Best Museums in New Orleans for Kids & Families
6 family-friendly museums with age ratings and parent tips.
Highest rated: Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, The National WWII Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art. 1 listing is free. 1 listing is indoor. 1 listing is outdoor. Qualified listings include age fit, stroller notes, cost signals, and practical planning tips.
By Kit, KidPaths editor
Reviews family planning details across KidPaths city guides.
This New Orleans page currently has 6 qualified listings in museums that passed KidPaths' listing and photo checks. Start your comparison with The National WWII Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, then use the age, cost and visit-length notes to narrow the list.
1 option is free. 5 options work indoors or in mixed weather. 2 options have confirmed stroller access. 5 picks fit toddlers and 6 picks fit big kids.
Match the museum to attention span, not reputation alone. Toddlers need hands-on rooms and easy exits, while older kids usually want a challenge, demonstration or strong special exhibit.
Top Picks
Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
4.9 starsChildren can follow winding paths around lagoons, hunt for giant shapes and bright colors, cross bridges, spot wildlife, and compare more than 90 scul
The National WWII Museum
4.8 starsChildren can follow a service member through Dog Tag stations, use a plane-spotting guide, explore a recreated 1940s home, see restored aircraft from
New Orleans Museum of Art
4.7 starsChildren can compare art across three museum floors, search among 100 outdoor sculptures and bring dry sketching materials to draw what catches their
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
4.7 starsOlder children can inspect strange medicine bottles, a historic soda fountain, surgical tools, patent medicines, cosmetics, and a real nineteenth-cent
Louisiana Children's Museum
4.5 starsKids can run a market and kitchen, steer a produce truck, build levees, move cargo through a 100-foot water table, examine nature samples and create a
MuseumsFreeSydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
Ages: Ages 4 to 12, though the paths and large outdoor sculptures can work for every age
MuseumsThe National WWII Museum
Ages: Ages 8 to 17 for the main galleries; selected storytimes and family activities also serve ages 3 to 8
MuseumsPartially FreeNew Orleans Museum of Art
Ages: Best for ages 5 to 14, especially children who enjoy drawing, visual searches or large outdoor sculptures.
MuseumsNew Orleans Pharmacy Museum
Ages: About 8-17, especially confident readers interested in science or history
MuseumsPartially FreeLouisiana Children's Museum
Ages: Ages 1 to 10, with a dedicated area for children age 3 and younger
MuseumsNew Orleans Jazz Museum
Ages: Best for ages 6 to 15 during a general museum visit; younger children benefit most when a family program is scheduled
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