7 Best Museums In Louisiana

Louisiana is a state steeped in soul, humming with history, music, mystery, and flavor in its small towns. From the jazz-filled streets of New Orleans to the bayous and salt domes of the south, the state’s museums don’t just preserve the past; they celebrate it in bold, colorful, and unexpected ways. Whether you’re drawn to voodoo rituals, true crime, spicy bottles of Tabasco, or epic stories of World War II, Louisiana’s museums capture the eccentric spirit that makes the state unlike anywhere else in the US. Here are seven of the best museums in Louisiana you won’t want to miss.

New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, New Orleans

In the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, between Bourbon and Royal Streets, the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum first opened in 1972 and is a must-see attraction on any trip to the Big Easy. This compact but powerful museum showcases the rich culture, history, and traditions of Louisiana Voodoo, with historic relics, paintings, sculptures, and other striking artifacts that trace the religion’s roots in the African diaspora.

Take a self-guided tour of the museum, or book a guided Voodoo Walking Tour, which takes you through the museum with stops at other local voodoo attractions, including Congo Square, considered a spiritual space for local voodoo practitioners. After a visit to the museum, check out Marie Laveau’s and Reverend Zombie’s House of Voodoo, two local shops that carry a wide range of spiritual supplies, talismans, charms, and voodoo dolls. You can even book a psychic reading. For a taste of New Orleans, head to award-winning restaurant Gris-Gris with a menu showcasing refined Southern classics, like poboys with caviar and their signature oyster BLT.

Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum (LASM), located in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, sits on the banks of the Mississippi River in a 1925 historic railway station. A top attraction in the city, the museum pulls in an estimated 45,000 visitors annually and houses 4,000 artworks and artifacts in its permanent collection, spread across several galleries, like the Ancient Egypt Gallery, Solar System Gallery, Planet Tower, and the Universe Gallery. The museum’s changing exhibitions running through July 2026 include “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past” and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces.”

Spend even more time at the museum with a visit to the state-of-the-art Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, which is included in the admission price to the museum. Enjoy an immersive experience while you recline in the planetarium's 60-foot domed theater and watch a rotating series of films, including “America’s Musical Journey,” “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition,” and “Dinosaurs Alive.” And, on Friday, October 10, the LASM holds its 40th Annual Gala, honoring 100 years of “Baton Rouge’s Historic Train Depot,” with a themed fundraising event that includes a silent auction, multiple open bars, and food stations, all with a roaring ‘20s twist.

After your epic museum visit, walk to Elsie’s Plate & Pie for a slice of Lemon Icebox Pie at one of Baton Rouge’s favorite pie shops, named in memory of the owner-chef’s much-loved grandmother.

Abita Mystery House, Abita Springs

Known as “Louisiana’s Most Eccentric Attraction,” the Abita Mystery House is a quirky house museum and roadside attraction in the small town of Abita Springs that features thousands of found objects, odd collections, homemade inventions, old arcade machines, and pure junk. Some unusual, not-to-be-missed exhibits inside the Exhibit Hall include a comb collection, a marble machine made out of popsicle sticks and hot glue, and the House of Shards, a cottage decorated with thousands of pieces of broken tiles, pottery, mirrors, and glass that also houses the museum’s vintage bike collection.

After the surreal experience of the mystery house, head over to nearby Abita Brew Pub. They host bingo on Tuesdays and live music every weekend, and they boast an extensive food menu, not to mention plenty of Abita Brewing Company favourites on tap and in the bottle, like Pecan Ale and Fluffernutter Stout. They also sponsor Fall Fest, which kicks off in October and features a range of family-friendly activities.

Tabasco Museum, Avery Island

Avery Island is technically a salt dome about three miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by bayous and marshes in southern Louisiana. It is world-famous as the home of Tabasco sauce, where the McIlhenny family has been making it since the 1860s. The piquant mecca features a variety of experiences, some of which need to be booked in advance. The basic “Avery Island Experience” is a self-guided 10-stop tour that takes you through the buildings on the island, like the Tabasco Country Store and Restaurant 1868!, followed by a walk through the 170-acre Jungle Gardens.

