The city of New Orleans presents more than the lively atmosphere of Bourbon Street; it has a rich culture and history. The best way to glimpse into its culture and heritage is by visiting some of the best museums in New Orleans.
The museums of New Orleans are renowned for their beauty and cultural significance. The entire month of August is celebrated and dedicated as Museum Month.
1. The Best Of The Museums In New Orleans
1.1. The National World War II Museum
The National WWII Museum’s Center for Collections and Archives offers a special tour of the museum where visitors can see rare artifacts that provide insight into the American experience during World War II, the tour is led by guides.
The National World War II Museum is not just the best museum in New Orleans but the world. and it has been expanding its exhibits since it opened in 2000.
Some exhibits include the Arsenal of Democracy, the Road to Tokyo, the Road to Berlin, Beyond All Boundaries, the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Gallery, the U-2 Battlefront, and much more.
Also, there is a Boeing Center with a jaw-dropping collection of aircraft, and now the Higgins Hotel and Conference Center. If you come into town, put some time aside to visit and tour the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
1.2. New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA)
NOMA is the city’s oldest fine arts institution. It opened on December 16, 1911, with only nine works of art. Today, the museum has over 40,000 objects in its impressive permanent collection.
The New Orleans Museum of Art collection is noted for its extraordinary strengths in French and American art, photography, glass, and African and Japanese works. It continues to expand and grow, which solidifies NOMA as one of the top art museums in New Orleans.
And what is outside the museum can be even more impressive than what is inside, and that would be the City Park Sculpture Garden.
Situated on a sprawling twelve-acre site, the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture at NOMA stands as a significant installation of sculptures within the United States.
This garden occupies approximately 11 acres adjacent to the museum. A typical sculpture garden is located within a mature existing landscape of pines, magnolias, and live oaks, surrounded by two lagoons.
Conceived in 2003, the garden doubled its size in 2019 has grown from its inception, and has more than 90 sculptures. And It is free! You pay for the museum, but the sculpture garden is free.
1.3. New Orleans Jazz Museum
If you are coming to New Orleans or visiting and trying to learn about the history, visit the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
The museum is situated within the area of the former United States Mint. and is conveniently situated where the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street Live Music corridor meet.
The jazz collection chronicles celebrate the music and careers of the men and women who created, enhanced, and continue in New Orleans jazz music tradition at the local, national, and international levels.
It consists of instruments, tutorials, sheet music, photographs, records, tapes, manuscripts, and all kinds of other items, ranging from Louis Armstrong’s first cornet to a 1917 disc of the first jazz recording ever made.
The museum includes the world’s largest accumulation of instruments owned and played by important figures in jazz – trumpets, cornets, trombones, clarinets, saxophones, they’ve got it all.
It is a great start or finish to any day, as it sits as an anchor point to the French Quarter. You can either start there in the morning and then work your way along or have that as your pinnacle at the end of the day and it is also a part of the Louisiana State Museum system.
1.4. The Pharmacy Museum
The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum is located in the French Quarter at 514 Chartres Street.
It is a step back in time, as it was the home and business of the first licensed pharmacist in America. It began operating in 1826 and has exhibits that show globes, opium, perfumes, cosmetics, voodoo potions, questionable medical practices, surgical instruments, soda fountains, prescriptions, and compounding agents from that period.
You can buy soda and opium from the same place. It only costs five dollars for a self-guided tour, and it’s something you won’t want to miss.
1.5. The Backstreet Cultural Museum
Officially opened its doors in 1999. However, the origins can be traced back three decades to when a man, who was photographing the Frances Parade with the Gentlemen and Leisure Social Aid and Pleasure Club, requested Frances to pay thirty-five dollars for his photograph.
To avoid such costs in the future, he bought both a Super 8 camera and a still camera and began documenting carnival celebrations, second-line parades, and jazz funerals throughout the area.
Today, The Backstreet Cultural Museum holds the world’s most comprehensive collection related to New Orleans African-American community-based masking and processional traditions, including Mardi Gras Indians, jazz funerals, social and pleasure clubs, baby dolls, and skull and bone gang.
Situated in the Treme neighborhood, just blocks from Armstrong Park, this is one of those places you will never discover unless a local or someone who has been there before tips you off to it.
1.6. The Cabildo And The Presbytère museums in New Orleans
Technically, these are two separate museums with different things to see, but since they bracket the St. Louis Cathedral, Let us start with the Cabildo. This building has had a hard but interesting life all on its own. It has exhibits about the history of Louisiana from its settlement through the Reconstruction era and about the heritage of the ethnic groups who have lived in this state.
If we move down to the Presbytère in the French Quarter, it has two permanent exhibits that tell two sides of an ongoing Louisiana story, one of celebration and one of resilience.
First is Mardi Gras World. It is a carnival event, giving you a look at Mardi Gras history, throws, and costumes, and once you finish with that, you move on to living with hurricanes, Katrina, and beyond. This exhibit tells of the rescue, rebuilding, and renewal of the city of New Orleans.
If you see these two museums, both part of the state museum system, in that order, you will get a great look at New Orleans history, love, and loss.
1.7. The Children’s Museum
After more than 30 years in downtown New Orleans, The Children’s Museum up and moved on us.
The Children’s Museum campus features 8.5 acres of interactive programming and exhibits, themed activities, and education centers, with outdoor space, and several unique and local touches, They moved to City Park into a brand-new 56,000-square-foot location on a lagoon.
