Presbytere and Cabildo/Louisiana State Museums, New Orleans

The Presbytere and the Cabildo are both part of the Louisiana State Museum.  The two  buildings flank the St. Louis Cathedral at one end of Jackson Square.

The Cabildo--originally a government building for the Spanish colonial administration in the late 18th century --focuses on early New Orleans and Louisiana.  On the ground floor, down the hall from the entry room, two large rooms feature exhibits on Spanish and French Colonial artifacts and information.  Small 2-3 person benches paired with video screens allow visitors to sit and take in short films on episodes in Louisiana history.  Other exhibits display furniture, documents, and other artifacts of early Louisiana.

A large carpeted stairway--decorated with a portrait of famous New Orleans voodoo queen Marie Leveau--leads to the upstairs galleries.  An airy connected hallway overlooks Jackson Square.  Take a few minutes to rest and drink in the view below.  One room--at one point part of the Supreme Court where Plessy v. Ferguson was argued--has more artifacts from earlier centuries, including a death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Another looks at hard times in New Orleans--specifically, the epidemics that plagued all river and port cities in previous centuries.  Information on medicine and funeral rituals completes the experience.

Next door, the early culture of New Orleans is spotlighted, with images of theaters and performance venues and a display of musical instruments, including some hands-on drums visitors can try out. Visitors can follow the Battle of New Orleans through maps and artifacts, including a lock of hair purportedly belonging to Andrew Jackson.

The top floor covers the horrors and hardships of slavery and the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Louisiana.  Letters and diaries, personal narratives, clothing, and other artifacts illustrate the history here.

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 The Presbytere continues the story of New Orleans--in particular, the 21st century and Katrina.  The entry room uses indigo lighting to create a somber mood, and Fats Domino's piano--posed in the position in which it was found after Katrina--greets visitors.  Beyond the entry, exhibits cover the science of hurricanes.  One darkened room plays a repeating loop of Katrina footage on a wall-sized screen.  Another features artifacts and stories from the storm--a wall with the distinctive red markings of city inspectors, the handwritten narrative scrawled by a survivor on his wall as he remained trapped in his house, videos of interviews with survivors, and stories of rescuers.

Bottles hanging from ceiling in entry room

Upstairs, the museum shifts into party mode for the Mardi Gras museum.  Besides the obvious--and entrancing--displays of opulent costumes and magnificent images of floats--the museum covers the origins of Mardi Gras in the United States.  One helpful poster explains how to determine Mardi Gras dates each year.  Others discuss the complex culture of Krewes, Kings, and other Mardi Gras traditions.  The museum goes beyond the modern New Orleans version of Mardi Gras to look at folk traditions and Carnival celebrations in rural areas. 



The final touch--restrooms that resemble the port-a-potties on the parade route.

The museums offer a two-fer; admission to both sites for a reduced charge.  Visitors should definitely visit both; I would suggest on consecutive days to avoid museum fatigue.  You'll be in the area every day of your visit anyway--or you should be--so take them both in and steep yourself in New Orleans history from the 1700s to the present.

From the museum website:

The Cabildo and Presbytere

701 and 751 Chartres St., New Orleans LA 70116

Admission--for each museum:

Adults                                                          $6.00

Students, Senior Citizens, Active Military     $5.00

Children 12 and under                                  Free

                   **** 20% discount if tickets for 2 or more museums are purchased.

Hours:  Tuesday-Sunday 10:00 am - 4:30 pm

Closed Monday and state holidays.

 Phone: 504-568-6968

Toll-Free: 1-800-568-6968

Fax: 504-568-4995

Laura, A Creole Plantation, New Orleans

The Laura Plantation an hour drive outside of New Orleans provides a somewhat different plantation tour experience from those offered in cotton-growing areas of the Old South.  The plantation grew sugar, not cotton, but more importantly, it emphasizes the Creole culture of Louisiana.  The history of slavery in formerly French-controlled territory follows a slightly different path, and this attraction makes of point of covering some aspects of history that others might gloss over (I recall one plantation tour pointing out the "servant's quarters" when they drove past the slave cabins, for example).  As our guide explained, the French plantations differed in style from the American/English ones; as you can see from the photo, French design was more colorful and more utilitarian.  No ballrooms or grand libraries here--in fact, the rooms designated as working spaces were relatively simple, even sparse.  The tour of the house begins in the basement, where the simple, functional design of the house is explained.

