Boy with the Boot.

Boy and the Boot (race track)

It's strange to see a Boy and the Boot statue anywhere (which is why we like them) but it's especially strange next to the grandstand of a horse racing track (One of this Boy's early nicknames, "Jockey with the Boot," likely explains why he's here). The Boy has been at the track probably since 1907, when the grandstand was built. When it was enclosed in 1997, the Boy was orphaned outside. We get the sense that not many people visit.

The Boy received publicity in 2004 when the race track installed solar panels to perpetually power his leaky Boot fountain. But a year later hurricane Katrina flooded the race track, washed away the panels, and left the Boy in the slightly battered state he is still in today: his foot mangled, his surrounding hedge untrimmed, and no running water in his fountain.

Boy and the Boot Map

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Boy and the Boot (race track)

Address:: 1751 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA
Directions:: At the Fair Grounds Race Course. I-610 exit at St. Bernard Ave. and turn right. Turn right at Gentilly Blvd; Fair Grounds is about a half-mile mile ahead on the right. Park in the lot, then walk outside between the enclosed grandstand and the track. The statue is at the far (west) end of the grandstand.
Admission:: Free

Nearby Offbeat Places

Giant Safety Pin, New Orleans, LA - < 1 mi.

Storyland, New Orleans, LA - 1 mi.

Odd Fellow's Rest, Poor Folks Cemetery, New Orleans, LA - 2 mi.

In the region:

Statue of Ignatius J. Reilly, New Orleans, LA - 2 mi.

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