Historic New Orleans Collection | Historic New Orleans Collection

A free history museum and research center devoted to the people, places, and traditions of New Orleans and the Gulf South.

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Hours & Location

Museum: 520 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA
Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

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Holiday Hours

Admission

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Stop by the front desk or reserve tickets online. Ticket covers admission to all exhibitions and certain daily programs.

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Museum: (504) 523-4662
Williams Research Center: (504) 598-7171
Mailing address: 533 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA, 70130

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Current Exhibitions

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Music & Musicians

New Orleans Musicians in Art: Selections from the Permanent Collection

November 4, 2025 to May 16, 2027

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Black and white photo of people in line for voting registration outside a building. Two men are seated near a Voting Applications sign, and several individuals are standing in line, some wearing hats and summer clothing.

The Civil Rights Movement

The Trail They Blazed

June 6, 2025 to June 7, 2026

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Illustration of a brown pelican perched on a branch with green leaves in the background. The bird has a long beak and distinctive brown, white, and yellow plumage. The botanical details add a naturalistic setting.

Land Loss & Climate Change

A Vanishing Bounty: Louisiana’s Coastal Environment and Culture

Ongoing

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French Quarter street scene showing at 710 Toulouse Street, and corner of shuttered building at 714 Toulouse, with a man walking along the street in the darkness, his shadow falling upon the wall. Shows cat beside colonnette supporting balcony, a street light, double doorway of the gateway, laundry hanging on second floor of 710 Toulouse, and ironwork balcony of 714 Toulouse. Shows partial view of balcony and building at corner of Toulouse and Royal Streets.

French Quarter Life

French Quarter Life: People and Places in the Vieux Carré

Ongoing

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Antique map of a city grid with detailed plots, streets, and buildings. It includes a compass rose and features ships sailing on the river at the bottom. The layout is intricate, showcasing a geometrically organized urban plan.

French Quarter Life

French Quarter Galleries

Ongoing

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Tours & Daily Programs

Get more out of your museum visit with a guided tour, Exhibition Shortcut, or daily program.

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A guide gestures towards a historical photograph on the wall while speaking to a man and a woman in a gallery setting. The wall has an exhibit description titled A Most Dreadful Visitation: Frederick Douglass and The 1887 Riot.

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Admission is Always Free 

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Latest News

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Preproduction rendering of a scene from American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition, coming to HNOC on March 20, 2026.

Walter Isaacson: To Mark Our Country’s 250th Birthday, Let’s Look to Our Roots

In a letter to the editor for NOLA.com, the renowned historian and author cited HNOC’s upcoming exhibition as an opportunity for Americans to celebrate the historical milestone.

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Exhibit wall with a blue panel stating, The institutions of slavery and mass incarceration are historically linked. A section titled CAPTIVE STATE features text and a colorful quilt with nature and wildlife motifs displayed on the right.

“Captive State” Named Museum Exhibition of the Year by Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

HNOC joins eight other Bright Lights Awards recipients that were recognized for their significant contributions to the understanding of Louisiana’s history and culture in the humanities field.

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WVUE: HNOC Explores the History and Impact of Mardi Gras Throws

HNOC Interpreter Jacob Williams discussed the history of iconic Carnival parade throws—and their unintended consequences.

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A museum exhibit featuring a large, colorful sculpture of a face with an open mouth and extended tongue. It is flanked by two elaborate costumes on mannequins. Artwork decorates the walls in the background.

Celebrate Carnival with HNOC

From blog posts to podcast episodes, enjoy exclusive Carnival-related content from HNOC all season long in one convenient place!

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NOLA.com Names HNOC Historian Jari Honora as 2025 “Louisianan of the Year”

The family historian and certified genealogist received the honor for his work connecting the pope’s heritage to the state’s history and culture.

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Upcoming Events

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Wednesday

March 4, 2026

7:30–9 p.m.

Concert

Musical Louisiana 2026

Our award-winning Musical Louisiana concert series returns with a celebration of 19th-century Creole composers and innovators, presented in partnership with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Treme’s Petit Jazz Museum.

Concert

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Wednesday

March 18, 2026

6–7 p.m.

Lecture

Louisiana Landmarks Society Presents

Reimagining New Orleans: The Sketchbook of J. N. B. de Pouilly

The unrealized visions of a bold New Orleans architect are the focus of year’s Martha Robinson Lecture, presented by the Louisiana Landmarks Society.

Lecture

Detail from a sketch by Jacques Nicolas Bussière de Pouilly

Friday

March 20, 2026

5:30–6:30 p.m.

Signature Program

2026 History Symposium

One Single Place: New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Shaping of the Early American Republic (1795–1815)

The 2026 History Symposium explores how cultural exchange and trade between Louisiana and the Illinois Country shaped the early American republic.

Signature Program

A stylized version of a French colonial map of the Mississippi River valley.

Friday

March 27, 2026

9 a.m.–5:15 p.m.

Signature Program

29th Annual

Tennessee Williams Scholars Conference 2026

Founded in 1995, the Tennessee Williams Scholars Conference is a full day of sessions led by highly acclaimed Williams scholars from across the US and abroad.

Signature Program

A person wearing a fur coat and sunglasses sits on a wooden bench in front of an ornate, multi-story building with wrought-iron balconies. People walk on the street nearby.

Wednesday

April 15, 2026

6–7:30 p.m.

