Top 10 New Orleans Museums
New Orleans is a city filled with a rich culture and history, and its many museums have taken responsibility to preserve that culture and history. From art exhibitions to war and history museums, there is a museum for every taste.
Here are 10 museums that best preserve the city for future generations.
1. National World War II Museum
925 Magazine St., (504) 528-1944
This gigantic campus is impossible to miss and has rightfully earned the title of New Orleans' top attraction multiple times. The National World War II Museum features permanent, expansive exhibits on the European and Pacific Theaters in World War II, as well as a 4D movie experience called Beyond All Boundaries that puts you as close to the action of the war as possible. It also offers live entertainment with the Victory Belles, who regularly dance to and perform '40s music. Tickets start at $27 for general admission, with add-ons available for a Beyond All Boundaries viewing, the Freedom Pavilion, and more.
2. New Orleans Museum of Art
1 Collins C. Diboll Circle, (504) 658-4100
New Orleans' City Park is full of natural beauty, and the New Orleans Museum of Art adds artistic beauty to the already stunning surroundings. NOMA brings together modern art with Old World works from across the world, with current exhibits showcasing Peru, Bolivia, and France. The museum also features a delicious restaurant and robust gift shop filled with art pieces, books, and trinkets to decorate the house. Adult tickets are $23 with discounts for special groups and free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday.
3. Ogden Museum of Southern Art
925 Camp St., (504) 539-9600
If you want a more local/regional feel in addition to NOMA, try the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. This jewel on Camp Street is located in the heart of one of the South's greatest cities. The museum showcases multiple high-quality galleries and exhibitions focused on Southern art, such as the annual HBCU Art Showcase. Visitors can do more than look as the Ogden Museum hosts art classes for all ages and regularly scheduled art talks. Adult tickets are $15 with discounts for special groups and children, and Louisiana residents receive free entry on Thursdays.
4. Contemporary Arts Center
900 Camp St., (504) 528-3805
Founded by artists, for artists, the Contemporary Arts Center works with young artists in addition to its classes and open studio. The center regularly hosts readings, educational talks, and artistic performances and includes an ever-changing art gallery. Although the center is filled with fine arts, there is programming for the kids on Sensei Saturday, an art class designed for children 10 and under.
5. Pharmacy Museum
514 Chartres St., (504) 490-6263
New Orleans is one of the world's oddest cities, and the Pharmacy Museum only adds to its oddity. Founded in 1950, the Pharmacy Museum houses more than 10,000 medical and pharmaceutical objects dating from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. In addition to the thousands of pharmaceutical and medical objects, the museum showcases pharmaceutical recipe books, medication advertisements, and files from historic Louisiana pharmacies. The Pharmacy Museum is open for self-guided tours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and closed for guided tours, which must be booked in advance, on Sunday and Monday. General admission tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students, military, people with disabilities, and senior citizens, as well as free for children 6 and under.
6. New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum
724 Dumaine St., (504) 680-0128
The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum is different than almost every other on this list, letting you truly experience Voodoo in New Orleans. Visitors can enjoy more than just exhibits; they can also explore important Voodoo-related attractions throughout the city on a walking tour, as well as secure psychic readings, consultations, special gris-gris, rituals, and ceremonies through the museum. Tickets start at $8 for students, active military, and senior citizens and $10 for adults.
7. New Orleans Jazz Museum
400 Esplanade Ave., (504) 568-6993
The New Orleans Jazz Museum showcases its love for the music that made New Orleans, featuring exhibits on jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong and an exhibit on the historic Congo Square. Located in the former U.S. Mint on the edge of the French Quarter, the New Orleans Jazz Museum flexes its dedication to preserving history. The museum also houses an exhibit on money featuring a "money" jukebox, filled with 7-inch vinyl records with songs about money, as a nod to the building's history as a mint. Children under 6 visit free; tickets for students, senior citizens, and active military are $9, and tickets for adults are $11.
8. The Historic New Orleans Collection
520 Royal St., (504) 523-4662
Go back in time as you learn about the people, things, and events that shaped one of America's most diverse cities and regions. The Historic New Orleans Collection works to preserve the history of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Ongoing exhibits focus on French Quarter life and history, the disappearing Louisiana Gulf Coast, and more. Temporary exhibits include American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition and New Orleans Musicians in Art, with new exhibits coming this fall. The Historic New Orleans Collection is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, with free admission each day.
9. Lower 9th Ward Living Museum
1235 Deslonde St., (504) 220-3652
leonatatefoundation.org/lower-9th-ward-living-museum
Celebrate the history of one of New Orleans' most storied neighborhoods. Dr. Caroline Heldman and Ian Breckenridge-Jackson founded the museum in 2011 in hopes of preserving the Lower 9th Ward's culture after many residents failed to return following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Listen to oral histories from residents and learn of the key events that helped to shape the Lower 9th Ward. The museum is open from 12 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
10. Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
818 Howard Ave., (504) 384-2480
Experience the life, happiness, and hardships of one of the South's smallest but mighty cultural groups at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. Transport yourself back to the late 19th century as many Jewish immigrants try to find their way in a majority-Christian South, then learn how Jewish students at premier Southern universities such as Tulane made a community. Begin your trip with an orientation film, then move to the stories of immigration, the history of Jewish practices in the South, and end your trip with an exhibition of everyday life for Jewish people in the South as they navigated the Holocaust, civil rights, and anti-semitism. Tickets start at $16.90 for adults, with discounts for students, active military, children, and senior citizens.
