Free Museums in Harvey

"We are really sad we missed the WWII museum in New Orleans, it’s the country’s largest WWII museum and has rave reviews thanks to its many interactive exhibits and even a 4D movie. We skipped because we had such an action-packed schedule we couldn’t commit the few hours we would want to spend inside. We already decided we would be back to New Orleans, so we will definitely make it a priority next time, however, if you have time be sure to check it out."

"Did you know that the #2 user-rated museum in the world is in New Orleans?. And did you know its subject is the second World War?. Or did you know that the architects who won the competition build it were awarded the commission because of the brilliant, multi-building phasing scheme they devised?"

"The National WWII Museum, previously known as The National D-Day Museum, is a history museum delving in the historical events of World War 2."

"The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is dedicated to exploring the showcasing the visual arts and culture of the American South. Located next to Lee Circle in the Central Business District, the museum is associated with the University of New Orleans and features a collection of works from 1733 to the present by artists from or associated with fifteen southern American states, and the District of Columbia. The collection features over 4,000 works of all materials ranging from paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints to photographs, sculpture, wood, and crafts, and notable artists include Benny Andrews, Ida Kohlmeyer, Walter Andrews, Hunt Slonem, Clementine Hunter, William Dunlap, and George Ohr."

"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."

"When the NOMA opened in 1911, it only held nine pieces of art. Today, its permanent collection is composed of more than 40,000 objects, with a particularly strong representation of American and French art. Highlights include works by Matisse, Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Pollock, O’Keeffe and Degas, who lived in New Orleans from 1871 to 1872."

"Located in the French Quarter on Royal Street, this is a New Orleans treasure trove of quirky, well-described historic artifacts (for example, an original Jazz Fest poster, or the "Fair Play for Cuba" leaflets that Lee Harvey Oswald passed out while in town), plus rotating exhibits, local art and photography, furniture, archives and more arranged throughout a combination of preserved buildings, museums and research centers. Entry to the excellent temporary history exhibitions in the street-front room of the Merieult House is free, but to see the best of the collection, the architecture and the history, you will need to take a guided tour, offered several times daily, which might cover the galleries upstairs, or the elegant Williams House on nearby Toulouse Street – a must for anyone interested in design and decorative arts. How long you may want to take for a visit depends largely on whether you just want to have a quick look, spend more time on individual pieces, or are enthusiastic about listening and talking to the knowledgeable staff members (they are very approachable... so approach and ask away!)."

"Founded in 1966, The Historic New Orleans Collection has two campuses: one on Royal Street and the other on Chartres Street. Its Royal Street campus has a permanent gallery on Louisiana history; a hall for rotating exhibitions; and house museum called the Williams Residence—which, according to the THNOC, “is the only French Quarter house open to the public with its original furnishings.”. Its Chartres Street campus holds the Williams Research Center, the Boyd Cruise gallery, and thousands of historic artifacts that encapsulate life New Orleans over the last 300 years."

"Here's your chance to experience and understand the history and culture of the city of New Orleans!. The center is dedicated to the preservation and research of New Orleans and general Southern Gulf culture and history and is located in the French Quarter. Archives include the Sugar Bowl, life after Hurricane Katrina, the William Russel Jazz Collection, and the William C. Cook War of 1812 in the South Collection."

"This unique museum was once the apothecary of America’s first licensed pharmacist. Located just steps away from Napoleon House, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum features a quirky array of pharmaceutical and medical memorabilia including antique surgical instruments and apothecary jars containing their original ingredients. Visitors can spend hours among all the medical curiosities and wonders of decades past."

"In 1804 the State of Louisiana passed a law requiring a licensing exam for would-be pharmacists. The first person to pass this exam was one Louis J. Dufilho Jr. , becoming the first licensed pharmacist in the United States. You can drop by his premises on Chartres Street in the French Quarter, where stacks of strange remedies line the walls in historic apothecary bottles."

"If you’re looking for an off-beat experience on New Orleans history, check out this eccentric museum that is housed in a 19th-century pharmacy. The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum showcases formerly popular medicines, including potions and leeches. A post shared by @melissasemiao on Mar 25, 2018 at 12:16pm PDT"

"Local music fans, neighborhood drinkers, and curious tourists all come to see one of the city's favorite sons, Kermit Ruffins, in action at his namesake bar. Inside has the feeling of a tricked-out family basement, but with Mardi Gras colored tiling. The drinks are cheap, the food is (often) free, and the music flows like the lifeblood of the Seventh Ward."

"Before visiting New Orleans for the third time last fall, I binge-watched the HBO series Treme on Amazon Prime. The show is named after the neighborhood north of the French Quarter, where jazz music was born in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Several of the lead characters are musicians; viewers are treated to a lot of terrific music."

"Are you looking for a great place to watch live entertainment around New Orleans, Louisiana?. If so, you should head on over to Kermit's Treme Mother in Law..."

"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 House is meant to be the best one which doesn’t just focus on the mansion and owners but instead focuses on slavery and is turned into a slavery museum, with the money benefitting descendants of slaves (from what I’m told). I am really bummed I didn’t go here – I thought they might be unethical, then Sam talked to some locals who said this place was legit and totally a do-not-miss. Something to do on the next trip."

