I took the trolly from my hotel here. The trolly actually ends right outside the entrance, which…read moreallows a lovely stroll on the park sidewalk to the doors of the museum. I didn't pay attention when purchasing the ticket, but it includes admission to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The indoor museum is two stories, composed of multiple rooms. They have an expansive collection of art from different cultures all over the world, and nearly every single era. There are Mexican Terracottas from 100 BC to an enlarged Incredible Hulk lunchbox on display. Many paintings and large sculpture. I enjoyed walking through the different themed rooms and viewing the collection, including my favorites, Alberto Giacometti, Rene Magritte, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. They also have the portrait of Washington that's on the US dollar bill on display. Afterwards, I walked outside to the sculpture garden. There's a man at the entrance who smiled and greeted me as I walked by. I enjoyed walking through the expansive garden as well. Sculptures are strategically integrated into the garden, such as sculptures of people casually sitting on benches or children on the diving board by the lake. It's pleasant and serene. I highly recommend visiting the New Orleans Museum of Art. It's educational for the entire family.

How can you say anything but great things about the New Orleans Museum of Art. It is this vast…read morestructure, offering all kinds of art from all of the different genres. From the moment you walk in, you will be overwhelmed by the great art that is on display. This museum is broken up into various rooms. In each of these rooms you'll find a very specific type of art. Whether it's Classical, Renaissance, or Modern Art, they really offer a lot of the various expressions of art. It's really a visually great place to visit. This is very well designed museum. It's very open and spacious. You never feel like you're overwhelmed by the other people that may be viewing the art inside. This is a multilevel museum. So, be sure to go upstairs, because there you will find another entire collection of art. When I was there most recently, they were exhibiting ancient art from Mesoamerica and beyond. Really a great exhibit. More than just an interior museum, this museum has a vast outdoor sculpture garden. Not only is it really a great place to just walk around, and enjoy the environment. But, you get to view some really exceptional works of art. The statuary are situated in various places around the grounds. Plus, they have some very nice works that are incorporated with their large lake area. Great place to take a walk! Really, enough cannot be said about this art museum. It's really a must visit if you are ever in New Orleans.

I had the distinct pleasure of visiting this interactive cultural funhouse, highlighting the Joy /…read moreArt / Music of New Orleans. It was truly a love letter to the city, full of colorful, unique, and creative art exhibitions, all made out of recycled materials (which I found to be impressive and admirable)! There was a curated playlist of amazing jazz music playing throughout, which really set the tone delightfully! Upon entering, guests are welcomed into the space and there was a personable and helpful guide who described the space, then led us into the opening rooms. The first one was blue with neon pink, green, and glowing, with letters, symbols, and TV screens, comprising of one big puzzle. The next is a long hallway of hot pink with blue detailing and lights throughout, along with cool protruding, spongy shapes representing organs on the walls. Very psychedelic vibes! This led into a large space with sculptures of a larger than life alligator mouth open wide, creature atop a huge pot with the words "Stir the Pot," crawfish, tall lily pads, insect jazz band, peacock and more. There was also a cool, pretty flower wall, and upon closer inspection, I discovered they were made out of records. From there, I headed upstairs to see the blue, purple, and pink room holding the gorgeous Fountain of Youth glowing bright blue, filled with gold coins in them for wishes. The ceiling was lush and leafy with a lovely hanging light, as well as a pearly oyster shell inspired one. In addition, there was a shotgun style house with a balcony we could go in. Back downstairs, I explored a bar neon colored words related to New Orleans all over the walls, with upside down piano & drinks. Next, I checked out a decorative white a black room, featuring a glowing green stand. With the press of a button, it turned the room disco-y blue with a glow in the dark effect. After that, I went into the beautiful Desire themed room with humongous pearl structures hanging down, where you can write and release your true desires. Such a dreamy, ethereal feel to this one! There was a little sleek and sexy speakeasy space, called Candlelight Lounge. Then was one of my favorite exhibits: Feast Mode, displaying glittery New Orleans culinary delight classics in true indulgent style, as well as super funky, fun paintings and art pieces. Near this room was a window with full of shiny, delicately constructed objects of vibrant colors representing New Orleans. This was a glitzy video opp with props offered, with the phone going in the center, spinning around and capturing us dancing, shimmying, or whatever suits your fancy! The remaining few installations were music themed with drums and large silver circles, which could be played, emitting different sounds to create a symphony of song. At the end, there was a room showcasing larger than life sculptures of heads of musical greats, including Louis Armstrong, Lil Wayne, and Big Freedia. I really enjoyed my time here. Staff were super welcoming, accommodating, and helpful with photos throughout. The artistry, detail, and care was visible throughout each and every art piece and room. JAMNOLA was such a fun experience and I recommend you check it out for yourself!

