Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras WorldCity/Region: New Orleans
In
Algiers Point, on the west bank of the
Mississippi River, stands a unique studio museum showcasing the famous
New Orleans' Mardi Gras. The museum is actually the working studio of foremost carnival float designer,
Blaine Kern, for whom producing floats and props for the city's annual Mardi Gras is a full-time job. Visitors can watch Kern and his team design and construct the giant sculptures of everything from cartoon characters to mythological figures and animals that will eventually parade through the streets.
Address: 233 Newton Street,
Algiers Point
Phone Number: (800) 362 8213
Email Address: sabine@mardigrasworld.com
Website: www.mardigrasworld.com
Transport: Catch the free ferry at the foot of Canal Street to historic Algiers Point. A free Blaine Kern shuttle meets every ferry from 9.30am. to 4.30pm
Hours: Opens daily at 9.30am, with final tour at 4.30pm
Admission: Tour: $17 (adults), $10 (children 4-11), concessions available
The CabildoCity/Region: New Orleans
The entertaining and informative Cabildo on Jackson Square in New Orleans'
French Quarter explores the history of
Louisiana from the first European explorations to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era from a multi-cultural perspective. The museum is the flagship of the
Louisiana State Museum facilities and is housed in an historic building, dating to 1799, originally serving as the Spanish city council offices. Two major historic events took place in the Cabildo building: the Louisiana Purchase Transfer ceremonies in 1803 and later a landmark Supreme Court decision was handed down here that legalized racial segregation. The Cabildo takes pride that five American presidents have visited it.
Address: 701 Chartres Street
Phone Number: (504) 568 6968
Website: lsm.crt.state.la.us/visitor.htm#museums
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm
Admission: $6 (adults), free for children 12 and under
D-Day National WWII MuseumCity/Region: New Orleans
The unique D-Day National World War II Museum was founded in 2000 by historian and author
Dr Stephen Ambrose and has become regarded as a highlight of any New Orleans sightseeing tour. Situated in New Orleans' Warehouse District it depicts the June 6, 1944 invasion of Normandy, the Home Front during World War II, and the D-Day Invasions in the Pacific. Exhibit galleries include text panels, artifacts, and personal account stations where visitors can listen to the stories of war veterans. A panorama exhibit recreates a Normandy beach landing; there are also regular film shows.
Address: 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans. Entrance on
Andrew Higgins' Drive
Phone Number: (504) 527 6012
Email Address: info@nationalww2museum.org
Website: www.nationalww2museum.org
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm
Admission: $14 (adults), $6 (children 12-5), free for under 5's, concessions available
Audubon Aquarium of the AmericasCity/Region: New Orleans
New Orleans' state-of-the-art Audubon Aquarium, situated on the banks of the Mississippi River, is regarded as the best in America with highly entertaining exhibits. Underwater tunnels allow visitors to marvel at a
Caribbean Reef and a re-creation of the
Gulf of Mexico, complete with sharks. There is also a walk-through Amazon rainforest and an exhibit displaying the inside story of swamp life. The Aquarium features every type of aquatic creature from jellyfish and sea horses to sea otters and penguins. The Aquarium's 'sister' attraction, also run by the Audubon Institute, is the excellent New Orleans city zoo, situated in Audubon Park further uptown.
Address: 1 Canal Street
Phone Number: (504) 581 4629
Email Address: air@auduboninstitute.org
Website: www.auduboninstitute.org
Hours: Aquarium and Zoo: Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm
Admission: Aquarium: $17.50 (adults), $10.50 (children 2-12). Zoo: $12.50 (adults), $7.50 (children). Concessions available
French QuarterCity/Region: New Orleans
Regarded as the heart and soul of New Orleans, the French Quarter is the historic part of town covering about 90 square blocks radiating out from Chartres Street and Jackson Square. The Quarter, or
Vieux Carre, was established in 1718 as a French military outpost, which was later taken over by the Spanish, merging into a freewheeling culture incorporating slaves, pirates, mercenaries, call-girls and various freemen of every color and creed. Today the area looks and feels much as it did before
Hurricane Katrina, with its wrought-iron railings and tall doorways, and clubs, bars, Cajun-seafood restaurants and shops all a-buzz. By day it is one of the best people-watching spots in the world, and the focus for visitors to New Orleans. By night the area becomes a giant street party throbbing with jazz music and a world-class dining district. The most famous street is
Bourbon Street, where prostitutes literally mingle with priests, and bars stay open all night.
