This is a place you must go, plan 30-60 mins. Miss Minnie Lewis is a wonderful and knowledgeable…read morehost who brought the museum's collection to life for us. Great for locals and visitors alike. Call ahead.

To get a down to earth true ninth ward view of the Mardi Gras Indians and their history along with…read moresocial and pleasure clubs of the lower ninth ward, you only need to stop at one place and this is it. Ronald Lewis does an excellent job with this tiny museum located in his backyard on Tupelo street. He has history in there from before and after Katrina and a myriad of information to share about his experiences as well as what it takes to be a Mardi Gras Indian. You get a real feel for the culture in this place it is a homey small place but to be honest I would rather learn about our culture by going here rather than a large sterile museum. You need to phone ahead to see his amazing personal collection of items and bring some cold water as you won't find air conditioning here. What you will find is is years of New Orleans culture and get a closer look at what makes the Mardi Gras Indians so special.

Not sure how to rate the Louisiana Civil Rights Museum. I've never heard of it before a recent…read morevisit to New Orleans. I actually learned about it while visiting the Presbytere. I've been to many amazing Civil Rights Museums. Most have made me cry. Made me think. How people choose to interact or not interact. Why they make certain choices. What influences their biases and prejudices. I'm not sure if it is the location, but this museum was underwhelming. It has a good foundation, but it seems like an afterthought to the convention center. Or maybe it should be free to all. My favorite part was the Right to Education. I can't even imagine being a little girl trying to just learn to read as schools were starting to be desegregated. The New Orleans Four. Escorted to school everyday for their safety by U.S. Federal Marshals. Ruby Bridges. Walked into an almost empty classroom alone due to fear, preconceived bias and prejudices. Today, the Ruby Bridges Foundation promotes tolerance, respect and education to create more inclusive communities. Leona Tate. Tessie Prevost. Gaile Etienne. The other three six year olds of the New Orleans Four. They first attended McDonogh 19 Elementary School on November 14, 1960 as white families pulled their children from the school and taunted the girls with cruel racial slurs and even death threats. Unbelievable. Even today, the educational disparities continue. Schools in New Orleans continue to be underfunded with many affluent and middle class families sending their children to private school in disproportionate numbers as compared to Louisiana and the rest of the US. It makes you think. The museum itself is $7. I used my museum pass for reciprocal entry. I was there for less than an hour.

This little gem is located right inside the entrance of the convention center by Julia St. Just…read morewalk in and turn right. There you will find three rows of historical content specific to Louisiana during the civil rights era. Some videos are present (with and without caption). Some are audio and include a transcript. All in one floor. Give yourself all hour to read and listen to everything.

You must go through a security gate and show a valid ID to enter. Friendly people greet you when…read moreyou walk in. The museum is well organized into distinct sections and highlight members of the Louisiana National Guard and natives of Louisiana in each War or Conflict. It is really well done and quite detailed including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is off the beaten path of touristy things to do in the city, but while you are out here, there are other things that can be done in the nearby area.

How I almost got detained by the government, and not because of the coronavirus!…read more Took a long bus ride from the edge of the French Quarter to visit the Jackson Barracks Military Museum in the Ninth Ward, an area not recommended to outsiders, let alone tourists. Hours 10am-4pm Monday-Saturday. The museum is located on the premises of the Jackson Barracks, a military base. Only personnel with a valid up to date government issued ID with picture are allowed entry. When I first came, I didn't have my latest ID, and was turned away. Came back 2 hours later with a Global Entry card, and after being documented, was allowed entry onto the base. The Jackson Barracks Military Museum depicts the history of the Louisiana Militia and National Guard from early 1700s colonial settlements to 21st century deployments. Replicas of soldiers in uniform from the early 1700s, a British cannon used at the Battle of New Orleans, Civil War cannons, a Spanish American War deck gun of the USS New Orleans, a 1917 Cadillac staff car, a French Renault Tank, Stuart Light Tank, a Norden Bombsight. the cockpit of an F-4 Phantom Jet, a Huey red cross helicopter used in Vietnam, a Humvee in Desert Storm camouflage, and Hurricane Katrina rescues in 2005. Photography is allowed only inside the museum. Unlike in previous years, no pictures allowed outside, as military on heightened alert status, following assassination of top Iranian general in January. Stan,the museum curator, was kind enough to donate some his time to escort me outside to take pictures of the numerous armored equipment, including a WW2 M4 Sherman tank, an M113 armored personnel carrier, an Iraqi Zeus quad 23mm anti aircraft battery, a WW2 90 mm skyscraper anti aircraft gun, an M47 Patton Tank, a an M48 tank used in Vietnam, and a WW2 P61 Black Widow twin engine night fighter. All pictures taken so that none of the surrounding buildings were showing. An abundance of military tanks, armored personnel carriers, anti tank guns, anti aircraft guns, tank destroyers not seen in the WW2 Museum in downtown New Orleans. Made it safely back to the French Quarter, after taking a long bus ride through the ninth ward, with vacant lots, and boarded up buildings. Not your normal tourist visit.

