Top Rated Attractions in New Orleans

Louisiana Children's Museum offers a toddler area and children's drama, dance, and puppet shows. There are also art and science exhibits, as well as hands-on math and physics exhibits, and a reproduction of a television studio. Many of the exhibits are geared toward learning through doing. This style of learning makes it fun for both parents and kids alike. This is a great rainy day field trip and a good place for anyone trying to get away from the "adult" aspects of the city.

This Greek Revival mansion is home to original English and American antiques and eight acres of formal gardens and decorative fountains. Although florals vary with the seasons, visitors can count on a spectacular display year-round. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Longue Vue House & Gardens features ever-changing exhibits. A gift shop sells horticulture and decorative items, children's gifts and reproductions from the Longue Vue Collection.

The Presbytere, built in 1790, was originally called the "Ecclesiastical House." It served as a courthouse and a commercial business before becoming one of five buildings in the French Quarter that make up the Louisiana State Museum. Exhibits focus on paintings, furniture, pottery, clothing and every kind of craft or relic imaginable, as long as it illustrates Louisiana's culture and colorful past.

The Sisters of Ursula established Catholic schools for African-American and Native American girls and set up the first orphanage in Louisiana. The convent is now home to Catholic archives dating back to 1718. It is the oldest building on record in New Orleans and the entire Mississippi Valley. It sits across from another historic site, the Beauregard-Keyes House, and is part of the Archbishop Antoine Blanc Memorial. It is open for self-guided tours.

This structure was built between 1795-1799 to house the city council when New Orleans was a possession of Spain. Today, the Cabildo is the flagship of the Louisiana State Museum. Interactive exhibits illustrate the history of Louisiana from European explorations to the post Civil War Reconstruction era. This stunning museum is located on Jackson Square near the St. Louis Cathedral. Group tours are available. The museum is closed on federal holidays.

This modern art exhibit center, located in a renovated warehouse, is the heart of the New Orleans' art community. The Contemporary Arts Center offers a series of seasonally rotating exhibitions, classes, lectures, performances, screenings, and concerts every year. The exhibits waver between traditional and alternative art forms with works from both local and national artists. The center also serves gourmet coffees and specialty wines as well as a variety of pastries and sandwiches.