One of the best small museums in New Orleans AND the country! Growing number of interactive offerings online, from bookclub discussions to movie nights to interviews with knowledgeable experts on a variety of topics.

This is a fantastic free museum! In the heart of the French Quarter it takes you through the ages in a fantastic journey of New Orleans and its history. You will absolutely enjoy this museum. Brand new building on Royal St. but they also have a great collection on Chartres St.

Staffs were knowledgeable and friendly. I went on the free self guided tour and enjoyed it . You’ll probably spend 30 minutes to an hour here. Great spot in the French quarter to learn more about the Louisiana purchase. It’s not too big... just about right, so you don’t feel like you’re skipping out on history, but you’ll still have time to do other activities in New Orleans .

This place/places is a great place to spend an afternoon. The two free exhibition spaces are free and full of amazing artifacts of history. I can tell that everyone that works here is very passionate about the history of NO! Talk to one of them and ask them questions; they are full of information about everything.If I had more time I would have taken their tour of the house.

It was the best museum about New Orleans’ history that we visited in the French Quarter. It has a good art collection and is a well preserved building too. Organized, clean, and the staff was extremely friendly.

I love this place. The people were very kind and knowledgeable. I learned so much about the area and history. I was not taught this stuff in school. I will definitely go back.

Beautiful new building...Good exhibits...

In terms of the museum being free, it’s probably worth a visit. There was interesting history of New Orleans, cool maps and artwork, and the organ demonstration was good as well. Sports fans will like the sports exhibit - for me, seeing the 2010 NFL Lombardi Trophy was very cool.

Im giving the exhibit a 4 star rating because Art is in the eye of the beholder. I enjoyed the exhibit as an opportunity to experience the artistic inspiration of many New Orleanean artists. Their impressions and inspiration from significant moments, people, textures, spaces, and time itself in the history of this city are on display. The museum has free admission and that should invite everyone to visit and consider making a contribution to keep these types of cultural centers alive.

A detailed history of New Orleans presented with a fabulous mixture of portraits, hand written documents, furniture, artwork and artifacts in two separate buildings across the street from one another. Admission is free!

Great Place to visit in French Quarter and it free

This collection is housed in a beautiful historic home. They are in the process of restoring and renovating in time for the tricentinial of New Orleans. That will open at the end of February. There are many knowledgeable guides positioned through out the home to give information on the family that lived there and donated the home.

Wonderful tour about Free People of Color. The extra information about colonial New Orleans was great. THNOC has the best staff️Enjoyed hearing the Aeolian organ play and even looked through the sports exhibit and Industrial Photo display.

Beautiful collection! Very safe staff! Mask up NOLA!

Very nice local historical society-run museum. Docents are knowledgeable, nice and friendly. If you are museum nuts (as we are), youll really like it.

Every now and again they offer unique first showings. They also offer a beautiful courtyard. Original art showing the history of New Orleans over 300 years.

Wonderfully designed museum to see and learn about the citys stories. Friendly, helpful staff. Very impressed. And free!

Free museum for those visiting new orleans. right in the french quarter

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. The restrooms are extremely clean as well, which is nice.

Very cool. Awesome history upstairs. Extra $5 architectural tour was fascinating as well!

Beyond my expectations! My students, who can be hard to impress because they are non-traditional, had a wonderful . Highly recommend just a visit or for educational experience.

A wonderful snapshot of New Orleans history. Well curated and not overwhelming, the exhibits upstairs are in chronological order and the museum guide was impressively well informed. So much history in the breadbox of the city-blocks from the chaos lays this highly recommended experience.

If you are interested in the history of Louisiana and New Orleans it’s a must go. Good content, helpful people and it’s free. Guided tour is paid but cheap.

Randomly found this spot in google searches and popped in!. The staff were very kind, knowledgeable, and proud of the New Orleans history. Can’t believe it was a free museum; I learned so much and it was a wonderful way to escape the heat. Definitely recommend!

Free admission includes two different locations of the museum. Rich in New Orleans history has letters, maps, paintings and other artifacts. There is a fun interactive activity. 2 - 3 hours recommended.

The night I was there, they projected Phantom of the Opera and had a French piantist play along. It was a beautiful performance and got to check some of paintings out after. If youre in town for the weekend, hopefully they have another event or you can at least see the free exhibits

Nice exhibition. Some stuff like the letters and maps are very cool. Also the location itself is beautiful. If you have been to the museums at Place dArms its not gonna feel that special anymore though.

You need a full day to visit! Very informative and inspirational...

