Stallings St. Claude Recreation Center
4.5(81)4.5 out of 5 stars, 81 reviews New Orleans, LA
About Stallings St. Claude Recreation Center
Stallings St. Claude Recreation Center is primarily valued for its structured, supervised activities like dance and ballet for children aged 4-5 and up, operating as a well-maintained community hub with friendly staff and dedicated teachers. It effectively engages dozens of kids in organized programs, but is not designed as a public playground for very young children or for general, flexible public access, especially for swimming.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Children 4-5 years old and older interested in structured activities such as dance or ballet.Parents seeking supervised, organized programs to engage their school-aged children.Families looking for a clean, well-maintained facility with friendly and supportive staff for enrichment classes.**4-5 years old and up**: The center offers 'a load of activities' geared towards this age range and older, including dance and ballet.**School-aged children**: Ideal for youth ballet and modern dance lessons.
Why families love it
- Offers a variety of structured activities, specifically modern dance and ballet lessons, for children aged 4-5 and older.
- Known for keeping 'kids off of the street by the dozens' through its organized programs.
- The building is consistently well-kept and maintained, both on the inside and outside.
- Staff are described as very friendly, and the teachers for the children's programs are 'awesome'.
- Serves as a crucial community resource, demonstrated by its provision of emergency support (AC, hot meals, charging stations) during a crisis (Hurricane Ida).
- Well-maintained and clean building (interior and exterior).
Insider tips
- **For parents of very young children**: If you're looking for typical playground equipment like swings, a playground 'up the street on Royal' is suggested as an alternative.
- **Verify operating hours**: Due to reports of limited public access, confirm current schedules for specific programs or public entry before visiting.
- **Focus on structured programs**: The center excels in organized, scheduled activities and classes rather than spontaneous drop-in play.
- **Do not expect public swimming access**: Swimming availability is highly restricted and unreliable.
Good to know before you go
- Parents with babies or toddlers expecting a traditional playground experience with age-appropriate equipment.
- Individuals seeking reliable, general public swimming access.
- Those expecting a facility with flexible, open hours for drop-in, unstructured play or general public use outside of specific programs.
- Frequent complaints that the facility 'never seems open' for general public use.
- Swimming access is severely limited, described as 'an hour once a month or something ridiculous', and often unavailable due to lifeguard shortages.
- Crowds
- Implied to be well-attended when structured activities are running, 'keeping kids off of the street by the dozens!!'.
- Value
- No specific pricing details are mentioned for activities or general use. While Review 1 references significant public spending, public access is perceived as poor value. Fees for programs like NOBA dance lessons are implied but not stated, suggesting value is in the structured programs rather than free public access.
- Accessibility
- Provides AC and charging stations, particularly noted during emergency relief efforts.
- Safety
- Teachers are described as 'awesome with the kid's', implying good supervision within structured classes.
What parents say
"I don't understand why all this money was spent on a place that never seems open and only allows residents to swim for an hour once a month or something ridiculous. That is if they were able to afford to lifeguard for the season. Sad, serious lack of public swimming somewhere this hot and humid. Not to mention just being open and used as a place to give these kids something to do besides getting in trouble. Almost nothing in this city is all ages. I grew up in Madison WI and everything was all ages. There was at least 5 different community centers all let us try to have punk rock shows a coupl"
a year ago
"My son and I love this place! I saw someone posted about swings and equipment for babies- that's not what Stallings is geared for. It's a rec Center, not a playground for very young children. Maybe in the future they'll have the ability to expand but for now there's a playground with swings and the like up the street on Royal. But, the facility does offer a load of activities for 4-5yr olds and up. Keeping kids off of the street by the dozens!! Keep up the great work Stallings Center!!"
7 years ago
"My daughter takes modern dance lessons through NOBA here. The building is well kept and maintained from the outside. As I hardly go inside, but when I have been inside, it is as well kept as the outside. Staff is very friendly also!👍🏼💯"
3 years ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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