Just a Few of the Many Places to See and Visit in New Orleans
New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum - Serving the New Orleans community since 1972 and bringing you a casual and curious experience intended to preserve the legacy of New Orleans' Voodoo history and culture while educating and entertaining visitors. We take all the mysteries, the secrets, the history, and the folklores of rituals, zombies of gris-gris, of Voodoo Queens and all that jazz, and put it all in one place at the heart of the French Quarter.
New Orleans Museum of Art - The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) has one of the biggest art collections in the American South, with an impressive selection of French, Japanese, American, and African art, as well as the Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Visitors stroll the gardens, explore the permanent collection, and attend any of the many interesting temporary exhibits.
Jackson Square - Jackson Square is a historic park in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960, for its central role in the city's history, and as the site where in 1803 Louisiana was made United States territory pursuant to the Louisiana Purchase. In 2012 the American Planning Association designated Jackson Square as one of the Great Public Spaces in the United States.
St. Louis Cathedral, LA - The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, also called St. Louis Cathedral, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and is the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States. It is dedicated to Saint Louis, also known as King Louis IX of France. The first church on the site was built in 1718; the third, under the Spanish rule, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793. The original St. Louis Cathedral was burned during the great fire of 1788 and was expanded and largely rebuilt and completed in the 1850s, with little of the 1789 structure remaining.
The Presbytère - The Presbytère is an architecturally important building in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It stands facing Jackson Square, adjacent to the St. Louis Cathedral. Built in 1791 as a matching structure for the Cabildo, which flanks the cathedral on the other side, it is one of the nation's best examples of formal colonial Spanish architecture (with many neo-Renaissance elements). It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970 and is now a property of the Louisiana State Museum.
The Cabildo - The Cabildo was built under Spanish rule between 1795 and 1799, following the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 that completely destroyed the structure that stood on the property. Designed by Gilberto Guillemard, who also designed the neighboring St. Louis Cathedral and the Presbytère, the Cabildo was the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer in 1803, which finalized the United States’ acquisition of the Louisiana Territory and doubled the size of the fledgling nation. The Cabildo served as the center of New Orleans government until 1853, when it became the headquarters of the Louisiana State Supreme Court, where the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson decision originated in 1892.
The building was transferred to the Louisiana State Museum in 1908 and has since served to educate the public about Louisiana history.
The New Orleans Jazz Museum - The New Orleans Jazz Museum celebrates jazz in the city where it was born. Through dynamic interactive exhibitions, multigenerational educational programming, research facilities and engaging musical performances, the music New Orleans made famous is explored in all its forms. Strategically located at the intersection of the French Quarter and the Frenchman Street live music corridor, the New Orleans Jazz Museum is in the heart of the city’s vibrant music scene. You can hear great music from some of New Orleans best contemporary artist at the $4 million, a state-of-the-art performance venue on the Museum’s 3rd floor. The near-perfect sound environment features advanced acoustics and sound recording equipment designed to enhance the listener’s experience and record the performance for historical archives. The Museum uses the space for evening programs, solo and small group concerts and special events while the National Park Service offers daily live music programs.
The 1850 House - Few places offer the chance to experience the lifestyle of our ancestors from more than 150 years ago. The 1850 House is one of these rare places, offering a glimpse of upper-middle-class life in antebellum New Orleans, the most prosperous period in the city’s history. The 1850 House doesn’t represent any single family’s house, rather, it reflects mid-19th century prosperity, taste and daily life in New Orleans. The house is furnished with art and décor that speak to that era as well, including a set of John Slidell’s china, Old Paris porcelain, New Orleans silver and dozens of notable paintings and furnishings that, taken as a whole, transport you back in time. The 1850 House is part of the Lower Pontalba building. Standing on opposite sides of Jackson Square, the Upper and Lower Pontalba buildings were designed and financed by the Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba. Her father, Don Andrés Almonester y Roxas, was a Spanish colonial landowner who helped finance The Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral and The Presbytère. Inspired by the imposing Parisian architecture the Baroness favored, the distinctive rowhouses were intended to serve as both elegant residences and retail establishments. In 1921, the Pontalba family sold the Lower Pontalba Building to philanthropist William Ratcliffe Irby, who bequeathed it to the Louisiana State Museum in 1927.
