The Historic New Orleans Collection
The Historic New Orleans Collection
The Historic New Orleans Collection
4.5
9:30 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
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
- dctravelWashington DC, District of Columbia2,339 contributionsFree Museum in the French QuarterLearned 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 2023Travelled with familyWritten January 24, 2024
- jmattgardnerPaducah, Kentucky99 contributionsFree and CoolI 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 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten April 4, 2024
- ockerman194 contributionsNew 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 2024Travelled with familyWritten May 17, 2024
- Rachael C4 contributionswent for the pipe organ, stayed for the movieVery 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 2024Travelled with friendsWritten August 8, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
701 reviews
Excellent
510
Very good
169
Average
17
Poor
2
Terrible
3
Lorraine
Horseshoe Bay, TX30 contributions
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 February 16, 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
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 January 20, 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, LA253 contributions
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 March 4, 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, CA641 contributions
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!
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 February 15, 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, DC244 contributions
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..!
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 January 17, 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
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 November 6, 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
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 March 18, 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.
newtravels99
United States1,722 contributions
Apr 2022 • Solo
The museum and exhibition (across the street from each other on Royal) are well worth the visit. The museum is small, but has cool things to view. There’s a beautiful courtyard in the center of the building with some educational placards about the history of the building and courtyards in general.
The exhibition is really cool and has more modern exhibits that also incorporate the city’s history. The Mardi Gras exhibits are cool and you can see some costumes and parade displays…and much more.
Well worth a visit.
The exhibition is really cool and has more modern exhibits that also incorporate the city’s history. The Mardi Gras exhibits are cool and you can see some costumes and parade displays…and much more.
Well worth a visit.
Written August 24, 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.
JennJack
Washington DC, DC92 contributions
Dec 2022
I didn’t know much beyond the basics about New Orleans before our visit. A couple of hours in both sections of the museum and the fascinating history had come to life. Highlights included a 360 degree film with a chronological approach to the city’s history. I’ve never wanted to go to Mardi Gras (crowds not my thing) and the film took me there without all the hassle! Lots of great music. Another highlight, the Spanish history of NOLA, of which I was previously ignorant. So many interesting multimedia displays, beautifully presented. And a kickass museum store. So glad I took the time to see it all. The staff were friendly and very knowledgeable. And it’s free. Amazing.
Written December 30, 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.
Smokin Joe
42 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
Came upon this place on a leisurely walk and it was one of the true highlights of our visit.
Admission was free, but was worth paying for.
We first went to the second floor, where we saw paintings of local scenes. The docent there was very passionate and informative about all of the paintings. In fact, he showed us one in particular, and where the scenes still exists. We made sure to find that scene and take a picture.
Finally, the Notre Dame exhibition was extravagant! Guests are equipped with computer pads that give the whole history of the cathedral from when it was first constructed to the fire in the 2010’s.
Can’t say enough good things about this experience. Thank you!
Admission was free, but was worth paying for.
We first went to the second floor, where we saw paintings of local scenes. The docent there was very passionate and informative about all of the paintings. In fact, he showed us one in particular, and where the scenes still exists. We made sure to find that scene and take a picture.
Finally, the Notre Dame exhibition was extravagant! Guests are equipped with computer pads that give the whole history of the cathedral from when it was first constructed to the fire in the 2010’s.
Can’t say enough good things about this experience. Thank you!
Written January 14, 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.
How long does a typical visit last?
Written June 25, 2023
Do you need to book a guided tour to see the residence? Or are you free to tour by yourself?
Written February 25, 2020
You are free to tour by yourself, however, I also suggest you get a tour with a docent as they have SO much more info to offer
Written February 27, 2020
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