Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in St. Charles Parish

"In the south part of City Park is the New Orleans Museum of Art, one of the finest of its kind in the South. The museum features an excellent collection of French and American art, as well as African and Japanese pieces. On site and another of the institutions highlights is the outdoor Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, with more than 60 sculptures, as well as walking paths, lagoons, and mature live oak trees."

"– New Orleans Museum of Art, fondly known as NOMA, is the city’s oldest fine arts institution and opened in 1911 with only nine works of art. Now, NOMA has a wonderfully impressive permanent collection with many beautiful rotating exhibits coming through frequently. Every Wednesday, the New Orleans Botanical Garden is free for Louisiana Residents through the Helis Foundation."

"This five-acre sculpture garden is a park within City Park, and acts as an open-air annex to the wonderful New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA). 90 sculptures—mostly modern and abstract—are set among magnolias and live oaks, framed by bridges and reflecting pools, with world-renowned artists Henry Moore, Antoine Bourdelle, and Ossip Zadkine represented. The lake-set Virlane Tower by Kenneth Snelson is a favorite, as is the familiar Love, Red Blue sign by Robert Indiana, but it’s best to come without a map."

"Located directly adjacent to the New Orleans Museum of Art, the five-acre park provides a delightful instance for exploring the picturesque landscape of live oaks, Spanish moss, and lagoons. The 64 sculptures are, of course, another strong reason to venture to the garden. Location: 1 Collins Diboll CirArchitect: Lee Ledbetter Architects, Sawyer/Berson Architecture And Landscape ArchitectureDate: 2003Contact: https://noma.org/sculpture-garden"

"The sculpture garden that sits just outside the New Orleans Museum of Art is a wooded quilt of streams, pathways, lovers' benches and, of course, sculpture, mainly of the modern and contemporary sort. During spring and summer, theatrical productions are often put on here, but it's a lovely spot for a stroll any time of year."

"Warehouse DistrictFounded in 1976 with a mission focused on the cutting edge of art and performance, operated by artists and performers, the CAC has become an important institution in the New Orleans art world, with a focus not just on visual and performing arts, but also on arts education as well. Basically, it’s pretty great. And, if you happen to have a Louisiana state ID, you can check it all out on Sundays for no charge."

"The CAC has free admission for Louisiana residents on Sundays courtesy of the Helis Foundation. The museum focuses on multi-disciplinary programming and rotating exhibits."

"If you like arts and culture, you might enjoy a trip to the New Orleans Museum of Arts aka NOMA. Here you’ll find art work from famous artists like Picasso, Joan Miro, Georgia O’ Keffe, and also some local Louisiana artists. The art exhibition are divided into arts from different regions of the world. NOMA has a nice cafe, a cute garden to enjoy a picnic and a lake behind to kayak."

"Located in the center of City Park is NOMA, New Orleans Museum of Art which the building itself is beautiful holding a permanent fine art collection of over 40,000 pieces. We will be checking this out on our next trip as well!"

"Take the famous St. Charles Streetcar to Central City to visit the McKenna Museum of African American Art. The museum’s mission is to make African Diasporan fine art available and accessible to visitors of all ages. They work to preserve the culture of the African American community in Louisiana."

"The McKenna Museum is a fine art institution with a direct focus on African Diasporan pieces. In addition to their collection, McKenna offers a range of diverse programming such as guest speakers, workshops and book readings to further their mission and work."

"After voodoo (or vodou) came to New Orleans in the 1700s—first via West African slaves, then with Haitians after the Haitian Revolution—it entwined with the city’s identity. Which is why, since the 1970s, a French Quarter visit has been deemed incomplete without a stop at the tiny Historic Voodoo Museum. If it’s lore you seek, you’ll find it here."

"Decatur Street is, in many ways, one of the main drags of the French Quarter, and is home to some of New Orleans’ most popular restaurants (don’t worry, we’ll get to those in the food section below). You can also find souvenir shops, tour companies, donkeys hooked up to carriages offering rides, and just about any other tourist staple you can think of here."

"Be sure to take as much time as possible during your 3 days in New Orleans exploring the historical district of the French Quarter. You’ll be enamored by the gorgeous buildings with covered porches and balconies overlooking the gas lamp lit streets."

"What you're getting: The Do’sant You have to give it to Manhattanjack for being the first in town to mimic the Cronut (™) with its “Do’sant,” which is likely just as good as the one your cousin is waiting four hours in line for in New York. You also have to give it up for its excellent coffee and breakfast sandwiches."

"On picturesque Prytania Street, this bakery specializes in their own confections, cookies, and other baked goods — but their donuts are delivered fresh every morning by way of Tastee Donuts. Choose from regular glazed, chocolate iced, blueberry, and chocolate cake donuts, along with their famous buttermilk balls."

"611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 323-4259; 5001 Freret St., (504) 603-3085; www.blazepizza.com. The build-your-own-pie format allows diners to choose sauces (tomato, spicy tomato, garlic-pesto or cream sauce), cheeses (mozzarella, feta or Gorgonzola), meats, vegetables and more."

"For your pizza pleasure, we recommend the Veg Out, topped with zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, and red sauce dollops. And you can get vegan cheese at no extra cost!"

"It started as a neighborhood bar near the horse tracks in 1936. Sixty years later, James Lemarie and Billy Gruber bought Liuzza’s by the Track and turned it into the quintessential neighborhood corner joint and the unofficial gathering place for Jazz Fest. Order the garlic oyster po-boy and a cold beer, served in a large frosted goblet."

"In a city that's po'boy proud, Liuzza's at the Track stands out from the crowd, thanks to the house specialty, a buttery, Worcestershire-fueled gi-normous portion of gulf shrimp slathered between a hot and crusty roll. It's called barbecue shrimp, but there's really nothing barbecued about it. Save room for the gumbo."