I grew up spending tons of time in New Orleans and Baton Rouge-although the last time I was in New Orleans it was to go to a wedding in Mississippi, ironically (was also the last time I was in Texas because the only way we could afford two plane tickets and the trip was to drive to LA from SD, fly to Dallas, rent a car, drive through Louisiana and into Mississippi. And we had to do both ends in like no time; we did spend a night in nowhere Louisiana, then beignets at Coffee Call in Baton Rouge, which is 10x better than anything in New Orleans, then a day of eating in New Orleans with some light drinking).
Anyway, the Zoo isn't bad-it has the most beautiful oak tree I've ever seen and they let you climb on it-but their aquarium is even better and I can't recommend it enough. Also, if you can stay at the Crown Plaza hotel, it's one of my favorite places on earth. Very old, so you can take a long bath in a high up bathroom with windows that actually open, so you can listen to the city while soaking. I think I had one of my top five meals there too during brunch, a shrimp & crawfish omelette. They also have a cool rooftop hottub with amazing views, and the most secret garden, little, very vintage pool in a hidden courtyard. And the rooms are really nice. As a kid, I really dreamt of moving there, but I can't stand the heat and with climate change, it is out of the question. RIP Cajun country.
I too am a type A vacation planner. Minute to minute itineraries, multicolor printed tables and schedules on glossy fancy paper, binders. It's extra funny because I'm poor, but I make things work by managing them perfectly. (see the wedding trip)