Courtesy Louisiana Travel
In order to offer a fuller and more collaborative experience in New Orleans’ most historic neighborhood, seven cultural non-profit organizations have joined forces to create the French Quarter Museum Association (FQMA), a new community initiative dedicated to making museum-going integral to the French Quarter experience. Participants include the Beauregard-Keyes Historic House and Garden Museum, the Catholic Cultural Heritage Center (represented by the Old Ursuline Convent, St. Louis Cathedral, and the adjacent St. Anthony’s Garden), the Hermann-Grima + Gallier Historic Houses, The Historic New Orleans Collection (including the Williams Research Center), the Louisiana State Museum (represented by the Presbytère, the Cabildo, and the 1850 House), the New Orleans Jazz Museum in the Old US Mint, and the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum.
For the remainder of the tricentennial year, The Historic New Orleans Collection will host the FQMA Visitor Center at 533 Royal Street, offering detailed information about each participating institution and the thirteen sites they represent. Brochures—complete with a convenient map—will be available, along with information about an incentive program that includes discounts at various sites and a free dessert from Dickie Brennan’s Tableau Restaurant for those who visit five or more FQMA locations. (Participating desserts include tarte à la bouille, peach shortcake, and vanilla bean crème brûlée.)
The visitor center will be open through December 30, at which point the organization will live on through frenchquartermuseums.org, Facebook and Instagram presences (@FrenchQuarterMuseums), and through continued collaborative programming. The next time you find yourself in the Vieux Carré, take advantage of this new resource and get drunk on the rich culture and history of the city before turning to conventional tipples.
