Guided tours

THNOC offers a variety of guided tours. Self-guided walking tours are available via THNOC's free French Quarter Tours app, which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

Details about field trips and school experiences are available on THNOC's Education webpage. For groups larger than 10 people or if you have questions, please contact tours@hnoc.org or call (504) 598-7145.

 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows plaqueBenefits of Brotherhood: Fraternal Orders in New Orleans and America

Thursdays and Saturdays at 12:30 p.m.
520 Royal Street, 1st Floor
Admission $5, free for members
Advance registration encouraged

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Curious about the beginnings of Freemason and Odd Fellows fraternal organizations? Join us for this 40-minute guided tour of THNOC's exhibitions that explores the traditions, values, rituals, and impact of these sometimes mysterious groups on the history of our nation and the city of New Orleans. 


A Streetcar Named Desire movie posterWalking Tour: On Location at A Streetcar Named Desire

March 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, at 10 a.m.
520 Royal Street, 1st Floor
Admission $15, free for members
Advance registration encouraged

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Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire premiered on Broadway in 1947. The film adaptation directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh was released in 1951. Streetcar created a lasting atmospheric vision of New Orleans for the outside world like few artistic works before or since. This one-hour walking tour delves into the rich local references found in the play, as well as Williams’s own experiences in the French Quarter. Gain a deeper appreciation both for the play and the place that Williams often referred to as his “spiritual home.” The tour covers about one mile of walking and is limited to 10 people, so advance registration is recommended.


Tour guide gestures towards artifacts in THNOC's French Quarter History galleriesNew Orleans Mosaic: Tour of the French Quarter History Galleries

Friday–Sunday, 11:30 a.m.
520 Royal Street, 3rd floor
Admission $5, free for members
Advance registration encouraged

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Join us for a 35-minute guided tour of our French Quarter History Galleries, featuring historic objects and images from the Historic New Orleans Collection's holdings that explore more than 300 of years of French Quarter history. From fascinating stories about immigrant communities, artists, and musicians, to the city's complex legacies of slavery and civil rights, immerse yourself in the many facets of New Orleans's oldest neighborhood.


Organ Room in Seignouret-Brulatour buildingOrgan demonstrations

Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.
Barbara S. Beckman Music Room, 520 Royal Street
Free admission and no RSVP required

Join THNOC staff for a short program exploring the history of the beautifully restored Aeolian residential player pipe organ. Listen to a musical demonstration and discover the significance of this rare and technologically advanced musical instrument.

In the early 20th century, having a player organ in the home was a luxury reserved for the most opulent residences, allowing the owner to have access to recorded music before radios and phonographs were commonplace. Tobacco magnate William Ratcliffe Irby remodeled the property at 520 Royal Street—now part of THNOC’s exhibition center—to serve as his personal residence starting in 1918. In the process he installed a player organ in the entry room to his lavish third-floor apartment. The instrument, built by the Aeolian Company of New York, is one of a handful that has survived to this day in its original location and in working condition, after a meticulous restoration by the Holtkamp Organ Company.


Group tours
Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Groups of five or more should contact tours@hnoc.org, or call (504) 598-7145.

School groups
THNOC welcomes schoolchildren of all ages. Customized field trips—which could include guided tours, special lectures, or guided visits to the research center—can bring the region’s history to life for students. Field trips are available free of charge, but reservations are required, regardless of a group's size. Please complete a field trip request form or email THNOCfieldtrips@gmail.com to make arrangements. Additional resources are available on THNOC's Education webpage. 

Tours for THNOC members
Visit the membership page for information on curator-led tours of regional historical sites and private, guided tours of The Historic New Orleans Collection included in selected membership packages.