Best Arts and Culture Places in Jefferson

"Civil War Museum and Ogden Museum of Southern Art|© Richard Cummins / Alamy Stock Photo. Sitting adjacent to the National WWII Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, this Smithsonian-affiliated museum celebrates the culture of Southern artists through folk art, painting, photography, sculpture and handcrafted heritage, as well as contemporary works from Southern artists and designers. With works dating back to 1733, there’s a permanent collection of more than 4,000 pieces from 15 states, making it the most comprehensive collection of Southern art in the world."

"Having opened in 1911, the New Orleans Museum of Art is the city’s oldest fine art institution. Back then, it had just a few art pieces but has since grown to house over 40,000 objects with a notable collection of French and American art. The museum is also home to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, with over 90 sculptures on display in the 11-acre landscaped garden."

"– 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."

"Behind the museum’s main building is a gated outdoor space in 11 acres of mature parkland enriched with more than 90 works of sculpture. The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden opened in 2003 and at the time of writing in 2019 had just doubled in size with an expansion that included 26 new works, mostly by 21st-century artists. On serpentine paths among pines, magnolias, camellias and live oaks draped with Spanish moss there are pieces by Henry Moore, Deborah Butterfield, Barbara Hepworth, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Robert Indiana, Gaston Lachaise and René Magritte, as well as contemporary sculptors like Katharina Fritsch, Hank Willis Thomas and Jeppe Hein."

"The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is technically a part of the New Orleans Museum of Art, but it’s one of those places to visit that deserves its very own part of this listing since many come by just to visit the garden on its own. Right near the main NOMA building, an 11-acre expanse of garden stretches out, decorated with over 90 different sculptures. The gardens first opened in 2003 and have grown in size ever since it made its home in the rear of the Louisiana museum."

"Just outside NOMA’s front door, find the recently expanded Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, a collection of sculptures set among City Park’s oaks and lagoons. The three-acre expansion includes 27 outdoor artworks. Admission to the sculpture garden is always free."

"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."

"– Located in the heart of the Central Business District, the Contemporary Arts Center is perfect for those that want to spend some time soaking in Contemporary Art and dodging the heat. Every Sunday, the Contemporary Arts Center is free for Louisiana Residents through the Helis Foundation or the Library’s Culture Pass Program."

"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 Octavia Art Gallery focuses on artists whose work is informed by distinct cultural heritage but also vast global perspectives. The staggeringly dynamic paintings pop out from the big white walls as you wander through the brightly lit space on Magazine Street, just off Julia Street. At Octavia Art Gallery, you might catch the exquisite wildlife photography of Joe Zammit-Lucia and the sombre industrial landscapes of Errol Barron."

"Since 1983, LeMieux Galleries has been showcasing artists from the Southern US. It’s a mix of pop-surrealist narratives, vibrant colors and remarkable Louisiana landscapes from painters like Thomas Deaton, Kate Samworth and Billy Solitario. Here, you’ll find artwork which captures the rich atmospheres of New Orleans to take home with you. But if you’re not looking to buy, it’s still worth investing an hour or two to see some of the Southern visual culture on display."

"A beacon of locally made art and jewelry on Frenchmen Street since 2013, this evening market is open nightly from 7 pm to midnight or 1, depending on crowds. Right next door to the Spotted Cat and in the heart of the Frenchmen Street nuttiness, this brightly lit marketplace boasts a revolving roster of serious artists creating everything from sculptures made from flatware to Impressionist style streetcar scenes and inventive offbeat t-shirt designs. This is where locals in the know buy their gifts and art for the wall and wearing."

"New Orleans, LA 70116Phone: (504) 358-8287Website: www.Palacemarketnola.com. One of the best things to do in New Orleans at night is wander the Palace Market on Frenchmen Street. It’s an open-air market, hosted only in the evenings, that displays local art and other artisanal goods under string lights."

"The French Quarter's Dutch Alley Artist's Co-op, located at 912 N. Peters St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the fancy art gallery 4.5 stars out of 29 reviews. The site can tell you a thing or two more about Dutch Alley Artist's Co-op."

"Many of our readers would suggest us to check out City Park while we were posting photos of ourselves in New Orleans on social media. After seeing photos of this place it’s no wonder why this place is a photographer’s dream and has the most beautiful trees everywhere."

