Museums in New Orleans

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  Mardi Gras World

  If you want a real, behind-the-scenes look at New Orleans Mardi Gras, then there’s only one way to get it: take a tour at Mardi Gras World. Mardi Gras World creates many of the big, beautiful floats that parade through the streets every Mardi Gras season in New Orleans as well as around the world. During the tour, you’ll get to see floats and props being created from the ground up, try on Mardi Gras costumes, and even eat some king cake. BOOK NOW 
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  National World War II Museum

  The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world™, and there are hundreds of stories just waiting to be told. This must-see attraction transports you to a time when victory hung in the balance. Guaranteed to move and educate, the National WWII Museum features a 4D cinematic experience, interactive exhibits, soaring aircraft, personal histories, and more. BOOK NOW
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  The Great River Road Museum

  Located less than an hour from downtown New Orleans is the Houmas House Estate and Gardens, home to The Great River Road Museum. Filled with one-of-a-kind collections on the grounds of one of Louisiana’s top attractions, this museum reminds us just how many stories have traveled up and down the Mighty Mississippi over the centuries. Come see exhibits on Native inhabitants, early explorers and settlers, sugar cane, slavery, free people of color, steamboats, commerce, music, folklore, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Historic maps, photographs, paintings, and artifacts, including wax figures, help connect the dots between the river’s past and the Louisiana we know today. This is an especially good stop for history lovers, families, and anyone who wants to understand Louisiana beyond the usual postcards.
  Tip: Pair the museum with a tour of Houmas House and a stroll through the estate’s gardens, then stop for breakfast or lunch at the casual Dixie Café inside the museum. If you only go to one grand estate in Louisiana, make this the one. It’s definitely worth the drive. BOOK NOW 
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  New Orleans Museum of Art

  The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), has almost 40,000 objects as part of their permanent collection alongside a constant stream of touring exhibits. The collection is well-known for their French and American art, photography, and glass. Be sure to venture outside to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden and stroll among another 60 works of art.
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  Old U.S. Mint & The New Orleans Jazz Museum

  The Old U.S. Mint, built in 1835, is the only building in America to have served both as a United States and a Confederate Mint. It was established by President Andrew Jackson to help finance the development of the nation’s frontier. There are several permanent exhibits in the Old U.S. Mint, which also houses the New Orleans Jazz Museum featuring instruments played by significant jazz musicians, sheet music, and memorabilia chronicling the history of jazz from its humble beginning on the streets of New Orleans.
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  Louisiana Children's Museum

  With more than 100 engaging hands-on exhibits, daily art activities and educational and entertaining programs, your kids will stay engaged all day long at the Louisiana Children’s Museum. This interactive learning experience is great for children of all ages.
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  The Presbytere

  The Presbytere, part of the Louisiana State Museums, was designed to match The Cabildo. It opened in 1813 for commercial purposes and then became a courthouse in 1834. It now houses an elaborate collection of Mardi Gras artifacts and memorabilia. The story of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras tradition is dynamically told in a high-tech, interactive, permanent exhibition titled “Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in New Orleans.”
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  The 1850 House

  This historic house, part of the Louisiana State Museums, is furnished with domestic goods, decorative arts and art of the period. It depicts middle-class family life during the most prosperous period in New Orleans’ history.
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  The Historic New Orleans Collection

  Founded in 1966 by General L. Kemper and his wife Leila, the HNOC has a mission of preserving the history of the French Quarter and New Orleans. Multiple exhibits are free and open to the public. 
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  The Cabildo

  The Cabildo is one of the most historically significant buildings in America. It was built between 1795 and 1799 as the seat of the Spanish municipal government in New Orleans. A second floor room, known as the Sala Capitular, was the site where the Louisiana Purchase was signed in 1803. The structure also houses important items such as the death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte and the “founding stone” of the colony from 1699.