Speciality Museums

10:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Tuesday

9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Wednesday

9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Thursday

9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Friday

9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Saturday

9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Sunday

10:30 AM - 4:30 PM

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About

The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center, and publisher with three locations in the French Quarter: * the original location at 533 Royal St. (featuring a a house museum and a self-guided exhibition chronicling the history of Louisiana) * the Williams Research Center at 410 Chartres St. (where materials relating to the history and culture of the area are made available for further study) * the new exhibition center at 520 Royal St., which opened in 2019 and features educational galleries, a French Quarter exhibition, and changing exhibitions. Admission is free. Guided tours are $5 per person. Royal Street properties are open Tues-Sun, and the research center on Chartres Street is open Tues-Sat. In addition to being closed on Monday, THNOC is closed New Year's Day, MLK Jr. Day, Mardi Gras weekend (Sat-Tues), Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve.

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The area

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Neighbourhood: French Quarter

A small and teeming network of laissez-faire living lounged out on the balmy banks of the Mighty Mississippi, the French Quarter has long been a port of call for folks in search of a good time and a great story. Perpetually inebriated Bourbon Street runs across its midriff like a strand of cheap ribbon tied around an otherwise rather pretty and impressively well-kept vintage dress. Throughout the rest of the Quarter, brightly colored Victorian homes and businesses, famously done up with wrought-iron features, provide a distinct and immediately recognizable backdrop for all varieties of fun. At any given moment in this historic riverside setting, some of America’s finest meals are being cooked, most potent cocktails are being mixed, and most engaging music is being performed.

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See what travellers are saying

dctravel
Washington DC, District of Columbia2,338 contributions
Free Museum in the French Quarter
Learned about the Historic New Orleans Collection from a tour guide earlier in the week. We were looking for something to do for a bit on our last day and decided to give it a try. The museum is free, which is a great bonus, and talks about the history of New Orleans. It was a good way to spend an hour or so on our last day.
Visited December 2023
Travelled with family
Written 24 January 2024
jmattgardner
Paducah, Kentucky99 contributions
Free and Cool
I thought this place was awesome. Entry was free and all the exhibits were interesting. They also have a really nice museum store. Great place to learn about New Orleans and grab some cool souvenirs. Guides were helpful and passionate when discussing the museum and the artifacts.
Visited April 2024
Travelled as a couple
Written 4 April 2024
ockerman
194 contributions
New Orleans history in a lovely old building for free!
Spend as much time or as little as you wish exploring all facets of New Orleans history and the revolving exhibits in a cool and comfortable setting. The docents are friendly and informative and be sure to take in the film. The gift shop is excellent as well and since the museum visit is free why not support them with a purchase.
Visited May 2024
Travelled with family
Written 17 May 2024
Rachael C
4 contributions
went for the pipe organ, stayed for the movie
Very cool museum. It's always a bonus when the museum is free! I loved the immersive experience of the theater in the round film. A building with a pipe organ built into the walls kind of blew my mind. Loved this place so much I went back for a second time before catching my plane back to Denver.
Visited July 2024
Travelled with friends
Written 8 August 2024
ellenoftroy728
Chicago, Illinois382 contributions
Engaging, Free Museum
This is a great local museum. It’s free, well curated, and a nice stop to take a break from the heat. I was pleasantly surprised how varied and in depth all the exhibits were. I recommend a quick stop in to experience the beautiful building and exhibits.
Visited September 2024
Travelled solo
Written 22 September 2024

These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5

702 reviews

Excellent

511

Very good

169

Average

17

Poor

2

Terrible

3

Kittygal 🇺🇦 🌻

Los Angeles, CA8,814 contributions

So much to see!

Feb 2020 • Solo

I toured the Williams residence and my docent filled me in on its storied history. It's been gorgeously restored. Also took the special history of Mardi Gras tour, which was quite informative.

After that, I took in two exhibits. Crescent City Sports told the story of New Orleans' special relationship with sports. A photo retrospective by Richard Sexton, "Enigmatic Stream," told the story of the river and the industry it supports in stunning black and white photos.

The cafe and gift shop are both fine places to stop. The buildings are all new and bright and house a treasury of NOLA delights!

Written 5 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cassie B

Washington DC, DC25 contributions

Nice way to spend an hour

Jan 2020 • Friends

The museum is free and had some cool information about New Orleans. We were a little saturated with information after having gone on 3 tours and didn't have much patience for reading, so we went through in about 30 minutes. Definitely a good place to pop in if you have a little extra time, but not a must see. Good for adults curious about the city, some information is on iPads, but exhibits are not very interactive for children.