In Jungle Gardens, take time to visit the other attractions, including Bird City, a vast protected rookery sheltering thousands of birds, or wander through some of the oldest bamboo groves in the US, or the coastal marshes, home to wild cats, coyotes, alligators, armadillos, and many others.

The ICONS Museum, Covington

One of Louisiana’s newest museums, ICONS, is the brainchild of American visionary and artist Matthew Montero. Claiming to be the world’s only artist-created museum dedicated to pop cultural icons of the modern era, one of the museum’s signature collections is a series of portraits done entirely by hand, without the use of brushes. The museum collection rotates through 60 portraits, hundreds of retro products, and a few modern sculptures of present-day icons. Part of the visit includes a choice of RetroRoom experiences to immerse yourself in the decade of your choice: the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s.

To visit the exclusive museum, you’ll need to pre-pay and book an appointment in advance. You can choose between a 60-minute day tour, which includes a guided tour and 2 RetroRoom experiences (80s and 90s). Night tours are 90 minutes long and include a visit to the museum, as well as three RetroRoom experiences (60s, 80s, and 90s). In the 60s RetroRoom experience for visitors over 21 years of age, a preview of what to expect includes the Jefferson Airplane song “White Rabbit,” from Grace Slick’s iconic psychedelic anthem inspired by Alice in Wonderland, accompanied by images of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Civil Rights activism, and hippie culture.

Before or after your ICONS museum experience, head to the English Tea Room & Eatery, where the motto promises “more than just tea, it’s an experience.” They serve breakfast and lunch, as well as high tea all day long, offering a contrasting classic vibe to the unique modern art museum.

Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum, Gibsland

For the legions of true crime fans, a must-stop museum on any tour of Louisiana museums is the Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum in Gibsland. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were a notorious couple, whose string of bank robberies, car heists, and murders turned them into folk heroes and criminals before they were killed in a hail of bullets in 1934 as they drove along a rural road near Gibsland. As a young boy, Perry Carver was fascinated with the outlaw lovers after receiving a shoebox full of shattered glass, a door handle, and a piece of a car seat with blood on it from the original car, so when presented with the opportunity to buy the museum from the son of a sheriff who was part of the ambush team who killed the outlaws, he grabbed it.

The museum is housed in a former café where Bonnie and Clyde ate their last meal before driving straight into the ambush, not to mention the hearts and minds of crime enthusiasts, history buffs, and pop culture fans. There’s a replica of the death car in the museum, complete with bullet holes, shattered windows, and paint-splattered seats, a pair of Clyde’s shoes, Bonnie’s hats, and plenty more unusual artifacts.

If the museum visit leaves you wanting more, get in your own car and drive toward the college town of Ruston, taking a short detour to the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Site itself to see the historical marker where they were killed. In Ruston, enjoy a craft beer with a wood-fired pizza at the Utility Brewing Co. and toast a unique day well spent.

The National WWII Museum, New Orleans

The award-winning National WWII Museum in New Orleans recounts the experience of the largest and deadliest conflict in human history, why it was fought, how it was won, and why it must never be forgotten. With the use of multimedia experiences, the museum takes you on an immersive tour of World War II that includes hourly screenings of a 4D cinematic journey entitled “Beyond All Boundaries,” produced and narrated by Tom Hanks, thousands of personal accounts, exhibits, and an interactive experience called “Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience.”

The museum is located in NOLA’s Arts District, so there are plenty of cafés and restaurants where you can eat and drink after your visit. Within the sprawling campus of the museum itself, there’s the American Sector Restaurant and Bar for lunch or Rosie’s on the Roof, a bar inspired by Rosie the Riveter on the rooftop of the Higgins Hotel.

As if you needed another reason to visit, Louisiana’s museums shine because they tell the state’s story through many lenses, including art, food, crime, war, and celebration. Each one highlights a different aspect of Louisiana, from Cajun traditions to Creole creativity, and from global conflicts to local festivals. Taken together, they give visitors a deeper understanding of how history, resilience, and joy continue to shape life in the Pelican State.