Best History Museum in Storyville

"Head to New Orleans' Central Business District for a look into the United States' contributions to the Allies and eventual victory in World War II, as well as the battle of Normandy. This museum prides itself in providing an emphasis on the American experience during this war and is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, so you can be sure that you'll leave educated and satisfied with your experience at the museum. It definitely should be on your list of places to visit in New Orleans!"

"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 WWII museum is said to be one of the best in the USA and is another great option. Dinner at Bacchanal Wine Bar"

"Our own French Quarter neighborhood offers plenty of history to explore, including some of the best museums in New Orleans. The Historic New Orleans Collection is both a museum and research center dedicated to the study and preservation of local and regional history. They have two French Quarter locations, and at the Williams Research Center (410 Chartres Street) you can visit their exhibit, “African Heritage of New Orleans: 300 Years in the Making,” which tells the story of the “African presence in New Orleans and its development of a uniquely African cultural identity in New Orleans, from its founding in 1718 to the post-Civil Rights period.” The exhibit is open until December 8, 2018, and admission to this exhibit is free."

"French QuarterFounded in 1966, THNOC is a museum, and also a research center that aims to preserve and celebrate the artistic and cultural history of NOLA and the Gulf South. It occupies several beautiful and historic buildings in the French Quarter, making it easy to tour if you’re visiting NOLA, staying downtown, and hoping to stay classy between Hurricanes. Best of all, it’s totally free to one and all (though you might be sucked into purchasing something cool at their gift shop)."

"The Historic New Orleans Collection was founded in 1966 with the goal of preserving the French Quarter area. There are eight different buildings that have been restored and are a part of the Royal Street Complex. The organization has put together eight different themed walking tours that will explore different aspects of the French Quarter depending on what is most interesting to you."

"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."

"Who knew the world of pharmaceuticals could be so fascinating?. At least at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, it is!. What is now a museum was originally the apothecary of the United State’s first, licensed pharmacist, Louis Dufilho Jr."

"It’s also an excellent place to people watch and where a number of New Orleans’ historical landmarks like The St Louis Cathedral, The Cabildo, and The Presbytère are located (with Preservation Hall and The Historic New Orleans Collection nearby). Tons of artists, musicians, and fortune tellers hang out in Jackson Square and in the spirit of disclosure, I spent most of my time here people-watching and eating beignets. However, if you want to be a little more cultured than I was, visit one or several of the above-mentioned landmarks for even more NOLA history."

"This is the second of two buildings that flank the St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square. Created to complement the Cabildo in the late 18th century, the city used this building as a courthouse until 1911. The Louisiana State Museum was then given authority over this building."

"Presbytere is the Louisiana State Museum. It has two exhibits that are always there: The Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond and Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana."

"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."

"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."

"Other plantations in the area to consider are the Laura Plantation, the Houmas House Plantation, the Nottoway Plantation, and the Whitney Plantation, among others. The Whitney Plantation is newly renovated and has an exhibit that focuses on the children of slavery that is said to be deeply moving and emotional."

"The Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum was created to celebrate this neighborhood. So much was lost here during Hurricane Katrina and very few residents have been able to return to their homes even years later. The museum features oral histories from key community members to help keep the stories alive."

"Lower Ninth Ward, naturallyThis neighborhood of New Orleans, East and across the Industrial Canal from the hipster-inflected Bywater, is most notable in the media for two things. Firstly, it was one of the hardest hit by Katrina flooding, and is still one of the last to fully recover."

"Before the Civil War, New Orleans was home to the largest and wealthiest population of free people of color (abbreviated to F.P.C. by the museum) in the South. To understand their journey, heritage, and achievements, schedule an hour-long tour of Treme’s Le Musée de F.P.C.—the only museum of its kind in the United States. The detailed lesson, both profoundly sobering and inspirational, begins with the founding of New Orleans in 1718 and continues to the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision, a case that started in New Orleans and that resulted in national segregation."

"Free People of Color (f.p.c.) is the term used to describe Blacks who were born free or freed before the Civil War. The presence of f.p.c. in New Orleans is recorded back to 1722 and New Orleans was home to one of the largest populations of f.p.c. Le Musée de f.p.c. honors those artists, artisans, entrepreneurs, educators, physicians, journalists, business owners and professionals who made New Orleans what it is today. This beautiful house displays artwork and history of f.p.c. in New Orleans and honors the contributions they made to the City."

"634 Louisa St. This Bywater restaurant is one of the hottest brunch tickets in town. You’ll need to book a few weeks out for the Sunday brunch, and my wife and her friends had to book over two months out for the weekly Saturday drag brunch. The Country Club is not a member’s only country club in the traditional sense, but there is a pool, a poolside bar, and an outdoor kitchen that requires a one-day rate or an annual membership."

"Dining poolside feels like being on vacation and that’s exactly the vibe radiating from the Country Club in Bywater every day of the week. Enjoy chef Chris Barbato’s global menu - don’t miss the silky sweet corn and blue crab bisque and the panko-crusted fried cauliflower swabbed with an Asian sweet and savory sauce. Tables are social distanced so you and your honey can whisper sweet nothings and really get away with it."

"As mentioned earlier in this post, The Country Club is a great place to stop for lunch while you’re exploring the Bywater. You can dine here without a membership, which I highly recommend doing because look how cute this decor is!. And it’s all delicious too."

"This newish gelato spot on Canal at Royal is a game changer for the lower French Quarter, an artisanal, organic chain founded in Paris in 2002. Amorino is located all over the globe, from Casa Blanca to Abu Dahbi, a Euro-style shop with flavors like caramel, chocolate and passionfruit, along with coffee, macarons and other treats."

"Tours run twice every evening (5pm and 8pm) and include visits to the Lalaurie Mansion (where American Horror Story Coven was filmed), LaFitte’s Blacksmith Shop, and more. Our guide had plenty of creepy tales to share and clearly believed a lot of the ghost stories herself, which made it all the more fun. Our tour group was a little on the larger side, but otherwise, the experience was entertaining."

"Wander down to Governor Nicholls Street to see Lalaurie Mansion, once the home of actor Nicholas Cage, and one of the homes used for American Horror Story Coven. There are also other fancy homes like the New Orleans home of Angelina Jolie down this beautiful street."