Written 11 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emily T

5 contributions

Delightful museum

Mar 2020 • Family

We were visiting New Orleans on a tight budget. Our family loves museums and tours, and we have visited them all over the US. Many of the tours in NOLA were cost prohibitive for us, unfortunately.
This museum was fabulous and FREE! There must be generous benefactors funding this gem, because it was filled with incredible artifacts, fascinating information and exhibits that we greatly enjoyed. It was spotless, and we all noticed how nice it even smelled inside. The docents were so informed and knowledgeable of their subjects. We loved learning about the historic organ and seeing/hearing the demonstration. It is one of only four functioning organs like that in the US! Wow. So cool. It felt like we were transported back in time. We went to both locations, which were right across the street from each other. We loved the art and the paintings. This was one of my favorite things we did while visiting New Orleans.

Written 12 March 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lorraine

Horseshoe Bay, TX30 contributions

Duck Decoys were quite beautiful - Main reason we went there.

Feb 2020

We knew of this location, since Dick Stephens donated many of his duck decoys to this Historical Collection and my husband knew him personally. Dick had given him one of his older decoys, so it was a must visit for us. The Duck display cabinets are in the front so that they can be seen from the street. They had several rooms throughout this old house where all the Collections are displayed & in each room was someone to describe what was there to see with information about the collections in each room and who lived there during the 1800's time frame. It was an opportunity to see the construction & period furnishings of this old house located at 533 Royal Street.

Written 16 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emily T

Austin, TX72 contributions

Free, clean and historic (520 Royal Street)

Jan 2020 • Couples

(They have several buildings. This review is specifically for the building at 520 Royal Street, the Seignouret-Brulatour Building and Tricentennial Wong). Stop by here while you’re in the French quarter. We were pleased to find a historical spot that had free entry. (No drinks allowed, so bottoms up). Touches of technology definitely add to the exhibits. In one entrance, there’s a giant digital table with a map with historical markers of the French quarter. Other technology that I enjoyed were iPads with swipe to see before and after images of Gaston’s drawings/paintings. There also was a VR (virtual reality) moment inside a optical viewer with a 1960’s view of the courtyard (don’t know the proper term for this but sometimes at landmarks these exist and are coin operated to look through). The exhibits were nice to browse. We gave it 5 stars because it was FREE to enter, historical and clean. It also was not crowded. Any music lover would be happy to see the Aeolian organ, which was completed in 1926. It is a major deal for organ lovers as only 4 working models (of this kind) still exist in the U.S.

Written 20 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wayne E

Lafayette, LA254 contributions

A LOVELY AFTERNOON

Mar 2023

This is a fascinating place to easily spend several hours. It has brief but informative displays about the city's culture, history, ethnic mix, music, art, literature, politics, and economy. We enjoyed the Notre Dame experience that is here until mid-March 2023, Admission is free, but the near-by parking was $36 for 4 hours! The food was good in the cafe, but a bit pricey ($26 for soup & sandwich).

Written 4 March 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

phvi2617

Anaheim, CA647 contributions

Extensive, interesting exhibits and terrific docents

Jan 2020

This is a collection of several original buildings which house a number of different exhibits on the history of Louisiana and New Orleans. Their collections are extensive and include a number of really interesting artifacts. Additionally, the buildings are a great showcase of New Orleans architecture.

Be sure to chat with the wonderful volunteer docents, who are happy to share their vast knowledge about local history. Best of all, it's completely free!

Written 15 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Princess

Washington DC, DC250 contributions

Can’t miss

Oct 2022 • Couples

Browsing through the photos, I must admit I wasn’t too impressed and I even considered skipping over this attraction.
I still went since the duck room held my interest.
Well, I’m really glad I didn’t skip this.
Honestly I can’t believe this is all free too.

This place is huge, spanning multiple buildings. Tons to see. The duck room is the only room that requires an employee to unlock and grant access. The employee serves as a guide briefly, so no one is left on their own for that particular room.
Unfortunately I had to deduct a star because when we asked to see the ducks, employees would sigh..!

Written 17 January 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Momis

10 contributions

Great collection.

Nov 2022 • Friends

Fantastic museum. I can’t believe it was free. We kept running into a staff member in each exhibit that was giving us all kinds of great information. I didn’t catch his name, unfortunately, but I can tell he enjoys educating people on the history of this amazing city.

Written 6 November 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ChamL

Lynchburg, VA420 contributions

Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Mar 2023

My wife and I visited this museum on Sunday, March 12, 2023. This was our fifth trip to NOLA but first visit to the museum. It is free but you should make a voluntary donation. The museum itself is spectacular, very nicely renovated housing complex with lots of fascinating exhibits over three floors. We were there for almost three hours and did not see everything. In addition to the museum they also have a historic home we did not get to on this visit but plan on visiting on out next trip.

Written 18 March 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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