TulaneLSU's Top 10 museums of New Orleans

Dear Friends,

During Christmas offseason, if you’re going to find me, look for me either in church, working on my still broken Ford 350 tour van, practicing my glass harp in the French Quarter, are on the streetcar, because we all know, as Grandfather used to say, “Death rides the highway, but you are safe in the trolley car.”

I also enjoy spending time in museums. And what a city in which to live is New Orleans if you enjoy museums. Per capita, I would venture to say New Orleans has one of the highest museum concentrations in the country outside D.C. There are so many great museums, and until you leave, you may not realize how good we have it.

Like most New Orleanians, the first museum I visited was the Children’s Museum in the Warehouse District. Was there anything better at age six than the freedom of grocery shopping in the mini-Schwegmann’s? My personal favorite was the oil rig and shipping section in the back.

I was invited in my teen years to a homecoming or prom dance there. She was a year ahead of me at Ursuline’s and had quite the infatuation with me. She was a member of Holy Name of Jesus, and decidedly ironically, a muckspout. I attended her dance for fifteen minutes after which the vulgarity was too much. I told her, “I cannot tolerate your language,” and left, never to hear from her again. I hailed a streetcar. I sat immediately behind the conductor and explained to her why I was alone and in a dashing bespoke suit. She did not seem interested. Back in my room, I listened to Mozart to clean away the muck until I fell asleep.

The new Children’s Museum recently opened in City Park, but I have not yet been. It may deserve a spot on this list. I will attempt to visit it in the coming weeks, if I can gather enough money for entrance fees.

It’s a good thing the list is only ten, because after the tenth, the quality really plummets. I considered the Presbytere, but it’s just cheap now. The Back O Town Museum is popular among tourists who think they’ve discovered a hidden gem, but it’s poorly lit, and does not have that much history. I wish the Southern Food and Beverage Museum were better, but it is what it is. The Pharmacy Museums is just too small for inclusion, and the Voodoo Museum is an abomination. The Contemporary Arts Center isn’t much to write home about either, but it’s interesting for about 15 minutes. But I said I’d list ten, so here are TulaneLSU’s Top 10 museums of New Orleans:

10. Mardi Gras World
I remember it best when it was across the River. It was one of the few places across the River I felt comfortable visiting because it was such an easy journey on the Algiers Ferry. Several field trips had MGW as their destination, and I appreciated that the tours ended with a slice of king cake. I have only visited the new MGW three times, and it’s nice. But I miss the dirty warehouses of the old location.

9. Jazz Museum in the Mint
As you know, I do not enjoy jazz. I do enjoy New Orleans history, and jazz is an integral part of it. I have been a few times to this museum. Every Satchmo Festival I’ve attended I’ve spent at least an hour walking through the museum. Its best piece is the cornet on which Armstrong learned to play. I bet the Armstrong House Museum in Brooklyn, which is a fine museum, would do almost anything to get that piece.

8. Confederate Civil War Museum
It’s not the politically correct museum du jour, but it’s one of the finest in the city and it’s one of the finest collections of Confederate artifacts in the world. Its building is beautiful: the stone structure and the beautiful wood interior.

7. Laura Plantation
I know it’s a good 40 minutes upriver, but it is without question the best of all the local plantations in terms of history. If you are only able to visit one plantation in the area, this is the one to see.

6. Ogden Museum of Southern Art
One of the top collections of Southern (American) artists in the world. Quite a few John McCrady pieces, and those in his school, are present. I became fascinated with McCrady’s art during a celebration of the Eucharist at the now shuttered Grace Episcopal Church on Canal Street. It injures me each time I pass that former church knowing that it will be redeveloped into living spaces. While I am glad the property should no longer be neglected, what a tragedy for a community every time a house of worship is decommissioned. Anyway, there are two enormous McCrady pieces in the sanctuary that I believe the real estate developers got in the deal. Had I known these pieces were included, I would have bid on the building. If anyone would like to put me in contact with the owners now, so that I could save these marvelous murals, let me know.