Free Museums in Paradis

"National World War II Museum in New Orleans|© James Nesterwitz / Alamy. Thousands of visitors walk through the doors of the National WWII Museum on a daily basis, which Congress considers the official World War II museum of the US. Located in Downtown New Orleans, the sprawling complex contextualises the American experience of the conflict through eye witness accounts, multimedia experiences and extensive exhibits including The Home Front, the Pacific and European Theatres and the D-Day Invasion."

"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."

"This vast and still-expanding museum is a moving and well-executed examination of World War II events and its aftermath. Seminal moments…"

"Set smack dab in City Park among the Spanish moss-draped oaks complete with Greco-Roman columns and a charming sculpture garden, the grounds alone warrant a visit to this NOLA institution that’s oozing with grandeur. It’s the city’s oldest fine arts institution and boasts a permanent collection of nearly 40,000 pieces. Not only that, but it’s one of the most impressive and revered fine art collections in the whole of the south."

"Whether you’re an art aficionado or just a lover of aesthetically pleasing works and spaces, then you should pay a visit to NOMA. It’s housed in the center of New Orleans’ City Park, where you can also easily spend a day exploring. The museum features more than 40,000 objects, ever-changing exhibits by world-renowned artists, and is the oldest fine arts institution in New Orleans."

"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."

"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."

"18th century home of Jean Francois Merieult|© Marla Holden / Alamy. General L. Kemper Williams and Leila Moore Williams founded the Historic New Orleans Collection to showcase their various Louisiana artefacts, with the aim to preserve local history. Several historic buildings stand near the institution, with each housing more than three centuries-worth of items."

"Located in a French Quarter building where the nation’s first licensed pharmacist, Louis J. Dufilho, Jr., lived and practiced in the 1800s, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum is a time-travel extravaganza. You can visit independently, but the insightful (and included with admission) 1 p.m. tour on weekdays is worthwhile to hear about medicine’s fascinating, unsterilized history and to eyeball some seriously iffy relics, like lead syringes, bottles once filled with opium-based teething formulas, strychnine-laced cosmetics, and over-the-counter heroin; plus, here’s your chance to view a pig’s-rib toothbrush and a calcified goat’s hairball."

"Right in the heart of the French Quarter, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum contains a huge collection of apothecary jars with original ingredients, medical instruments, surgical tools, and much more. There is information about different questionable medical practices used over the years for people who don’t get freaked out too easily. You can learn more about voodoo potions, opium, and different ingredients used in medicines in the past."

"Structured as a pharmacy back in the day, New Orleans Pharmacy Museum is now a museum with exhibits featuring early medicines and superstitious cures, among other things."

"A Victorian-style mansion with old south design and distinct luxurious charm, it is now used for weddings, as a museum, and also to host frog farm exhibits. With so many things under its belt, it’s hard to imagine that the House of Broel isn’t among the main attractions of New Orleans. The house is named after Bonnie Broel, an ordained minister, a Polish Countess, and the Dollhouse Museum curator."

"House of Broel is an opulent 19th century mansion located in one of New Orleans’ most picturesque neighborhoods, the Garden District. Owner Bonnie Broel has turned her home into an in-demand wedding destination that offers brides and grooms some of the best Southern charm that New Orleans has to offer. For casual visitors, House of Broel offers an off-the-beaten-path gem: a doll museum."

"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."

"Get your dose of nature at one of New Orleans’ two large parks.City Park is larger than Central Park in New York and is home to the New Orleans Museum of Art, as well as several gardens.Audubon Parkboasts the Audubon Zoo and is easily accessible by street car. Either way, both are excellent options for a relaxing afternoon."

"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!"

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

"If you have younger children, a couple of hours at Storyland (also located in City Park) would be a worthy investment of your time. Storyland is a child’s dream come true and a fairytale come to life. The imaginative outdoor spot is filled with 20 larger-than-life colorful sculptures and playscapes in the shape of storybook characters."

"Just like LCM and Cafe Du Monde, Storyland is located in New Orleans City Park. Within the walls of Storyland, your children’s favorite storybook characters come to life!. There are over 25 larger than life exhibits waiting to be climbed on, explored, and played on."

"One of the best inexpensive things to do in New Orleans with toddlers is Storyland. Tickets are less than $6.00/each and children under 36″ are free. Kids will love strolling through this vibrant and imaginative play area."

"Red Gravy serves Italian meals offering daily specials every day. Her restaurant features recipes handed down from her grandmothers, aunts, and her mother. She adds a unique twist to the recipes and she believes in sustainability."

"With both Louisiana specials and classic Northern Italian cuisine on the menu, Andrea’s in Metairie is designedto please everyone at the dinner table and their massive 500-seat din..."

"3100 19th St., Metairie, (504) 834-8583; www.andreasrestaurant.com. Speckled trout Royale is topped with crabmeat and lemon cream sauce. Reservations recommended."

"Built in 1851 by the Jesuits, this breathtaking, Moorish-inspired structure melds Islamic architecture with Christian and Jewish symbolism (including hundreds of Stars of David). Massive bronze doors, soaring Arabesque arches, stunning stained glass (featuring 18 stations of the cross), cast-iron pews and columns are among the church’s many architectural highlights. Of special note is the towering cupola, the marble statue of Mary (originally carved for Marie Amélie, queen of Louis Philippe of France, during the mid 1800s) located above the onion-domed high altar and two Venetian-glass mosaic shrines at the rear of the sanctuary."

"Immaculate Conception church, locally known as Jesuit church, is a Roman Catholic church in the Central Business District of New Orleans. The original church was built on this site in 1857. Immaculate Conception church was built and designed in the Neo-Venetian Gothic style of Gothic Revival architecture, with Moorish Revival and Byzantine Revival elements."

"Funded by the WPA, the City Park Rose Garden, as it was called when it opened in 1936, has been expanded over the years to fit 12 acres of land featuring more than 2,000 varieties of plants from all over the world. In the early 1980s, the space was renamed the New Orleans Botanical Garden, but what has remained are the 10 sculptures commissioned by Mexican-American relief artist Enrique Alférez."

"Also in City Park, you can find the Botanical Gardens, which are between the sculpture garden and Storyland. The Botanical Gardens feature multiple gardens, art and a butterfly walk. Probably the most popular photo spot in the Botanical Gardens is the fountain and its crazy statue, as you can see in the image below from Olivia Penney."

"The name of this sugarcane plantation on the west bank of the Mississippi in St. James Parish comes from the graceful 240-metre alley of southern live oaks running from the riverside to the Greek Revival house. These were planted in the early 1700s, a good century before the house was built, and their twisting branches form a beautiful shade canopy. The house went up in 1837 and has a colonnade with 28 imposing Doric columns, mirroring the 28 oaks in the alley."

"New Orleans has many plantations which, while they all have a past fraught with slavery and horror, offer a slice of Louisiana that make them among the best ways to look into New Orleans’ past. Oak Alley Plantation sits along the Mississippi’s western bank. An alley flanked by oak trees, all planted in the 1700s, runs up from the bank to the home."