In the Lagoon Building, There are book store bad toys, a literacy center, a parent-teacher resource center, and a cafe. They serve both kid-friendly and adult dishes.
The Play Building has five interactive galleries covering literacy, health, environment, and arts for a fun and educational experience.
Families with young kids will love the Play With Me section, featuring the Sensory Lagoon and Cypress Tree Book Nook for little ones to explore and learn.
Follow That Food is a vast culinary journey through Louisiana, from field to table, offering a comprehensive food adventure.
Dig Into Nature lets you discover Louisiana’s diverse ecosystems, with attractions like the Nature Caring Station to learn about the environment.
Make Your Mark celebrates New Orleans’ rich culture and art. You can create your art and immerse yourself in the city’s creative heritage.
Move With the River focuses on the journey of the Mighty Mississippi River, giving the importance of water as a resource and its regional significance.
1.8. Confederate Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall House is one of the largest collections of Civil War memorabilia in the country. The vast batch includes over one hundred Confederate flags, a large array of military uniforms, and numerous rare Louisiana-made swords and guns. Many of the items were donated by former soldiers who used them or by their immediate family.
This hall contains over 5,000 historical artifacts, including several rare Civil War items. It holds the personal effects of Braxton Bragg and PGT Beauregard and over 140 regimental and other Confederate state flags. It doesn’t matter if you are from the North or the South, to appreciate the deep historical importance of this museum in New Orleans.
1.9. Southern Food And Beverage Museum
The Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB) in the French Quarter, was started in 2004 by Elizabeth Williams.
The first official SoFAB exhibit was about the history and impact of food and drinks in New Orleans. For the exhibit, the museum borrowed artifacts for the first event. After the exhibit, people started donating their family artifacts to the museum.
The museum’s mission is to explore the culinary history of the American Southern states and explain the roots of southern food and drink. The museums have hosted many exhibits, cooking classes, demonstrations, and tastings.
Their exhibits focus on every aspect of food in the South, from the cultural tradition to the basic recipes and communities formed through this food.
The museum has a gift shop that has everything from Southern goods done by artisans, cookbooks, cooking appliances, and old and modern cocktail tools.
1.10. The Historic New Orleans Collection(THNOC)
The Historic New Orleans Collection was founded in 1966 in the French Quarter, THNOC is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to preserving the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South.
They have played a huge role in increasing the understanding of the diverse historical background of the region among the locals and visitors.
This has been achieved through the presentation of intellectually thought-processing exhibitions, the publication of original books, periodicals, and articles, as well as the establishment of a public research center.
THNOC provides a schedule of events and options for educational materials suitable for both educators and students at all academic levels
The museum has many exhibits, both permanent and rotating. The art, history, and ability to research make this French Quarter worth the time to visit.
1.11. Ogden Museum Of Southern Art
The Ogden Museum is situated in the Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, famous for housing the most extensive collection of Southern art in the world.
The museum is regarded highly for its original exhibitions, public events, and educational programs that explore the evolution of visual art in conjunction with Southern traditions of music, literature, and culinary heritage. Established in 1999, the museum has been in Stephen Goldring Hall at 925 Camp Street since 2003.
With an impressive annual visitor count of over 85,000, the Ogden Museum attracts many audiences through its many options of programming, including exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, and concerts.
These initiatives align with the museum’s mission to expand knowledge, understanding, interpretation, and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.
1.12. The George And Leah McKenna Museum Of African-American Art
The Mckenna Museum of African American Art is a history museum that pays homage to the legacy of New Orleans’s free people of color. The location shares the untold stories of New Orleans’s African-American culture and history through many series of artwork and artifacts.
It aims at preserving and interpreting Black visual aesthetics in North America and beyond as it seeks to make African fine art accessible to people of all ages through engaging exhibits.
The George & Leah McKenna Museum also hosts special events, programs, and functions like Weddings & Receptions, Film Screenings, Meetings and Seminars, Family Reunions, and many more
1.13. The New Orleans Voodoo Museum
One of the most unique and interesting museums in New Orleans is the Voodoo Museum, Since 1972, the museum has been a permanent fixture in New Orleans and a popular destination for locals and overseas tourists.
The museum houses a collection of historic voodoo relics, paintings, sculptures, and other artifacts that give visitors a look into the history of voodoo, Marie Laveau, zombies, voodoo with jazz and Mardi Gras, the altar room, and more.
Visitors can also view handmade voodoo dolls, gris-gris(talisman) bags, love potions, books, and curios. The Voodoo Museum also has a walking cemetery tour to nearby St. Louis Cemetery (also known as the City of the Dead). The tomb of Marie Laveau and Congo Square and other features are included in these tour packages, which are scheduled daily.
The Voodoo Museum also has a shop that offers visitors talismans, and tribal masks, items to help them learn about the practices of spiritual ceremonies. There are also spiritual and psychic readings available every day.
2. Conclusion
New Orleans has a variety of museums that will pique people with different interests and knowledge. It is so extensive that an entire month is dedicated to them. In August, The city celebrates Museum Month in New Orleans by offering special deals and discounts for those who love museums.
The museums in New Orleans have a history with deep-rooted stories of the South, American war, jazz, and food. To experience and learn the culture, visiting the museums around the city is an absolute must.