Website: www.frenchquarter.com
Rural Life Museum and Windrush GardensCity/Region: Baton Rouge
Situated on the Burden Research Plantation, run by the
Louisiana State University, is the
Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens. The museum features an extensive collection of tools, household utensils, furniture, vehicles and farming implements, some outdoors and others housed in more than 20 buildings that depict the lifestyle of pre-industrial 19th-century Louisiana.
Address: LSU Burden Research Plantation, 4600
Essen Lane
Phone Number: (225) 765 2437
Email Address: rulife1@lsu.edu
Website: rurallife.lsu.edu/
Hours: 8.30am to 5pm daily, all year round. Closed New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Admission: $7 (adults); $4 (children 5-11)
Old State CapitolCity/Region: Baton Rouge
The historic Old
State Capitol Gothic building, once described by
Mark Twain as being 'the ugliest thing on the
Mississippi', sits on a bluff overlooking the river and today operates as a center for political and governmental history. The building was completed in 1849 and housed the
Louisiana Legislature until Union forces captured the city of
Baton Rouge in 1862. The legislature returned to the building in 1882 and stayed until the new capitol was completed in 1932. The old Capitol has now been restored and houses a museum featuring state-of-the-art interactive exhibits and multi-media presentations detailing Louisiana's past and political history.
Address: 100 North Boulevard at River Road
Phone Number: (225) 342 0500
Website: www.sec.state.la.us/museums/osc/osc/osc-index.htm
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm; Sunday 12pm to 4pm. Open Mondays for special tours
Admission: $4 (adults); children under 6 free, concessions available
Nautical CenterCity/Region: Baton Rouge
A highlight of the
Baton Rouge Nautical Center is the restored 369ft (112m) World War II Fletcher Class Destroyer,
USS Kidd, which is the prime exhibit. Overnight camping experiences on the ship are offered. The center also features a huge collection of model ships, a restored World War II fighter plane, a jet fighter from the
Vietnam era and a walk-through exhibit of the gun deck of Old Ironsides.
Address: 305 South River Road
Phone Number: (225) 342 1942
Email Address: Info@usskidd.com
Website: www.usskidd.com
Hours: Daily 9am to 5pm. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
Admission: Ship and museum: $7 (adults), $4 (children 5-12), concessions available
San Francisco PlantationCity/Region: Baton Rouge
Louisiana's most authentically restored 'great house' is the
San Francisco Plantation house, sited on the east bank of the Mississippi under centuries-old Live Oaks about 40 minutes from downtown Baton Rouge near the small town of
Garyville. The galleried house was built by Edmond Bozonier Marmillion in 1856 in what is termed the Creole open-suite style. Inside the house features five hand-painted mural ceilings, faux marble and bois wood graining, and one of the finest antique collections in the
United States. Also on the plantation is an 1830s slave cabin, a one-roomed schoolhouse and a museum store. Period-costumed guides take visitors on tours throughout the day. Other plantation houses open to the public on the Great River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge include Oak Alley,
Nottoway, Laura, Madewood, and Tezcuco.
Address: 2646 Highway 44 (River Road), Garyville
Phone Number: (985) 535 2341
Website: www.sanfranciscoplantation.org
Hours: Daily 9.30am to 4.40pm (April to October), 9am to 4pm (November to March). Tours run from 10am to 4pm
Admission: $15 (adults), $7 (children), concessions available and children under 5 free
Louisiana Art and Science MuseumCity/Region: Baton Rouge
Housed in a historic railroad depot the
Louisiana Art and Science Museum offers educational and entertainment opportunities for visitors of all ages. Featured are changing fine art exhibitions, interactive art and science galleries for children, an Egyptian tomb and a simulated space station. Also on the site is the
Irene W. Pennington Planetarium and
ExxonMobil Space Theater, offering planetarium shows and large format films.
