New Orleans Museum of Art

I’ve only been to about two sculpture gardens before this one, but this is definitely the best I’ve ever seen and can’t imagine another one topping it. This garden is pretty expansive with diverse range of art that is thoughtfully organized. You can honestly spend a good hour (maybe more) just exploring the works throughout before or after heading to the nearby NOMA.

This is a fairly small museum with a modest permanent collection, so the key is to come for one of the temporary exhibits. In our case it was Bob Dylan’s paintings of the French Quarter (which surprised me, they were fantastic) and two photography exhibits focused on negatives. But the real show stopper — and worth the trip alone — was the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, it was *incredible.* The grounds are beautiful, with water and trees covered with Spanish moss, and for sculpture collection quite impressive in it’s breadth. A definite must see.

We took a cab out here (but you can also get here on the Trolley)… what a beautiful little oasis in NOLA :-) Definitely worth a trip out… some fabulous sculptures and a lovely walk — and a break from the craziness ;-)

This is a great place to visit! I loved my time here seeing all the sculptures and strolling along the park. It’s free for everyone and connected Noma (New Orleans Museum of Art) which to enter Noma there’s a small fee. Plenty of parking. You can even rent a paddle boat or canoe that goes around the whole museum and sculpture park. Fun for all ages.

I loved this sculpture garden and everything in it. Each turn on the path brings a new surprise and I loved how everything was laid out. It’s a great blend of nature and man-​made. Some of the sculptures lend themselves so well to the trees that are native here and you couldn’t imagine them anywhere else. It’s free to get in and a lovely reprieve from the hustle and bustle of busier parts of the city.

Amazing and so worth your time! It’s free and it’s absolutely beautiful. You can walk around and check out a bunch of different sculptures. They are all different and offer different styles. There are a lot of benches to sit down and relax in the garden. We saw people doing a gondola (boat) ride throughout the river. That looked pretty cool, but we were satisfied with walking through by ourselves. The only downfall is that they close pretty early at 6PM and last entrance is 30 minutes before closing. We got there at 5:31 and they weren’t going to let us in; however, we did get to it and 25 minutes was enough time to peruse through. I’d recommend setting aside an hour though.

It is a very quiet atmosphere and after the hustle of the French Quarter, Café du Monde and Bourbon Street, it was great to go somewhere to get away and relax. Parking is somewhat of a challenge but with some determination, it can be found. The collection is small but eclectic. The café is reasonably priced and the meals are good. The gift shop has many interesting items but is pricey, like most museum gift shops. My regret is that we did not stop at the Besthoff sculpture garden since we had plans later that day and our time was limited. Next time I will make a point of getting there. i would recommend a visit.

Loved it. Me and my husband enjoyed ourselves very much. It was kind of romantic. Will definitely go back. Best part is its FREE!!!

Why do I love sculpture gardens so much? I don’t know! So exciting to be out in an open space with various metal forms all around… maybe they’ll come alive?
This sculpture garden is free, a big plus. Coming here is at best, an intriguing experience («Why is this one named ‘Karma’? I don’t get it!»), and at worst, a pleasant stroll. The paths are all a bit circuitous… but when the weather is nice, why not wander around in circles anyway. You can spend about 30 minutes or so in here (so probably don’t come unless you’re doing something else in City Park also).
There were also clean bathrooms at one end, which is always nice.

I’ve been to NOMA countless times since I first started visiting in 1997 and now that I live in New Orleans, I find myself going to the Ogden more since their collection is more modern. But NOMA is still a great museum to visit. Here’s what I feel are the can’t misses:
Permanent collection: the first floor is mainly the older art (which I’m not very interested in) and also special exhibitions. There are usually good special exhibitions so do check to see what is going on before you head here. The second floor is more my speed with the more modern and contemporary art. Don’t miss the Picassos! You also want to see the Will Ryman — you can’t miss the gold log cabin (to scale!) and make sure you head around the back to see it from the inside. The third floor has the Arts of the Americas (also boring to me) but if you dig artifacts from ancient cultures, this is for you.
Sculpture Garden: my favorite part of the museum and it’s also free. The outdoor garden is large and beautiful and the art ranges from classical to modern sculpture. There are great pieces by Henry Moore, George Rodrigue, Louise Borgeous, Claes Oldenburg, Debra Butterfield, Anish Kapoor and Robert Indiana.
Pro-​tips: free for LA residents on Wednesdays. The café and museum store are great so make sure you factor that in as well.