"Whitney Plantation, on the other hand, focuses on slavery and what life was like for the slaves living on the plantation. There are personal narratives and exhibits of the slaves who lived on the plantation which can certainly be more emotional but important history to understand nevertheless."

"Louisiana's Civil War Museum, formerly known as the Confederate Museum, is one of the largest repositories of Confederacy-related artifacts and memorabilia in the United States. Housed in a stone Romanesque-style building, this is the oldest museum in Louisiana. The Confederate Memorial Hall Museum opened to the public in 1891 and today houses the second largest Civil War collection in the world."

"What kind of ammunition and instruments did they use against one another?. The Confederate Memorial Hall commemorates the American Civil War by keeping a preserved exhibition of all the materials involved. Here you will get a chance to learn about all of the battles, trials, and about each person that played a vital role in the Civil War."

"Louisiana’s Civil War Museum opened in 1891, making it the oldest operating museum in Louisiana. It is also known as the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum. Here, you’ll find a large collection of historical artifacts from the Civil War."

"The Contemporary Arts Center, housed in a large redbrick building that stands out in the relatively muted Central Business District, is one of the city’s most prestigious spaces for the full gamut of contemporary arts, including painting, film, theater, and music. Exhibits, which rotate every four to eight weeks, can include any visual art form, from photography to sculpture and painting. The featured works are well-curated—sometimes around themes, sometimes around individual contemporary artists."

"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 (900 Camp Street; 504-528-3805) has been in the heart of the Warehouse District since 1976. It is the place to find new and exciting expression in the medium of painting, theater, music, performance art, dance, photography, video, sculpture and more in New Orleans. Love is in the air at the NOMA Sculpture Garden in City Park."

"A New Orleans neighborhood restaurant in Metairie, The Galley has one of the most extensive seafood menus in the city. While other seafood restaurants present a pretty standard set of dishes that do not vary much from the offerings of competitors, The Galley menu boasts a combination of classics and imaginative dishes that you will not find elsewhere in the city. Some of the highlights of the menu include the soft-shell crab platter, seasonally served boiled crawfish, blackened redfish, and Crawfish hush puppies."

"Speaking of our friends from Mardi Gras Day, after our play date at City Park they took us to dinner at The Galley, one of their favorite seafood restaurants in New Orleans. Now this is a real locals restaurant, and popular too, especially known for their crawfish tails!. We dined on a Friday night and folks were lined up out the door into the car park waiting for a table, enjoying a cold beer and a chit chat in the process."

"Located on Metairie Road, Galley Seafood will give you a taste of what real Louisiana seafood should be. Famous for their po-boys, you can find stuffed crab, oyster, or shrimp po-boys along with some house specialties you’re sure to want to try. Of course, you’ll discover quite the variety on the menu, starting with crab cakes or fried calamari for an appetizer."

"The Ritz-Carlton Spa, is a luxurious spa where the soul is nourished, the spirit is revived, the body is transformed and the path to a more satisfying sense of well-being awaits. Revel in nature’s beauty while enjoying their signature service, a “zero gravity” massage performed as you sway gently in a rocking hammock, delivering you into true tranquility."

"First we make the world revolve around you, then we gently slow it down...". That's the mission at the luxe Ritz-Carlton spa, a place where bubbling fountains and expert service set the stage for a welcome retreat. This is by far the grandest spa in town, complete with draped chandeliers and beau monde elegance."

"Spa Isbell is a full-service salon and day spa, that offers you a truly unique “old world meets new” experience, with all of the amenities of a modern salon/spa. Their talented crew has specifically designed each service to pamper you from head to toe, while indulging in the charm of New Orleans past, leaving you feeling completely inspired and rejuvenated."

"The spa is located in a 150+ year-old building, which makes a wonderful mix of historic charm and complete luxury. In addition to the full-service spa including the European-style facials, Spa Isbell has a hair salon. And, it's easy to get to from the French Quarter or Warehouse District."

"The French Market is a six-block-long bustling, open-air shopping center that can hold as many as 220 vendors on a busy day. You can shop for local art, t-shirts and hats and all things Mardi Gras while enjoying New Orleans street music and the aroma of fresh gumbo and jambalaya from the food stalls. The market has a ton of history, having existed on the same piece of land for more than 200 years."

"The French Market is a bustling, open-air shopping center that can hold up over 220 vendors on a given day. You can shop for paintings, clothing and specialty items while enjoying the famous New Orleans street music and smells of fresh gumbo and jambalaya. The market has a ton of history, having existed on the same piece of land for more than 200 years."

"Address: 700-1010 Decatur StreetNew Orleans, LA 70130Phone: (504) 636-6400Website. French Market is a popular open-air market and food hall in New Orleans. The space has permanent food stalls serving local étouffée, char-broiled oysters, crawfish, and more."

"Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing. Are you looking for a mall with fewer crowds?. Cypress Plaza Shopping Center is relatively smaller and only houses a few shops, making the shopping experience here more relaxed."