Best Museums in River Ridge

"Congress, the National WWII Museum is a popular attraction for history buffs and anyone that wants to explore America’s contribution to victory. Retrace the trail that led from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo and experience the challenging conditions that American troops faced fighting the Japanese. Or step inside the USS Tang submarine and perform tasks to help the crew navigate successfully through its final battle."

"The National World War II Museum is a humongous cultural center that can take nearly the whole day to explore. The museum tells the story of why the war was fought, how it was won and its significance today."

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

"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."

"At this stately museum in City Park, you’ll experience New Orleans’ oldest fine arts institution, which opened in 1911 and showcased just nine works of art. Fast forward more than 100 years, and NOMA (1 Collins Diboll Circle; 504-658-4100) plays host to a permanent collection of nearly 40,000 objects that include photography, glass works, French and American art, Japanese and African works, and much more. Just outside, the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is home to over 60 sculptures by renowned artists from around the world."

"In the 1912 the sugar broker and art collector Isaac Delgado left New Orleans a sizeable grant to establish what would become the New Orleans Museum of Art. The main building went up soon after, to a design partly by Benjamin Morgan Harrod, New Orleans’s former chief engineer, while new wings and expansions followed in the early-1970s and 90s. The collection is huge, with more than 40,000 pieces from the Italian Renaissance to today."

"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."

"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."

"The HNOC is on a mission to preserve the French Quarter and New Orleans history. The space houses seven different exhibition halls with constantly evolving collections. Afro-Creole poetry, French Quarter life, second lines and social aid & pleasure clubs are just a few highlights."

"Experience what getting medical treatment was like in 1823 at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic building, and the exhibits offer plenty of historical curiosity as well. Get a glimpse into questionable 19th century medical practices and step into a recreated physician’s study and sick room."

"This old apothecary shop is now a museum with medicines, surgical instruments, journals, and an 1855 soda fountain. The museum also highlights the role of Louis J. Dufilho, Jr., America’s first licensed pharmacist and the owner of the apothecary. A newly renovated courtyard also contains a garden of herbs that were used for medicinal purposes."

"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"

"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."

"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."

"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."

"The museum moved from its longtime Julia Street home into a new $47.5 million campus in City Park, featuring five interactive exhibits exploring the state’s natural environment, music, and culture. The new campus includes old favorites like the bubble wands and grocery store as well as new additions like a classroom floating above a lagoon and a fog sculpture by Fujiko Nakaya."

"Within the boundaries of City Park, the Louisiana Children’s Museum is a destination for families visiting. See NOLA-based exhibits like “Move With the River” where kids learn more about the Mississippi River from the headwaters in Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a 100-foot water table that helps kids understand how the river moves."

"If you’re searching for what to do in New Orleans City Park with kids, the Louisiana Children’s Museum has to top your list. Kids will delight in playing throughout the indoor and outdoor areas. Outside, your kids can explore exhibits on the water, in the garden, and more!"

"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."

"Confederate Memorial Hall opened in 1891, making it the oldest collection of Confederate memorabilia in the US. It started after resident Frank T. Howard wrote a letter to the Louisiana Historical Association requesting acknowledgement of the Civil War’s survivors and victims. Here, you’ll embark on a journey through the military history and heritage of the South."

"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."

"Managed by the renowned Besh Restaurant Group and helmed by James Beard-nominated pastry chef Kelly Fields, Willa Jean is a modern bakery and kitchen crafting Southern comfort food in an urban-chic environment. The stylish restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with freshly baked pastries and sweet treats, which are perfectly paired with signature Willa Jean blend Intelligentsia Coffee and specialty coffee drinks. Tuck into creative breakfast and brunch dishes of crawfish and grits with poached eggs and cheddar biscuits, biscuits with gravy, fried eggs, and pimiento cheese, and griddled banana bread."

"If you’re in the South Market District then look no further than Willa Jean for your holiday grab and go’s. Assorted pastries and holiday pies like chocolate bourbon pecan plus a menu of savory items round out this year’s offerings. Take the baking stress away and order online today."

"Located in the Lower Garden District, Seed is a modern vegan bistro serving its customers Southern comfort-food classics from grits and grillades (pronounced gree-yhads) to fried tofu po-boys. The best thing about Seed is that non-meat eaters can get a taste of all the traditional New Orleans items like beignets and gumbo. If you’re traveling with folks who don’t appreciate vegan fare, there are plenty of restaurants in the Garden District with meat options."

"Lower Garden DistrictThis vegan spot has just undergone a change of management and has a new look and feel. It's got a cocktail bar vibe in addition to the plant-based breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Breakfast has a serious dairy-free coffee program, as well as dishes like blueberry buckwheat pancakes and sweet potato breakfast tacos (pair with a vegan Vietnamese iced coffee or fresh squeezed satsuma juice)."

"Pralines are also another dessert that New Orleans is known for. They come in a bunch of flavors, but vanilla and chocolate are the basics. Pralines are a sugary confection with nuts on top that melt in your mouth."

"Established in 1939, Hansen’s Sno-Bliz is a family-owned sno-ball (the Louisiana variation of what the rest of the country calls snow cones) stand located on Tchoupitoulas Street. Believed to be the oldest sno-ball stand in the United States, this refreshment spot is famous for its finely-shaved ice and homemade syrups. Today, Hansen’s still creates its own flavor variations every day and makes sno-balls with the original ice-shaving machine Ernest Hansen built in the 1930s."

"Although we were tempted to try popular Sno-Bliz flavors like watermelon and satsuma, we kept our Snoball simple with bright red strawberry shaved ice and creamy milk. Don’t confuse Hansen’s Sno-Bliz with typical snow cones stands and ice cream shops. The Hansen clan has been shaving ice at Sno-Bliz and topping it with homemade syrup since 1934."

"This neighborhood eatery has all the breakfast fixins’, donuts, wings, burgers, and po-boys to keep you coming back all hours of the day. The donuts are simple and delicious, and the price is just right: it’s only 80 cents for regular and chocolate glazed, jelly filled, cream filled, chocolate iced and cake donuts. Honey buns are $1.75, and apple fritters are $2."

"We’ve saved one of the bests for last, as everybody who’s anybody in Louisana knows that Tastee serves some of the best donuts in New Orleans. They serve everything from king cakes and buttermilk drops to standard donuts. And, honestly, it’s all so tasty that you’re going to have to try it all."

"A New Orleans childhood favorite from back in the day, Tastee is well known for king cakes, buttermilk drops, and doughnuts, not necessarily in that order, but some folks swear by the apple fritters. There are two locations to satisfy."

"Even if you’re not planning a trip out to the Chalmette Battlefield for a morning of history, you’d do yourself a service by planning a stop on the way for a morning pick-me-up at Gerald’s, an old-school bakery that sells new school donuts. Their melt-in-your-mouth sweet dough is the perfect base for giant apple fritters, classic glazed donuts, cinnamon twists, and even more fanciful options like the ones that come covered in M&Ms."

"With two locations in St. Bernard Parish — in Arabi and in Chalmette — there's no excuse for not stopping by for a doughnut when out in da’ Parish. Do it any time: Gerald’s is open 24 hours and have a drive-thru window. (The burgers are great, too.)"

"Judge Perez Drive, Chalmette, (504) 252-9498; 6901 St. Claude Ave., Arabi, (504) 277-0030; www.geraldsdonuts.com. Gerald’s Dozen includes any 12 ring doughnuts plus doughnut holes."