Best Museums in New Orleans

"The National WWII Museum is a military history museum that highlights the contribution made by the United States to the Allied victory in World War II. Formerly known as The National D-Day Museum, the National WWII Museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and emphasizes the American experience in World War II. Located on Andrew Higgins Drive in the Central Business District of New Orleans, the museum has several notable features including the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion which boasts exhibits about the amphibious invasions of the Pacific War; the John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion, the Solomon Victory Theater, the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, and the Campaigns of Courage Pavilion. Several permanent galleries document the Home Front, Planning for D-Day, and the D-Day Beaches through fascinating exhibits. 945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130, Phone: 504-528-1944"

"Address: 945 Magazine StreetNew Orleans, LA 70130Phone: (504) 528-1944Website. The museum’s exhibits cover “the war that changed the world” through exhibits that focus on world leaders, events, and the war’s courageous men and women. Stay on the Museum’s campus at the Higgins Hotel and Conference Center, an art-deco style property offering first-class accommodations."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"Set on a beautifully manicured campus in the heart of the French Quarter, you’ll find the Historic New Orleans Collection. This series of historical buildings dates to the late 18th century. It focuses on the culture of New Orleans ranging from the War of 1812 to the jazz age."

"This unique museum was once the apothecary of America’s first licensed pharmacist. Located just steps away from Napoleon House, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum features a quirky array of pharmaceutical and medical memorabilia including antique surgical instruments and apothecary jars containing their original ingredients. Visitors can spend hours among all the medical curiosities and wonders of decades past."

"Some key points to check out in this small zone are: the artists along the street at Jackson Square, St Lous Cathedral (you can’t miss it), New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo, and shopping for antiques on Royal Street. Of course, Bourbon street is here too and always popping even in the daytime."

"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."

"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."

"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..."

"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."

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

"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."

"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."

"Until 2014, the banks of the Mississippi River bordering the city's downtown Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods were essentially unwalkable. The city invested in a large renovation program that's transformed unsightly, post-industrial wasteland into a lovely riverside park. Crescent Park is a mile-and-a-half long and feels very much like a local spot; you're unlikely to find Mardi Gras-beaded tourists here."

"In the French Market District, Crescent Park is a linear park, 1.4 miles long beside the Mississippi. You can get there by crossing the levee and railway via the “rusty bridge”. On the water there’s a supreme view west to the French District and Central Business District, accompanied by lots of public art, a series of mixed-use pavilions, native landscaping and paths for cyclists and pedestrians."

"Located in the French Market District/ Bywater the Crescent Park is another park that people go to. It spans 1.4 miles and has 20 acres of land. It is located near the French market."

"United Apparel Liquidators (U.A.L.) on Chartres is the local location of the original store founded in Hattiesburg, Mississippi back in 1980. Now in three states with multiple locations, including this one in the French Quarter U.A.L. is a great place to browse. The concept is simple: the store trades in overstock from designers, showrooms and retailers at deep discounts."

"Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing. This shopping center is an L-shaped strip mall that comes with a huge parking area. It boasts a good number of stores to shop from, and the best part is that everything here is incredibly cheap."

"Elmwood Shopping Center in Harahan is over 1 million square feet, making it one of the largest open-air shopping centers in Louisiana and one of the highest performing regional shopping centers in the United States. Elmwood’s tenant anchors include Home Depot, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby, Best Buy, Office Max, Petsmart, DSW, Ulta, Old Navy, Cost Plus World Market and Michael’s Arts and Crafts."

"Elmwood isn't an enclosed mall, but a sprawling outdoor collection of department stores, boutiques, big box retailers and more. Some of the big names holding court are Best Buy, Big Lots, World Market, Old Navy, Ulta and Marshall's. As you drive from place to place, there are tons of national and regionally based food places for you to grab a quick bite."

"Doris Metropolitan is sort of new to the French Quarter—it opened in 2013. Quickly establishing itself as a steakhouse extraordinaire, it's been serving mostly meat ever since. The prices are rather high, but they certainly deliver a bang for your buck: Doris is now the place where locals go to splurge on a special night (a six-ounce Wagyu tenderloin goes for $155, for example) and tourists vie for reservations."

"NOLA Brewing Co., 3001 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 301-2367; www.mccluresbarbecue.com. Pulled-pork and pimiento cheese fill a sandwich dressed with lettuce on a brioche bun."