Unfortunately the gift shop ruined our entire experience since we were overcharged almost $50…read more Before we even checked out and paid, my nephew decided he didn't want a cross-body bag and the cashier said that was fine - but didn't take the $30 item off the final receipt. Then I was charged for 8 magnets when I only bought 7 (the magnets were $18 each). I guess it's my fault for not double checking the math/receipt but I was also distracted trying to make sure my nephew didn't run away or break anything in the store. My bad for assuming a cashier was doing their job correctly I really liked the idea of purchasing items from the gift shop/supporting local artists but now I just feel gross and ripped off (AND worried about how many other people this has happened to). So yeah overall I'd say a pretty negative experience!

I have seen what feels like thousands of museums. I will say it's probably over a couple hundred…read moreat least, maybe more. One of my favorite art genres is southern art and folk art, so I wanted to swing by Ogden. They have very little traditional art, for which I am grateful. I like things that are a little quirky or moody or have something to say. They have four floors of exhibits (one floor is offices only). I saw some great art focusing on the Black experience in the south as well as music and jazz. They had a couple wonderful photo exhibitions as well, one focusing on jazz legends and another showing never before seen photos from their collection that, of course, focused on the culture of the south. Was 15 dollars a ticket, which is well worth it. We probably spent about 90 minutes here, though you could spend longer if you wanted to read every single plaque. Some of the plaques were a little wordy, but covered the topics well. Staff was polite and helpful. This is right next to the WWII museum, which is a WONDERFUL museum and the most attended attraction in NOLA. I would say you could swing by Ogden before or after that museum, but that might be a little much given the pure expanse of the WWII venue. As another yelper said, Ogden is not an essential stop when in New Orleans, but I would definitely recommend it at least once to see what southern art is all about. You'd likely be surprised at the diversity and talent on display.

What an unexpected pleasure. We thoroughly enjoyed the Ogden Museum. Kudos to the curators; the…read moredifferent exhibits were engaging. The woman at the front desk was super helpful. The museum should rightly be titled the "Ogden Museum of Mostly Louisiana Artists with a Handful of Others Thrown In." What struck me is how a relatively small museum had such high content of interesting works. Part of the trick is not devoting too much space to historical retrospective. I've attached photos of some of my favorite works.

Celebrating 30 years in existence this museum has two locations with the original building…read morecurrently under renovations with the exceptions of completion at the end of the year. We were graciously greeted at the door by a worker offering of taking a photo of us. Admission is very reasonable $25 and there are discounts. There are two floors with amazing installations covering the untold stories of Hurricane Katrina. Without giving too much away, you will be moved spiritually to your core by the images, stories and struggles. My favorite has to be the mirrored rooms and the blue quilt of stories penned by residents.

Great local museum explaining the African-American experience. Museums like this are especially…read moreimportant in a time that politicians seem to want to sanitize or even rewrite truthful history. Admission price was slightly aggressive, but worth it. The main building itself is newly renovated recently and beautiful.

Had the pleasure of making a surprise visit for my dgtr and her two besties to snap it up for their…read moreSnapchat and TikTok on my dgtr bday. They thoroughly enjoyed the vibes and the hostess during our time there. We will definitely be back.

Great atmosphere. Great customer service. We had a blast. Definitely recommend! The attendant was…read morehelpful. Many different scenes to take pictures in.

What a gorgeous space! LOVE the renovation of this historic home. Seriously the buidling is…read morebeautiful. But that's not all! The art on display is incredibly varied and really impressive/moving/inspiring/calming depending on the piece. I'm a big fan of highly curated collections like these. It really helps you see the collector/curators vision. I was lucky enough to visit because of fellow yelper Teneha had rented this space for her birthday extravaganza! So much fun and it was wonderful seeing all her friends & family celebrating her awesomeness. Their special exhibitions are interesting and diverse. I just wish they were keeping regular hours, despite the hours posted on their website, the front page says "open by appointment only."