Audubon Riverview, LA - Audubon Park is a municipal park located in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. It is approximately 350 acres. The park is approximately six miles to the west of the city center of New Orleans and sits on land that was purchased by the city in 1871. It is bordered on one side by the Mississippi River and on the other by St. Charles Avenue, directly across from Loyola University and Tulane University. The park is named in honor of artist and naturalist John James Audubon, who began living in New Orleans in 1821.
Ogden Museum of Southern Art - The Ogden consists of two main buildings: the Patrick F. Taylor Library built in 1889 and designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and the adjacent Stephen Goldring Hall (named after Stephen Goldring), a 47,000-square-foot, five-story glass and stone building built in 2003. The museum also includes the Museum Store and the Center for Southern Craft and Design. The museum's location is across the street from the National World War II Museum and the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center. The three institutions anchor an arts district serving local residents and over 11 million visitors to New Orleans. The museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate.
Louis Armstrong Park - Louis Armstrong Park is a 32-acre park located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street from the French Quarter. In the 1960s a controversial urban renewal project leveled a substantial portion of the Tremé neighborhood adjacent to Congo Square. After a decade of debate, the City created the present-day park from that land. This park was designed by New Orleans architect Robin Riley and was named after New Orleans-born Jazz legend Louis Armstrong. The footprint of the present-day park contains the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium, the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts and several buildings owned by the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. The portion of the park immediately in front of the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium is the site of Congo Square, formerly known as Beauregard Square, famous for its role in the history of African American music and spiritual practice.
Lafayette Square - Lafayette Square is the second-oldest public park in New Orleans, Louisiana, located in the present-day Central Business District. During the late 18th century, this was part of a residential area called Faubourg Sainte Marie. The 2.5-acre park, is located directly across from Gallier Hall. This noted Greek Revival building, designed by architect James Gallier, Sr., served as City Hall for over 100 years. Known as a favorite gathering spot for concerts and festivals, including the free annual spring 12-week concert series Wednesdays at the Square, Lafayette Square is the second oldest square in New Orleans. It is still used for inaugurations and civic events. Designed in 1788 by Charles Laveau Trudeau, general surveyor of Louisiana under the Spanish government, it is also used for weddings, corporate events, filming, and parade-watching during Mardi Gras.
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 - Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is a historic cemetery in the Garden District neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1833 and still in use today, the cemetery takes its name from its location in what was once the City of Lafayette, a suburb of New Orleans that was annexed by the larger metropolis in 1852. The city's first planned cemetery, it is notable for the architectural significance of its tombs and mausoleums, often containing multiple family members, and for its layout, a cruciform plan that allowed for funeral processions. Confined within a single city block, the cemetery contains approximately 1,100 family tombs and 7,000 people.
Jackson Barracks Museum - The Jackson Barracks Museum tells the story of the Louisiana Militia and National Guard from colonial settlement in the early 18th century to current deployments across the globe. Organized by time period and major conflict you will find replica colonial soldiers uniforms and weapons, a British cannon used at the Battle of New Orleans and a 27-star national flag carried through the 1848 Mexican war. The Civil War exhibits display uniforms, equipment and artillery pieces as well as a rare, late-war letter penned by General Robert E. Lee. The deck gun of the USS New Orleans anchors our Spanish American war exhibit and a 1917 Cadillac staff car and rare Renault Tank are features of the World War I period displays. Our World War II area contains an early war Stuart Light Tank, a Norden Bombsight and actual walls from a WWII building surrounding by barrack’s furnishings and soldier’s personal items. To experience the life of a Louisiana Air Guard pilot you can sit in the cockpit of an F-4 Jet and view the armament it carried. Our latest exhibits feature The LA Guard’s service during Desert Storm in 1990-91, and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Don’t forget to visit the outdoor exhibits of planes, artillery and tanks as well.