Excellent art collection. For $5 you can choose from various tours. They are currently offering the Same Macabre Tour. It is free to visit the museum. There is a cafe in the courthouse. Unfortunately, one of the security guards was not very nice. He yelled at me for sitting outside the museum - a few minutes before my tour was scheduled to start. If you have ever been to NOLA, you know how unusual this is. I was actually shocked. When I explained I had a ticket and was just organizing my bag and looking for said ticket. He did not apologize

Very professional! Im looking forward to another visit and encourage everyone to explore its treasures.

I didnt know what to expect because this was free. I was impressed by the collection. I wish I visited at the beginning of my stay. There were people near by to answer questions about the collection and history of NO.

I adore this place, a must see for anyone who loves New Orleans ️ The Mardi Gras history tour is awesome, Kurt was my tour guide and he is a great ambassador for the city I can’t wait to spend hours looking inside the new building on my next visit!

This museum showcases the rich and turbulent history of New Orleans all the way from 15 century (I think?) to the present day. I was surprised that there were so few people on a weekend during the Jazz festival when the admission is completely free. Well worth your time if you are somewhat interested in history.

A must see if you are in the French quarter. I suggest you schedule your visit so you can listen to the organist. The employees are very helpful.

Its a nice place to take a small history tour.

Da wife is a Saints fan so it was cool for her to see the Saints Super bowl Trophy on display i the Museum

Wonderful hidden gem in the quarter. Over 300 years of history in multiple sites, and its free too! Great place to duck inside and cool off of an hot day!

Free Free Free...you cant beat that. Worth going even if you had to pay. Beautiful historic artifacts from day one of NO existence. Take pictures of everything, bring the history home with you.

Excellent, a beautiful space, with wonderful collections of art, and biographies of historic people!

Very cool museum and so much to see and learn about New Orleans here !

An excellent, FREE museum that lays out a brief history of New Orleans. The entire collection is contained in beautifully preserved historic buildings connected by a gorgeous courtyard. The docents are very knowledgeable and friendly, and the entire museum takes between a half-hour and an hour-and-a-half depending on how much you like to read.

I love this place! What a wonderful view of Louisiana and New Orleans history!

Hard to believe this is free! Its top-notch museum with immaculate displays of a wealth of history from New Orleans storied past. Brand-new facility too! Cafe Cour in the courtyard has historic food even.

A treasure trove for visitor and native alike. You get the real history, not what a French Quarter carriage driver makes up. The pirate Long John Silver lived here.

I loved every aspect of the museum

What an amazing place and completely free, there are great volunteers happy to help and answer your questions. Thoroughly recommend this place on your travels if you can make time.Great historical pieces and there apparently is more to come. I will definitely be back to see this place

Such a good museum that Im surprised I hadnt heard about it earlier. Such a hidden gem. Very creative exhibits.

Write well in New Orleans. Live well in New Orleans. Defend well the ethos in New Orleans. And if you are fortunate, might your papers dwell forever in the vaults of the Historic New Orleans Collection. Tennessee Williams allowed his papers to find many homes in the south. However, be sure that his papers are shared with the curious with total hospitality at the Collection.

Always a great time

Great eclectic collections. Perfect mix of art and history. NOLAs cultural institutions have come a long way. This is really a must visit museum.

Been visiting New Orleans for many years and finally visited this museum....glad we did. It was a fun place with a ton of history. We also purchased a tour of one of the houses they offer and was very glad we did. Wonderful few hours.

Essential place to visit if you care about the history of New Orleans.

Nice museum with free admission right in the middle of the French Quarter. Lots of originals items depicting the history of New Orleans.

Great museum, really really helpful passionate staff who were so keen to tell you even more, and free entry! I learnt so much about the rich history of New Orleans.An idea to improve - I feel it could probably do section about Hurricane Katrina, given the enormous impact that had on the city. But theyre pretty limited in space!

Very interesting. The architecture is amazing as it changes from one are to another, showcasing New Orleans unique heritage.

Its the best place to experience the history, culture, and a splash of color of the city and Louisiana as a whole!

One of the best places to find history. The staff amazing

This is a really authentic New Orleans experience. The exhibits were informative and designed for mature, educated people (but its not snooty, just meaning it doesnt dumb down the content). The museum is located in an house built in 1792, so going in (for free, no admission!) Allows access to the beautiful and really New Orleans style inner courtyard.

Extremely friendly staff that shows you around and provides interesting facts of the building and its exhibits. Free admission!

Free, unless you pay... I believe $5 for the tour. Very interesting art and artifacts on New Orleans history.

Its a great little slice of the history of the area. Its a fairly small museum which is great, its not overwhelming. However its a source with a lot of good historical information. I really enjoyed it.