Address: 100 South River Road
Phone Number: (225) 344 5272
Email Address: lasm@lasm.org
Website: www.lasm.org
Transport: Capital Transportation Corporation buses on the Florida Boulevard route stop on River Road directly across from LASM
Hours: Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm; Saturday 10am to 5pm; Sunday 1pm to 5pm; closed Mondays
Admission: Museum only: $6 (adults), $5 (children). Museum and Planetarium: $8 (adults), $7 (children)
LafayetteCity/Region: Baton Rouge
The city of
Lafayette is the hub of the eight-parish area in the heart of Louisiana's southern Acadian region, famed for its unique Cajun and Creole heritage, where the French language is soft on the ear and French traditions prevail. Lafayette, to the east of Baton Rouge, lies at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 49, and is known for its great food, music and festivals. The city also has historic attractions, majestic plantation homes, vibrant gardens, leisurely swamp tours and exciting museums to entice visitors. Authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine served up with original Zydeco and Cajun music is what most tourists seek here, but sites like the
Acadian Cultural Center,
University Art Museum, and the Natural History Museum are all worth visiting.
Phone Number: 800 346 1958 (
Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission)
Website: www.lafayettetravel.com
Hurricane Katrina TourCity/Region: New Orleans
In the wake of one of the worst hurricanes to ever hit the United States, Gray Line Tours offers a three-hour bus ride around some of the hardest hit areas in New Orleans, including Lakeview and Gentilly, and is aimed at gathering support to rebuild the city. To respect the privacy of the locals, buses will not allow tourists off the bus to take pictures, but will pass around pictures of the storm and its destruction, and guides will describe the events before and after the storm hit the city, as well as explaining the significance of the levee system.
Address: Tours depart from Gray Line Lighthouse ticket office, Toulouse Street, French Quarter
Phone Number: (504) 569 1401 or (800) 535 7786
Email Address: tours@graylineneworleans.com
Website: www.graylineneworleans.com
Hours: Three hour long tours are conducted daily at 9am, 11am and 1pm from 1 February to 30 September
Admission: $35 (adults), $28 (children)
Preservation HallCity/Region: New Orleans
Historic Preservation Hall is New Orleans' most popular jazz venue, where the famed
Preservation Hall Jazz Band serves up first-rate music six nights a week in the French Quarter building (originally built as a residence in 1750). On Sundays the Olympia Brass Band performs instead. No seating, food or drinks are available, but crowds flock here simply for the music between 8pm and midnight.
Address: 726 St Peter Street
Phone Number: (504) 522 2841
Website: www.preservationhall.com
Hours: Nightly from 8pm until 11pm. Sets begin at 8.15pm
Admission: $10
Louis Armstrong ParkCity/Region: New Orleans
Louis Armstrong Park is a 32-acre sanctuary of green trees and jazz melodies in the heart of the historic old quarter. Inside you'll find Congo Square, the meeting place of slaves in the 19th century. The Visitors' Facility also has exhibits and an indoor performance venue. Occasional free Sunday afternoon concerts are a highlight in the park.
Address: 835 North Rampart Street
Phone Number: (504) 286 2100
Website: http://www.nps.gov/archive/jazz/Armstrong%20Park.htm
Admission: Free
The Audubon InsectariumCity/Region: New Orleans
If it walks, crawls or flies, find it at the Audubon Insectarium. Set in Custom House, the historic, white marble columned structure in Canal Street, this is the largest freestanding insectarium in the United States, devoted to over 900,000 species of insects. View thousands of live bugs and mounted specimens. The Cooking Show and Cultural Café offer culinary adventures; witness the art of cooking with these creepy criters and sample the treats, or opt for more traditional fare in the insect-themed café.
Address: 423 Canal Street
Phone Number: (504) 581 4629, (800) 774 7394
Website: www.auduboninstitute.org
Hours: 10am to 6pm, Tuesdays through Sundays, with last entry at 5pm.
Besthoff Sculpture GardenCity/Region: New Orleans
View the priceless sculptures that make up the superb
Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The Sculpture Garden provides a unique opportunity for visitors who treasure the arts, with a world-class collection of modern and contemporary sculptures presented in an exquisite natural setting. Next to the Sculpture Garden is the
New Orleans Museum of Art and City Park, with centuries old oak trees, lagoons, a small amusement park and Storyland, a charming fairytale playground.
Address: 1 Collins Diboll Circle, City Park
Phone Number: (504) 488 2631
Website: www.noma.org
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4.30pm.
Admission: Free
