Best Arts and Culture Places in French Quarter

"The city’s oldest art museum boasts over 40,000 artworks and objects from across the globe and the ages. But if you’re in town for Mardi Gras, make a point to see their current exhibition on 19th-century Swedish artist Bror Anders Wikstrom, who immigrated to NoLa in 1883 and helped shape the carnival experience into what it is today with his elaborate float designs. Afterwards, take a stroll through the museum’s enchanting five-acre sculpture park."

"Located adjacent to the CAC and The National WWII Museum is the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, a must-see for all art lovers. The museum showcases folk art and the handcrafted heritage of the Southern region as well as contemporary works from Southern artists and designers. Much like the CAC, the Ogden hosts local entertainment each Thursday evening for their Ogden After Hours event."

"The New Orleans Museum of Art is known to be the oldest fine arts museum in the city of New Orleans which is perfect for anyone looking for a cheap but immersive experience."

"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."

"Mid-CityWhile the adjacent New Orleans Museum of Art charges an entrance fee on most days (see below), the glorious sculpture garden on its grounds is open seven days a week and totally gratis to all comers. Meander the footpaths and marvel at over 60 impressive -- and sometimes disturbing -- works of sculpture by a bevy of international artists. When you get tired, you can always avail yourself of mini-golf, beignets at Morning Call, or any other variety of fun activities to be had in City Park."

"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 CAC complex in historic downtown is a cultural leader, bridging the gap between the visual and performing arts by combining exhibitions, concerts, dance and plays. Past interactive events, such as Leverage by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes, had patrons delightedly playing on what resembled a giant see-saw. Upcoming exhibitions include 30 Americans, showcasing the last three decades of art by the most influential African-American artists, and Julian Sands in A Celebration of Harold Pinter, where the actor will share and provide insight into Pinter's little-known poetry."

"Right next door to The National WWII Museum is the Contemporary Arts Center, known to locals as the CAC. This artistic hub hosts a variety of exciting contemporary art exhibits and events. To open the 2018 season, the CAC is presenting “Constructing the Break,” their annual open call exhibition of 29 regional artists."

"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."

"Gracing the main entrance to City Park since 1911, this traditional fine-arts museum draws from classic Greek architecture, with several…"

"The best kind of gift is usually one that is made with love – and this extends to both gifts to others and to yourself. And what is a souvenir but a gift of love from your travels?. So if you’re in Louisiana, consider heading on down to the New Orleans Glassworks & Printmaking Studio to personally craft a souvenir of your own!"

"Arts District/American SectorIt might cost you a few duckets to take a few classes to learn how to blow your own glass artifacts (that of course would never resemble something through which one could smoke something), but watching the master glassmakers at GlassWorks is free of charge daily, and one hell of a show."

"– What is more fun than seeing an experienced glassblower making amazing designs?. At New Orleans GlassWords and Printmaking Studio, you can watch the masters at work. You might even end up buying something from their tax-free studio."

"Located in New Orleans’ historic Julia Row, the Degas Gallery offers fine contemporary paintings, drawings, and photography characterized by vibrant color and surface texture. The Gallery is named in celebration of French Impressionist Edgar Degas (1834-1917), who briefly visited and painted in New Orleans in winter 1872-73."

"One of the pioneers of the contemporary scene on Julia Street, the Arthur Roger Gallery inhabits an architecturally award-winning space that is itself a work of art. Showing both emerging local artists and nationally lauded veterans, the gallery is an anchor of the New Orleans art scene. It expanded in 2008 to include Arthur Roger@434, dedicated to new media artist exhibits, such as digital projections and interactive video."

"Just around the corner from the Ogden Museum is Arthur Roger Gallery, one of the first galleries to open when the city’s art scene was just beginning to bloom in the late 1970s. Now Roger has an expansive roster of roughly 50 artists, including New Orleans natives like Ida Kohlmeyer and Robert Gordy, as well as internationally known artists such as glass sculptor Dale Chihuly and photographer Edward Burtynsky."

"In 1978 Arthur Roger opened his gallery at 3005 Magazine Street in New Orleans’ Garden District. A year earlier the Contemporary Arts Center had opened in downtown New Orleans. The artistic scene in the city was beginning to burgeon."

"Martine Chaisson’s collections of wildly diverse contemporary pieces hang on the walls of opulent high-ceilinged rooms, complete with marble floors and chandeliers. The gallery is located on Camp Street, adjacent to Julia Street in the Warehouse District. You’ll marvel at the big statement artworks, drawings, photographs and sculptures which make a striking contrast to the grand rooms."

"If you’re in need of some inspiration, consider trying these things: Chocolate Frozen Yogurt, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream."

"From the outside, Vaughan's Lounge may not look like much more than another neighborhood dive. Inside, though, are over-the-top decorations and dozens of photos that point to a bar that’s well-loved by locals (it’s been here since 1959). Add in the fact that it’s one of the few places to watch live jazz that isn’t a busy, tourist-packed club or hotel lounge, and you’ve got a good reason to search out this Bywater treasure."

"The Beauregard-Keyes House is significant and worth a tour for its Greek Revival architecture, lovely quaint garden, and for once having been the residence of Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, a New Orleans native who ordered the first shots of the Civil War and remained a hero in the South long after the war was lost. Ursuline nuns used the property from the early 1700s until the 1820s when the new house was designed to combine elements of a Creole cottage with Greek Revival features, including a Palladian facade, curved twin staircases, Tuscan portico, and generous dining room. In 1945, author Frances Parkinson Keyes was looking for a place to write and live in New Orleans."

"The Beauregard -Keyes House museum includes past residents such as Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard and American author Frances Parkinson Keyes. The house has elements of a Creole cottage with Greek Revival features, including a Palladian façade. It also has twin curved staircases leading to a Tuscan portico."