The Historic New Orleans Collection

I made the mistake of going to the Pharmacy Museum first, which is a fascinating place from top to bottom, so it’s gonna be hard for any other N.O. museum to compete. This place has plenty to look at, when I was there they had an exhibit on «12 important women from New Orleans» which dealt mostly with female political and social activist figures from the area. The most interesting area to me was the wing full of artworks on the theme of slavery, some really emotionally gripping stuff in there. I believe the museum is free so there’s no reason not to check it out, but I would definitely hit the Pharmacy Museum as well if you’re into historical stuff.

For so many years we just walked on by not realizing #1 that this was a museum and #2 it’s free. Now I feel like a dumba$$ for not figuring this out sooner. We spent a very entertaining morning here and learned so much about New Orleans and Louisiana history. I still feel like we barely scratched the surface, so I will be back. More than once… did I mention it was FREE? I believe the downstairs exhibit rotate — was filled with a famous architect named Williams when we were there. And there’s a fab gift shop you won’t want to miss. So don’t be a dumb@ss like I was and walk on by. Go now… and go often!

I took a Down Low pic of this pic from the pictures of Katrina gallery. If you don’t find your way far from bourbon street you should learn of the ruins that were left of this classic city. Really moving and powerful.

Go straight upstairs to the free exhibits about Louisiana History. Museum volunteer was extremely knowledgeable and I can see why people think this is a gem museum of French Quarter. So many historical relics, with great explanations.

We spent a full half day at the Collection and enjoyed every moment. The highlight was the New Orleans history museum upstairs. The documents and objects are exceptional and very well curated and exhibited. Our guide was very knowledgeable, as were the staff at reception and in the bookshop. We came away with a much better understanding of N.O. and American history. Clearly a superbly well run institution.

Beautifully and carefully curated collection preserving New Orleans history by a group of dedicated professionals, free and open to the public! Highly recommend to locals and tourists alike

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— Great exhibit for something that’s free
— You can easily spend over and hour in here
— Did I mention it’s free
— If that doesn’t convince you, the scenery in the courtyard makes it worth at least a check out

How can you not love this free, richly detailed museum? The building is beautiful, and it is packed with fantastic information. The staff clearly love what they do and won’t hesitate to answer any of your questions. Their New Orleans pride is palpable.

If you are not familiar with Louisiana/​New Orleans history, do yourself a favor and stop by this museum before you go and explore the city. If you know your history, stop by to look at such artifacts as the Louisiana Purchase papers and many more. The museum’s curators are happy to tell you the story of each exhibited item. It is free and everyone is welcome.

This museum was incredible, in addition to being free. The exhibits were well thought out and well curated, they gave you a real sense of the history of this amazing city. Also, I have never been to a museum where there were so many knowledgeable people willing to talk to you for so long. This was not an average museum tour where the guide says prescript-​ed and robotic sounding things about the artifacts but a genuine conversation about the city and its history where the docent could answer any question we thought of. The museum is pretty small and we spent 90 minutes there, it was not nearly enough time.

A nice little museum but DO NOT bring young children!!! They followed us around like we were lepers. I felt incredibly unwelcome!!! However since it’s free there’s really no one and nothing to complain about…

The Historic New Orleans Collection is located north of New Orleans and once you’re up then you have LA before his feet. The observatory is recommended at night because you can see very very beautiful skyline of New Orleans. The Hollywood Sign is also grant from the observatory good and clear. With permanently mounted binoculars can beweundern the city and identify new targets. A Kamara is aufjedenfall recommended.

One of the best museums in New Orleans and its FREE. Right now they have the slave trade exhibit running and it is a must see if you haven’t been already. You will not leave there without being moved. Fun and educational for tourists and locals alike.

This was a really pleasant surprise. Our last trip to New Orleans, we decided to try and find unusual spots we may have missed in the past. This was one such spot. They had some really beautiful art, artifacts, and location. It is worth a little bit of your time to make the stop!
Drop a few bucks in the donation box, we need to keep places like this going!

As a student of early American History, I found this small museum to be outstanding. We were fortunate to be there when they had a special collection of Andrew Jackson materials — journals, portraits, maps, etc.
They have a great exhibit of early American portraits that I’ve not seen the likes of in small museums before. They do have a second floor of permanent exhibits we did not go up to see, but I understand it would have been worth it.

Very nice free museum and the docents are all very knowledgeable and willing to share info. There are LOUISIANA PURCHASE documents, Degas family photos, along with Jackson and much more.
It worth the time to stop and see a little history while in NOLA.
This museum had a quick great overview.

This free museum is right in the middle of the French Quarter. They have a great permanent exhibit on the Bowell Sisters who never received the recognition they deserved as a singing trio. There is a nice collection of historical items on the 2^nd floor that provides an informative timeline of New Orleans history.

While we are not BIG history buffs, we thoroughly enjoyed the overview of New Orleans founding and history.
We were using a phone app for details, but there were also hosts in each gallery eager to chat with you about their city and its past.
A don’t miss as far as we were concerned

The Historic New Orleans Collection is a FREE set of museums, offering an extremely elaborate & rich history of New Orleans. Time spans from its «discovery» to present day.
I really liked the old maps showing the boundaries & areas that used to be swamplands which were now populated & thriving parts of town. I also liked the seeing the publications on various topics from the Spanish, English & French which all provided their guidance on «proper behavior»
Lots of placards with great historic detail proved very informative while keeping my attention engaged & given I am nowhere close to being a history buff, I thought this was all the more impressive
Volunteers are plentiful throughout the buildings & are very passionate about New Orleans as well as very well-​versed in its history
There was also a temporary exhibit while we were there, all about the Boswell Sisters. We saw a short film clip about their lives & were informed that a richer full-​length documentary was supposed to be released this year. Then there was another room was filled w/​memorabilia & overall the exhibit very informative & totally made me want to go out & purchase everything I could from them
Another building near the beginning of Royal, also houses a traveling exhibit from local artists & we got to see a photographic tribute to Cuba which was just lovely
This complete Collection are definitely museums that are very worthy of your time — don’t pass it up!

This is a beautiful and fun place to visit. I recommend the concerts in the courtyard series, the exhibits, and the gift shop.
They had a nice Mignon Faget exhibit awhile back. The next one is on the Boswell sisters
Membership is $ 35 a year and you get into the courtyard concerts for free. You even get three free drinks.
Visit the website
and check out the online collections as well. Their Williams Research Center is also worth a visit if you are interested in New Orleans history.

The Historic New Orleans Collection is spread out over several buildings. The main one, at Merieult House, 533 Royal St. is just wonderful. Many fine paintings and interesting pieces of history, like a document related to the transfer of the Louisiana from the French to the US. The courtyard with its stone floor is a great place to take a respite and enjoy the atmosphere of the house’s old world charm. I’d say this is more for history buffs than art lovers, and more for the curiously inclined versus the casual tourist.

This place does a good job of preserving New Orleans and Louisiana culture.
I wasn’t able to see any of the exhibits in the main building, because I was there for a architecture tour of all their buildings. Everything was very nicely preserved. Our guide was knowledgeable and informative.
I definitely want to come back again to see the exhibits.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Historic New Orleans Collection for the Mignon Faget: A Life in Art and Design exhibition. Truly love this museum. The exhibition setup in these facilities was truly inviting. I like the smaller rooms, which provides more effort to focus on pieces on each room.
You definitely need to check out this museum.
To make things better its on the beautiful Royal Street, its definitely one of my top 5 streets to venture through, you can make a day of it.