This library has as many aliases as a true southerner. Its government name is John & Bonnie Boyd…read moreHospitality & Culinary Library but, like many southerners, it's known by a host of nicknames. These include the Boyd Library, the Southern Food & Beverage Culinary Library & Archive (SoFAB) and the SoFAB Institute. I think SoFAB is a fitting name for a library filled wall-to-wall with nothing but cookbooks. As the name suggests, it is uniquely dedicated to preserving the culinary history of the American South. I recently visited to browse the 10,000+ titles in their collection. The library looks like any other house in Central City but inside it's as if they moved all the furniture out and replaced it with shelves and shelves of books. I was almost overwhelmed by their selection of vintage cookbooks, spiral-bound community cookbooks, personal recipe collections of celebrated southern chefs & authors and restaurant menus. They house the blueprints of southern cuisine in all its diversity. Here are a few things to know before your visit: ---The building is less than a block away from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. There's no parking lot but on-street parking is easy to find either on Oretha Castle Haley or a side street. I ended up on Terpsichore near the NOPD Station. ---Although the library isn't an official branch of the New Orleans Public Library, you can search for titles using the NOPL online catalog. (http://catalog.nolalibrary.org/polaris/default.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.1) Look for titles designated as part of the SoFAB Culinary Collection. ---This is a research library so you can't check out any of the materials. That said, they do have a small inkjet printer for making copies. (They recommend taking photos using a camera or phone since it's faster and free.) Access to wifi is also available. --The library depends on the support and book donations from the public and community partners. I was disappointed to see the limited selection of African-American cookbooks until I remembered this fact. SoFAB can't display what hasn't been donated. ---When they get multiples of the same book, they often sell the extras in the nearby SoFAB Museum gift shop. I purchased a handful of cookbooks; each one was in good condition and cheaper than prices at a used bookstore. Thanks to Kelsey and Cindy for helping me locate specific books within the collection. SoFAB is off the beaten path in New Orleans but it's a great place for bibliophiles and food lovers to explore delicious reads.

Such a great spot to get information on the area, meet up for the St. Louis Cemetery tour and the…read morehop on/off tour bus. They have a cute gift/souvenir shop with coffee cups, magnets, t-shirts, hats, etc. Clean, accessible bathrooms. The staff here is so incredibly friendly and helpful. The adjacent lot has parking for only $5 for up to 10 hours .

What an incredible spot in New Orleans to rest and relax. There are lots of seating areas where you…read morecan cool off. Basin St. Station has a wonderful snack bar and a very nicely well-stocked gift shop. All the information about the trains in New Orleans was SO interesting. The old railway station is one of the main stops on the "Hop On-Hop Off" tour bus that we were using during our stay in New Orleans. It is also the spot where you can purchase tickets for the "official" tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

Super cute sugar museum, funded in part by the nearby Domino Sugar Factory, in a renovated jail…read morehouse, the first in the area, gives a partially white washed history of the sugar plantations and refinery in the area. There are photos, a historical timeline, in chronological order, from left to right. I am very confident that the basic facts are true. I just wonder what is missing. The nearby factory is the second largest in the world, and the first employer to start back after the area was beaten by Hurricane Katrina. They have done a lot for this area. The museum is run by the St Bernard Parish department of tourism, and is only accessed by an employee at the nearby tourism board. They are more than happy to let you in, walk around and explain everything to you. It is run off donations, which is cool. Come down and take a look around. You will not regret it. They have done a great job restoring the jailhouse and still have a replica of a cell inside. Parking is street parking. There are no restrooms in this building. This is a great thing to do that I think most kids 10 years and older will even appreciate. There is a lot of reading material to cover. I am glad to have taken the time to come and visit.

The LSUHSC (Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center) Library is a modern space that…read moreprimarily serves the students of the medical center. Unfortunately, you have to be a student or faculty to use the wi-fi, but you do have access to the space while the library is open and most of their journals and databases are available to folks who walk in. The campus is pretty secure so you have to know your way around to get in, but once you figure that out, it's a pretty great library...if I do say so.

This is a fairly comprehensive library at a medical center. The LSU medical campus is nice since…read moremoving from down Tulane avenue. Lots of resources, but wifi is limited to LSU affiliated personnel. Great access for students looking to get resources for paper writing or for anyone interest in anything medically related

I came by during the posted open hours on Google Maps and on YELP. The first visit was on a…read moreWednesday at 11:50am and they said they would be back in an hour. I stopped back by on the same Wednesday at 12:25pm and they said they needed five more minutes to be back. I am writing this as I am waiting for them to arrive so I can do a tour. It seems like an interesting place that can be useful. Ok so I got in and was able to take a tour. This is going to represent the affect of Katrina on the city as a whole. The first hand accounts, the acknowledgement that the death toll was higher than the official account. It was so difficult in the immediate aftermath to recognize the entirety of the toll. But it would be nice to have the issues looked back and gone over. Documentation of the deceased of those who traveled to other states from the immediate area should be included as well. They are planning an event for the upcoming 17 year anniversary. Come and support your local grassroots organizations. A little bit can go a long way to help. Empathy. This is a struggle to have the voices heard. There were whole people's and groups that have been silenced in the process of making everything look pretty for the news and the tourists.

Nice memorial in the cemetery area of canal street. Easy to get to by trolley or walking from city…read morepark.