Signature Program, Lecture, Concert

27th Annual Bill Russell Lecture

Syncopated Siblings: The Music of Cuba and New Orleans

Hear the shared musical legacy of Cuba and New Orleans in this lecture and concert featuring author and historian Ned Sublette, joined by legendary percussionist Bill Summers and his supergroup, CUBANEXION.

Signature Program, Lecture, Concert

View of a Cuban folk dance where a man dances among women wearing floor length dresses and holding tamborines.

Thursday

April 16, 2026

2–4:30 p.m.

Film

“Tierra Sagrada” Film Screening and Q&A

HNOC and Postmambo Studies copresent “Tierra Sagrada,” a thrilling documentary offering a rare look at Afro-Cuban music and cultural traditions.

Film

Sunday

June 7, 2026

HNOC Travel

HNOC Travel 2026

Revolutionary Elegance in Colonial Williamsburg

Step back in time with HNOC for an exclusive five-day exploration of the nation’s largest living history museum.

HNOC Travel

The Governor’s Palace at Colonial Williamsburg

Monday

June 8, 2026

Curator Camp, Students & Families

Students & Families

Curator Camp 2026

HNOC’s annual weeklong summer program for history-minded teens returns in 2026.

Curator Camp, Students & Families

Young people explore an exhibition at the Historic New Orleans Collection.

Monday

October 5, 2026

HNOC Travel

HNOC Travel 2026

Vietnam and Cambodia

Join us for an unforgettable journey to Southeast Asia’s mainland as we explore the incredibly rich cultural heritage of Vietnam and Cambodia.

HNOC Travel

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Research & Collections

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410 Chartres Street

Visit the Williams Research Center

Explore centuries of Gulf South culture with unparalleled access to rare documents, art, and historic treasures. Stop in or browse our online catalog.

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Online Catalog

A historic brick building with tall, arched windows and ornate stone details. The facade features a central sign with engraved text. Large doors and lantern-style lights flank the entrance. The structure is framed by neighboring buildings.

From Our Holdings

Explore historic artifacts from HNOC’s vault.

Collection Highlights Collection Highlights

Collection highlights

Hugh Hefner Letter

The Playboy founder laments the effect of Jim Crow on his budding empire.

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Colorful letterhead design from letter by Hugh Hefner about the integration of the Playboy Club in New Orleans.

A historical sanitary map of New Orleans, illustrating streets and areas with detailed notes. The map highlights the Mississippi Rivers meandering path through the city.

Rare Books & Periodicals

Yellow Fever Sanitary Commission Report

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Antique map of the Americas depicting sea monsters, ships, and detailed coastlines. Illustrative borders show people and mythical figures, hinting at 16th-century cartography style. Landmasses have Latin inscriptions with decorative compass roses.

Show-and-Tell

Historic Maps from “Cartographic Legacies”

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A person stands outdoors, holding a translucent fabric over their head against a textured wall. The shadow casts an intricate pattern on the wall. A potted plant and some grass are visible in the foreground.

Signature Collections

Clarence John Laughlin Archive

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Rare Books & Periodicals

American Black Directory

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Rare Books & Periodicals

A Confederacy of Dunces

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A vintage 78 RPM record with a red label in a brown paper sleeve. The label reads The Fat Man by Fats Domino and Imperial Records is printed at the top in red letters. The sleeve features a decorative design and Hollywood, California address.

Staff Picks

The Fat Man / Detroit City Blues

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A pamphlet for Poodle's Patio advertises a dancer named Galatea, featuring a photograph of her standing like a statue followed by the text "The Statue that Comes to Life".

Recent Acquisitions

Poodle’s Patio Pamphlet

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An artistic print shows a silhouetted figure holding a bright orange torch walks through a dense, swamp-like forest with tangled branches and hanging moss.

Recent Acquisitions

Zanatta Editions Environmental Art Prints

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First Draft

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Stories from the Historic New Orleans Collection

First Draft

“One of the Great Literary Curiosities” of French Quarter Bohemia Turns 100

With a foreword by William Faulkner and clever portrait drawings, Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles is an offbeat who’s-who of 1920s New Orleans.

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Sketch of Grace King in "Famous Creoles," by Williams Spratling

FIRST DRAFT NEWSLETTER

New Orleans Stories,
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History For Everyone

Dive into family friendly content and events at HNOC.

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Learn & Explore

2026 Student Writing Contest: “The Trail They Blazed”

Students address important civil rights issues facing America today and in the future, inspired by the HNOC exhibition The Trail They Blazed.

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Civil rights protesters march past a shopping center. A Dollar Store and Walgreens can be seen in the background.

Publishing

Explore our publications, from HNOC books to the First Draft blog.

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Books

Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration

by Eric Seiferth, Katherine Jolliff Dunn, and Kevin T. Harrell (curators) and Nick Weldon (editor)

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Shop & Relax

Two people browsing in a colorful bookstore filled with books, artwork, and decorative figures on display. One person flips through a book on a wooden table, while another examines books on a shelf in the background.

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The Shop

Our award-winning museum shop offers gifts by local artists, HNOC books, merchandise inspired by objects from our holdings, and much more.

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Three people sit around a small outdoor table, smiling and talking. One person holds a hot dog. A poster display is in the background along with potted plants and umbrellas.

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The Café

Relax and recharge while enjoying a coffee or pastry in our historic and picturesque Brulatour Courtyard.

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Donate & Support

End of Year Campaign

Support the Williams Research Center

HNOC’s Williams Research Center is a site for discovery—a place where everyone can find their story. Support continued free public access with a gift today.

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