well past the turnstiles, though, and the cash fix is in fewer places than the rule. For people who use the park every week, the clay courts on Tchoupitoulas and the first tee off Magazine are where that gap shows up.
A rule written for the whole institution
Audubon gives one reason for the switch, in one line. Payments across its facilities are changing "to provide guests with a faster, more convenient experience." That's the full explanation. Audubon has published no longer statement, and local outlets haven't covered the change in any detail.
What the page lacks in reasons, it makes up in scope. Cards and mobile payments now cover admissions, gift shops, concessions, attractions, experiences, rentals and recreational facilities. The FAQ names specific stops that reach well past the Zoo gate:
- Audubon Wonders of Nature Express
- Endangered Species Carousel
- VR experiences
- Locker rentals
- Golf and tennis facilities
Audubon Park Golf Course lists October 1 as its own cashless date. The Aquarium and Insectarium FAQ says the same thing. One policy now covers a gift shop on Canal Street and a pro shop on Tchoupitoulas.
Two kiosks, and where they aren't
Audubon names exactly two cash-to-card locations. One is at the Zoo's front gate in the old ATM spot. The other is on the first floor of the Aquarium, inside the gift shop. The cashless page lists no others.
Set that list next to the places in Audubon Park where money changes hands outside the Zoo:
| Where you pay | Address | What it costs | Cash-to-card kiosk listed on site? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audubon Park Tennis Courts | 6320 Tchoupitoulas St., next to Children's Hospital | $18 per hour; $160 for a 10-hour book; ball machine $25 per hour or $200 a year | No |
| Audubon Park Golf Course | 6500 Magazine St. | Annual pass $1,500, or $1,400 for Audubon members | No |
| Audubon Zoo | Front gate | Admission, concessions, carousel, train | Yes, near the Membership window |
At the tennis courts, most of the paying already happens before anyone arrives. The Audubon Park Tennis page has players create a free CourtReserve profile, look up "Audubon Park Tennis," and book and pay online. The Tennis Pro Shop is at (504) 895-1042. These are public clay courts, and Audubon Nature Institute manages them for the Audubon Commission. Since booking already runs online, the cashless rule mostly matters for walk-up purchases at the pro shop.
Golf works much the same way. Tee times go through Audubon's online booking portal or the pro shop at (504) 212-5290. The golf page doesn't post a per-round greens-fee table. Besides the annual pass, the only charge it lists is a per-round cart and usage fee. Anyone who arrives at either facility with only cash in their pocket is a walk across the park from the nearest place that turns cash into a card.
How the card itself works
The kiosk card is more flexible than a typical venue scrip card. According to Audubon:
- You insert cash and pick a physical or a virtual card.
- The minimum load is $5.
- Audubon says there's no fee to get the card or to use it.
- Money left on the card doesn't expire when your visit ends.
- It's a Mastercard, so it works anywhere Mastercard is accepted, and you can reload it at participating stores, including Walmart.
The fourth and fifth points matter most. Whatever is left after a Zoo visit can go toward a pro shop purchase on Tchoupitoulas next month, or toward groceries anywhere else. For a household that keeps one of these cards in a glovebox, the kiosk only has to be visited once.
The cart that still takes cash
Audubon made one exception, and it put the exception on the same page as the rule:
The Roman Candy Cart at Audubon Zoo will continue to accept cash until its transition to cashless payments is complete.
The Zoo's dining page places New Orleans' Roman Candy between World of Primates and African Savanna. It calls the company a local tradition of more than 100 years. Roman Candy's own history traces the recipe to Angelina Napoli Cortese, the great-grandmother of Sam Cortese. Sam started selling the candy regularly. In 1915 he worked with a wheelwright, Tom Brinker, on the wagon the company still uses today. After Sam died in 1969, his grandson took over the business. A NOLA.com profile described a family operation. A second cart worked a fixed spot at the Zoo, and the original mule-drawn wagon was linked to Uptown routes along St. Charles Avenue. That profile dates from several years ago, so read it as history rather than a 2026 schedule.
Audubon's wording sets no end date. "Until its transition … is complete" describes a process that's underway. For now, a few dollars in cash for a stick of taffy is the last cash purchase listed anywhere inside Audubon.
Boo weekend is the first big test
The new rules get their first crowd six days from now. Per the Boo at the Zoo page, the 2026 schedule runs as follows.
Li'l Boo Friday, October 16. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Activities for younger children run until 5 p.m., there's an outdoor movie, and last entry is at 4 p.m. If you buy between October 5 and 16, tickets are $32 general admission and $12 for members.
Classic Boo, Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. Tickets are $38 general admission and $14 for members, and SNAP tickets are $8, sold on-site only with eligibility verification.
The Boo page doesn't list event-specific payment or bag rules. The general Zoo FAQ is the guidance that exists. It allows one cooler per family, no larger than 28 quarts, on ordinary days. It also says coolers aren't permitted during large festivals or special events, and it points guests to each event's page for details. Put that together with the card-only counters, and a family that usually packs snacks and pays cash may find both habits blocked at the same gate that weekend. The ticket prices above also show what membership saves. Under the membership options Audubon made available on March 2, 2026, a Zoo-only Individual membership is $70 and Family Basic is $155.
The city's big gates went first
Audubon is late to this change, not early. The 2025 French Quarter Festival went fully cashless and set up a cash-exchange point in the Jax Brewery parking lot, NOLA.com reported. WWL spoke with festivalgoers at the time. One said the change "confuses some people," and another welcomed the exchange booth. Jazz Fest describes itself as cashless. WWNO's July 2026 Essence Fest guide told visitors the Superdome is cashless and sent cash users to an in-venue kiosk.
Those are all gated events with one entrance and a fixed crowd. Audubon Park works differently. Paying venues are scattered across open ground, and much of the park is free.
The free parts of the park didn't change
Riverview Park, known as The Fly, sits at 6500 Magazine Street and is open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Audubon reports that its upgrade is finished, with new restrooms and an improved playground. Work started on August 4, 2025. The $1.6 million project was paid for by City of New Orleans bonds and Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans CityBusiness reported. A sunset on the river lawn still costs nothing, so it isn't affected by any payment rule.
So the cashless switch only touches places that charge. On the river side of the park that means two pro shops, and at the Zoo it means every counter except one candy cart, which Audubon says will eventually switch over too.
Small operating changes like this one are part of what living near Audubon Park actually involves, and they don't show up in a listing description. If you're thinking about a move within Uptown, or you just want to compare notes on how the neighborhood is changing, Tricia King is glad to share what she's watching block by block. Let's Connect.