According to the very engaged and informative tour guide, the plantation was re-named after the daughter of its last owners, who left in disgust after hearing of mistreatment of slaves.  The re-naming was apparently an attempt to entice her back.  Family stories recounted on the tour are from her book, Memories of  The Old Plantation Home, sold at the gift shop and the plantation's site.

Signs on the ground discuss the deterioration in treatment of the slaves after the Louisiana Purchase--apparently, France and the Catholic Church provided at least some protection in marital status to slaves, but this was abandoned after the territory changed hands.  The French influence remains; signs are given in French and English, and tours are offered for French speakers.

The plantation also bills itself as the home of the American tales of  B'rer Rabbit (or Compair Lapin), adapted from West-African stories retold and passed on by the plantation's slaves.  The tour features displays on the telling of the stories in the slave cabins.

  

The grounds themselves are beautiful in an almost tropical way.  We visited in Spring, so the weather was pleasant, and we enjoyed a quiet walk around the buildings. A final bonus--several cats kept on the premise, including one who seemed to see himself as a goodwill ambassador for tourists!

I would most definitely recommend Laura Plantation for anyone visiting the area.  Even if you've been on several plantation tours and believe you've done the whole "plantation thing," this one will offer a different perspective.  Make the trip from New Orleans, dress comfortably, and be prepared for a fascinating look at regional history, beautiful scenery, and a unique experience.

Update:  Visiting again in 2012, I noticed that the gift shop offered a wide selection of books on the history of the era, including versions of the Brer Rabbit story, and, of course, Memories of the Old Plantation Home, by Laura (Locoul Gore) herself.  I was surprised that they didn't carry any copies of Cane River, Lalita Tademy's  retelling of her family story of several generations of slave women working on a Louisiana River Planatation.  The gift shop does have wonderful sauces and spices (try the Red Pepper Jelly--really!), a few t-shirts, and home decorations.

From the website:

2247 Highway 18
Vacherie, LA 70090

The Plantation Store Ticket Office opens at 9:30 AM.

First tour of the day begins at 10:00 AM.
Final tour of the day begins at 4:00 PM.

Individual Admission Rate:

• Adult: $18.00
• Student (6-17): $5.00
• Child (0-5): FREE
• AAA Adult: $16.00
• National Trust Adult: $16.00
• Military: $16.00
• We Save Adult: $16.00

Historic Voodoo Museum, New Orleans LA

The Historic Voodoo Museum in New Orleans was a great way to begin our NOLA visit in March of 2008.  We arrived in New Orleans after a delayed flight, suffering from jet lag and lack of sleep.  This was an easy, low-key way to begin immersing ourselves in the New Orleans atmosphere.

Photo from museum website

Visitors should know going in that this is not a traditional, formal museum.  I noticed that commenters on some travel sites complained that there wasn't much to the museum, that it was just a few rooms with artifacts and pictures.  My reaction was that this observation was, strictly speaking, accurate, but that the intimate setting was appropriate for this collection.  The entry area--which doubled as the gift shop--was a small foyer; the exhibits began on a hallway, with photos and pictures of people and places relevant to Voodoo in New Orleans.  The exhibit rooms--I believe there were 3--contained artifacts and information related to Voodoo.  There was some interactivity (no, you don't get to put voodoo curses on people!) with a wishing tree in the last room  My 8 year old daughter enjoyed writing down a wish and putting in in the tree.

So, it's relatively inexpensive, short, and focused.  It will give you some of the background and atmosphere to understand voodoo references you might see or read about later in New Orleans.  If this sort of experience is what you're looking for, stop in.  You know you'll be in the French Quarter anyway!


Info from website:

724 Rue Domaine
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 860-0128

7 days, 10:00-6:00 (or later--not sure what that means!)
$7.00 General Admission
$5.50 Seniors, Military, College Students
$4.50 High School Students
$3.50 Under Age 12