The Williams Residence guided and self-guided tours each provided fantastic views into the lifestyle of the rich which was truly fabulous for its time. When in that house, after having seen a few movies from the era, you can easily imagine how everything would have worked and the comings and goings of staff as they attended to the Williams family and their guests.The tour felt well coordinated and our guide was knowledgeable and happy to answer the questions that came up.Please note that this is not a museum where everything is protected in display cases. You will in some cases be walking through and around the actual artifacts they have no issue reminding you that certain things can not be touched.I highly recommend a visit when you are in New Orleans.

Awesome original documents, tucked in an easy to miss place.

Free museum! Well kept and knowledgeable people

Very nice to visit...dont miss the theater on the 3rd floor!

Informative, interesting. Learned about new Orleans history in a fast way. Not very long. Main points. Recommend. And its free.

I dont know what the interests were of the people who gave this museum and its staff anything less than 5 stars. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and interested in NO and its history. They brought to life the maps, pictures and artifacts in the exhibit. If you have only a passing interest in NO and American history, visit this museum. You will love it!

I love going to the Historic Collection and I recommend it to all my friends who come into town. Kurt and Malinda are especially wonderful, enthusiastic tour guides who are passionate about the history and development of New Orleans.

Great museum for learning area history. Well worth the time spent. Very nice exhibits.

Nice exhibits with passionate and helpful staff. A must stop in New Orleans for some interesting history!

This place had a lot of information and some nice inhibits to look at

Great place to learn and explore the history in New Orleans. Wonderful staff, super friendly. One of my favorite spots in all of the French Quarter

Yum. Cafe du Mondes chicory coffee and beignets. What can I say?

Very good museum! Great historical information on the city

So much to see and learn

Take the guided tour, it is absolutely worth it! We had a very knowledgeable historian walk us through the history of New Orleans using the fine collection of artifacts at the museum to bring to life key milestones and details. The tour made the history much more understandable.

Free museum with super nice people working there (or volunteering?... Im not sure). From the outside you could easily walk by and miss this place, in fact I almost did. I walked in just out of curiosity (not quite sure if it was a gift shop, art gallery, or what) and I found what seemed to be a tiny two room museum/gift shop. I was greeted by a friendly lady who told me to check out the collection upstairs first as they were closing soon. So I go upstairs and wow... its a whole museum, not just a little room or two. Sure its a lot of paper products (maps, paintings, and the like) but its well laid out with tablets full of information. I only had about 20 minutes so I rushed through it, but you could easily spend at hour in here. If you are looking to do New Orleans on a budget, or just want some culture before you start drinking, check this place out!

A must visit for anyone interested in the history, or who just loves NOLA.

Great museum that I didnt even know existed until this past week. Definitely worth the time if youre in the area.

Very good and educational.

Came in and explored the history of New Orleans. The volunteers did great job answering questions.

Incredible place and it just had a major expansion

If you are looking to learn of New Orleans history, definitely go here.

Beautiful New LookMore space to roam and check out our history

The preeminent historical institution in New Orleans. The Galleries and exhibitions are fabulous. At the Williams Research Center, you can request to see any of a million items in the collection and theres no charge for this service! New visit to New Orleans is complete without a stop at the Historic New Orleans Collection.

It was very interesting and people were qwesome.

Good overview of New orleans & LA history but heavy reliance on using iPad exhibits for interpretation so the walls are bare of anything but the images/items. If you dont want to stand & poke at an iPad it can feel scant.Also the absurdly often request to scan your ticket are obnoxious. Literally 5 people in the 3rd floor scanned my ticket!

A great free curated museum that is well researched, staffed, and authentic. This is a gem.

Thanks for the tour and the very knowledgeable staff!

Love thé live musical in orleans

We had a great time celebrating the Easter parade.

They have really stepped up their game for the 300th anniversary. The home is so interesting and provides an interesting view of the life of the rich in the mid-1900s. The courtyard is a great site for a party.

Too many people walk right by this gem of a museum, located on Royal Street. Devoted to celebrating and preserving the history and cultural roots of New Orleans, this museum provides visitors with an intimate view of this city. Put this on your must see list.

Awesome FREE Museum! Theres always so much to learn here and the staff is knowledgeable and welcoming. They have new exhibits often so theres always a reason to visit!

This museum is hosted in an old New Orleans house. The permanent collection contains many maps, letters and pictures of New Orleans and its battles since the times of the French colony. The volunteers were all very helpful and shared interesting stories about New Orleans and some about their curious lives as well. The entrance is free and the museum is in a great location, so theres no reason to skip this one!

Our tour guide was great!

Incredible and everyone is so nice! The history of New Orleans is unbelievable!

Ive lived in new Orleans since 2005I so love this city and have been dying to go to this museum had lunch with friends afterwards did a tour to museum extremely informative and amazing building

Great museum with so many interesting artifacts documenting the history of New Orleans.

Beautiful museum space, knowledgeable guides, & wonderful architecture!