The George & Leah McKenna Museum is a wonderful place to African American art in historical…read morereference. The museum also hosts events. I was recently there for the swearing in of the first African American Coroner in New Orleans 300 year history. This year is also New Orleans' 300 year anniversary. The McKenna Museum became part of history! I absolutely love this place!

I am giving this museum 5 stars for the sheer history it discusses and the part of history that a…read morelot of people don't fully understand or know about --- the reality of free people of color during the times of slavery. As a lighter-complexioned woman of African and European descent, I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had grown up during slavery. Would I have worked inside the plantation house? Would my curly hair have made it impossible for me to pass, or would I have been able to pass as people would assume I was "Spanish," as they called Latinos way back then? While a lot of people say what they would and would not have done during the times of slavery, I am aware of the horrors of that time enough to know that when one is focused on sheer survival, they may do things like "pass", if it meant freedom from back breaking grueling work, harsh outside conditions under the hot sun, being beaten and/or assaulted in all manner of ways, etc. I do not blame those who engaged in passing for white or another ethnicity back then. The times were so brutal and harsh. I love my African heritage, and this museum is so rich and full of tradition and history, and the strength of overcoming the odds. While it is not a very large museum, it contains some valuable information within its walls. I definitely recommend this museum for my fellow biracial people and those whose families may have been very diverse over the generations.

I had my wedding at this amazing gem of a place, and it was absolutely amazing. I was able to take…read morea tour and walk through prior to my event. Since I was out of town, a lot of what I did was virtual, which could be a bit scary because you are trusting others, but it was great. The staff was really great a friendly and they work like clockwork. The day before my event, we did another walk through and the only thing I will say is that I wish we were told to rent outdoor lights prior to the day ny the venue (we ended up getting them on a last minute whim and because my wedding planner had another wedding there and it was literally in the dark). Other than that, the day of my wedding was such a beautiful and magical experience in such a history rich place. It was everything I imagined and and then some. The price was great and it's really an awesome venue for weddings or any type of celebration for adults. I also love that there's a little cottage that you can rent out as well on the property. I highly recommend that because otherwise it can be air bnb by anyone and that would be awkward. But if you are looking to make an impact and support black business while highlighting the struggles and triumphs of the black community, this is the place to do it.

As a professional historian and visitor to museums around the world, I hold museums to a higher…read morestandard than most. To say that the Storyville Museum achieved its goals and earned five stars would be an understatement; this may very well be the best museum I've visited in at least the past three years. The story of Storyville is complex, full of nuance, and with many unanswered questions. For me, one of the hallmarks of an excellent museum is that it lets these questions linger; the rough edges are not smoothed over, and visitors leave pondering big moral and ethical questions. That's exactly how I felt: the museum gave me a fantastic scaffolding of understand about Storyville, but it was also clear that its socioeconomics, its racial and gender dynamics, and its complex intersection with local, state and federal law are vast unplowed fields of potential for masters theses and PhD dissertations. For me, the intersection between prostitution and the political power structures were fascinating. Ton Anderson is a case study of contradictions, and one could spend a career trying to peel back the layers there. So too are the intersections with New Orleans's rich musical cultures and traditions. The stories of the madams themselves were equally captivating. Josie Arlington's and Kate Townsend's lives were riveting, but so too were the countless other women who didn't achieve their considerable wealth and power. The price of admission isn't cheap, but it's well worth the investment. Plan to spend at least two hours here, and learn about an important part of New Orleans's history that's well worth seeing.

This museum blew my mind with its wide range of history!…read more Storyville Museum is self-explanatory: it goes in depth about how the community of Storyville took place. The museum dives into the infamy Storyville crafted for itself, with newspapers condemning the women, yet some of these people who protested against the practice had took part in their services. My emotions traveled from being humored at this development, to fully facing the truth that this was not all for fun and humor--for many women of Storyville, this was the other way they could keep a roof over their head. The tour details tragic incidents like violent deaths and immoral acts that took place to bring in more visitors. It's an unsightly part of New Orleans' history, but this attraction presents such things with tact and well-thought out design. I was lucky enough to have the whole museum to myself and my partner, so we spent much time really absorbing this history and discussing the bleak and disturbed reality of what was promoted as a lively form of business. I recommend others to stop by this place; it is definitely not for children or those sensitive to sexual content, violence, or abuse. If your comfortable exploring those topics, then Storyville Museum is a great attraction to visit. It was one of the most beloved spots that I found during my vacation, and I'd be happy to go again!