"Marrero/French QuarterNamed after famed privateer Jean Lafitte (whose pirate treasure is still totally up for grabs, by the way), Lafitte National Park displays the beauty and complexity of the local ecosystem at its best. And by “ecosystem,” we of course mean “swamp.” As part of the National Park Service, it is free to the public. And though it may be only a 30- to 45-minute drive from the city to the park’s Barataria Preserve site -- spanning 23,000 acres -- entering the preserve is like being thrown into Jurassic Park."

"We started our day with a visit to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve Visitor Center. There are actually six different units within this one park site… The French Quarter Visitor Center is a great place to start your visit and get information not only about the Historical Park, but about the history of New Orleans. A ranger presentation at the French Quarter Visitor Center of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve."

"Named after a famous pirate and privateer who helped defend New Orleans from the British in 1815, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park offers a sight to behold. See the treasures that the park hides as you stroll along the Bayou and learn about Cajun Culture. Find out the different science behind the hundreds of plants and animals that reside there!"

"Arcing around the east bank of the Mississippi opposite Algiers Point is a riverside park laid out in the 1980s and 90s on the site of former wharves and warehouses. Woldenberg Park fronts the French Quarter and is bordered to the south by the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and the Entergy Giant Screen Theater. During the French Quarter Festival in early April the main stages are put up in Woldenberg Park."

"For a day of exploring in the French Quarter, Woldenberg Park is an essential stop. Located right where the Quarter meets the mighty Mississippi, the park begins at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and runs along the water to St. Philip Street. Picnic spots, gazebos, and waterfront benches provide some of the city’s best views of the river."

"For example, at the Woldenberg Riverfront Park is a 16-acre park in front of downtown near everything. Woldenberg Riverfront Park is a wonderful place to go jogging or picnic. You’ll find people playing their music in the park."

"For music clubs and fun, one of the best of the things to see in New Orleans is Tipitina’s, the most famous club for music in the city. It first swung open its doors in 1977 on a venue dating back to 1912, and it has only grown more and more loved since. Tipitina’s is known as the hotspot that every aspiring local musician or performer would love to book a gig in."

"It takes a legendary performer for people to realize the need for a venue in their honor, and such is the case at Tipitina's.[Learn more]"

"The theatre was originally built in 1906 and completely renovated in 2011. The venue is now used for concerts, plays, films, corporate events, and private parties."

"On a rainy afternoon in New Orleans, there's no better place to be than the balcony of the historic Prytania Theatre, cooking up some honest to goodness Hollywood romance with your real-life love interest. Opened in 1915, this charming theater is the oldest in the city and the only single-screen left in Louisiana. Couples can share gelato or a freshly made cappuccino during daytime favorites like Citizen Kane or Some Like It Hot or cuddle up for midnight screenings of cult classics like Rocky Horror Picture Show."

"At more than 100 years old, the single-screen theater in Uptown is a step back in time, with red velvet ropes, balcony seating and family-friendly screenings of hand-picked classic films."

"A post shared by Whitney Plantation (@whitneyplantation) on Mar 29, 2018 at 1:39pm PDT Unless you have a car with you, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to visit a plantation the same day as doing a swamp tour because they’re located far apart. However, if you do choose to do a plantation tour, choose Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum in Louisiana with a focus on slavery. Unfortunately, I did not do my research and visited a different plantation house and was incredibly disappointed that they didn’t address slavery whatsoever."

"The Whitney plantation is the first American museum dedicated to slavery. It has records of memoirs from literate slaves and their experiences. The Whitney plantation focuses on the institution of slavery. The Laura plantation is a creole owned plantation whereby the family tell the history of the their generation."

"If you’re going to visit any plantations, please make The Whitney Plantation a priority. It’s the first slavery museum in America, dedicated to telling the history of slaves in their own words, taken from historical records."

"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."

"– Located in the heart of the Central Business District, the Contemporary Arts Center is perfect for those that want to spend some time soaking in Contemporary Art and dodging the heat. Every Sunday, the Contemporary Arts Center is free for Louisiana Residents through the Helis Foundation or the Library’s Culture Pass Program."