Best Museums in New Orleans

"Warehouse DistrictSuffice it to say, if you served in the United States Military during WWII, you’re granted free admission to the National WWII Museum, which is a really amazing place worth paying to visit, anyhow. But if you’re not a member of “The Greatest Generation,” but still a US veteran, you can still visit the museum for free on certain national holidays (check the website for details). Again, though, you should pay to check this place out: it has boats, and tanks, and airplanes, and a 4D cinematic experience narrated by Tom Hanks."

"A massive museum dedicated solely to the war that changed the world, The National World War II Museum is the largest museum in the state. Their campus consists of six buildings and permanent exhibits, three restaurants, everchanging special and traveling exhibits, their own in-house theater and much more. A weekend can easily be spent exploring all that the National WWII Museum has to offer, and you’d still barely scratch the surface."

"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."

"If you’ve got an eye for art, you simply have to check out the New Orleans Museum of Art, known simply as NOMA for short. Located in City Park, this museum shows off some of the truly beautiful and historically rich art. This Louisiana museum first began its journey in 1912, when Isaac Delgado, an art collector and sugar broker, left the city behind, also leaving a large financial grant to be used to establish the museum."

"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."

"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."

"This collection will see it’s new home, designed by Waggoner and Ball, open in the fall of 2018. The design includes a restoration of 200-year-old Spanish Colonial structure, the Seignouret-Brulatour House, with an addition to provide gallery space. With a careful eye towards renovation and education, the team used conservators and archaeologists to simultaneously preserve and exhibit the treasured French Quarter building."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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 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!"

"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..."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"A Haiku roll includes spicy tuna, snow crab and asparagus topped with salmon and tuna and served with vegetables, ponzu and spicy mayonnaise."

"Just as Little Tokyo advertises, they offer food for the adventurous and the not-so-adventurous. From the Chicken Teriyaki Bowl to the Spicy Tuna Rainbow Roll, their versatile menu is sure to please. This is one of my favorite lunch places, mainly because I am a huge fan of their Donburi."

"A build-your-own burrito includes a choice of meat (steak, ground beef, chicken, pork, shrimp), vegetables, cheeses, salsa, sour cream and other toppings. Delivery available from some locations."

"In a city known for its fiery Cajun and Creole cuisines, tongue-tingling dishes abound, but the gumbo at this neighborhood stalwart really stands out by combining the two culinary traditions. The resulting dish is “the absolute hottest and most-delicious gumbo out there,” Geoffrey Zakarian declared on Top 5 Restaurants. For this distinctive stew, a spice-laden savory stock is combined with a robust Cajun-style roux, okra, chicken thighs and andouille sausage."

"It started as a neighborhood bar near the horse tracks in 1936. Sixty years later, James Lemarie and Billy Gruber bought Liuzza’s by the Track and turned it into the quintessential neighborhood corner joint and the unofficial gathering place for Jazz Fest. Order the garlic oyster po-boy and a cold beer, served in a large frosted goblet."

"Say it out loud: “BBQ Shrimp.” It’s the most famous dish at this low-key restaurant near the Fairgrounds. Loads of peeled shrimp are swamped in a buttery sauce rife with pepper and loads of bright notes, then the lot is stuffed into a hollowed out roll. It acts like it’s food for one person but it’s sufficient for two."

"A stunning gallery in the French Quarter housing museum-quality pieces ranging from French furniture and impressionist paintings to Dresden porcelain. The 30,000-sq-ft showroom is in a 100-year-old landmark building, and one could spend an afternoon gazing at its walls, which bear such delights as an original Renoir oil portrait of his son and a recently discovered painting by Norman Rockwell. Not to be missed is the newly redecorated impressionist room, complete with original works by Monet, Van Gogh and even a Gauguin."

"Next up is the French Quarter's M.S. Rau, situated at 622 Royal St. With 4.5 stars out of 28 reviews on Yelp, the art gallery and jewelry spot, serving antiques and more, has proven to be a local favorite for those looking to indulge. If you're looking for more, we found these details about M.S."

"Without a doubt, Royal Street in the French Quarter is one of the best places in New Orleans for rare finds and antique shopping. If you’re in the market for truly one-of-a-kind items, then plan a visit to the internationally recognized M.S."