Enjoyed visiting the museum on a rainy day. Easily reached from a street car, super easy for out of towners. City Park is beautiful and you must walk the park!
The museum itself was worth the $ 10 admission. I enjoyed all of the exhibits, but wish there was a little more contemporary art.

Beautiful sculptures in a fenced off area that has a nice path and water ponds to round out the viewing experience. They have beautiful art pieces in a wonderful atmosphere. I would check this one out art fan or not it’s worth checking the sculpture garden out.

My wife and I were on vacation in New Orleans and decided to take the long trolley ride. We happened upon a cool sculpture garden which we walked around for about 45 minutes, super cool.
A great short outing to break up the craziness of New orleans.

Wow! This place is gorgeous! We came in the first week of March and the weather was phenomenal and the colors were vibrant. The grass was green and the wind was blowing through the garden.
You can walk through the garden and see a wide variety of beautiful statues with various styles and motifs. There are numerous benches for you to sit and enjoy the view and if you get bored you can quickly leave the garden and explore the rest of city park.
The last entrance was done at 4 o’clock on Sunday and the park closes at 5pm.
Monday they open at 9am so head in there for a pleasant stroll.

A great little hideaway in the City Park, it is a perfect place to grab some peace and quiet away from the loud and drunk city. The garden is free to walk around and even has a gondola ride you can take through the central canal! Pairing a visit to the garden with the museum is the way to go.

This place is the perfect free activity to do in the day time of the popular night city of New Orleans.
It’s located in the city’s park, right next to the Museum of Art. It’s essentially a small garden area with sculptures littering the place. It’s got pathways with the sculptures alongside with a plaque containing merely the name of the piece and its artist.
Loved this place.

If you are visiting NOLA, make sure to take some time to stroll around the Sculpture Garden. It is free of admission and a nice way to enjoy the scenery. It’s just nice to walk around and stumble upon larger than life art pieces. And once you have circled the garden, stop by Morning Call next door for some afternoon snack of beignets and coffee.

I hate to give this, or any, museum such a low review, but I was just underwhelmed each time I came here. The collection is tiny and disjointed, I could not detect a great «flow» to the museum moving from one room to the next, and frankly, while there were a couple «hmm…that’s weird» pieces, there was nothing write-​home-​about good. My favorite piece from my first visit was a huge painting of the swamps of Louisiana with tons of wildlife and incredible colors, and it was gone the second time I visited. What a bummer.
I have to note that there are a couple exhibits upstairs that really don’t seem to have been updated since the 70’s. There is a room of «Native American Art» and a room of «African Art» with nary a mention that there are, like, tons of different tribes that maybe have different artistic styles and different uses for different types of things. This homogenization of entire continents into one group belittles the cultural significance of these distinct tribes and nations and plays into the European colonization narrative of discovering and filling empty continents rather than destroying these well-​established people. It feels tired and outdated.
The restaurant associated with this museum is very good, and the air conditioning can be a heaven-​send, but if you’re looking for a little art time, go to the sculpture garden for free and you’ll have a much better time.

I am always impressed by the way that this place can both enhance their sculptures and blend them into the serene setting of this outdoor park art gallery. The light is always amazing and perfectly suits every sculpture or piece of art. I learned this time that you can purchase a water at the entry information desk for $ 1.00/per bottle which came in handy since it was so hot outside.
It’s also equally as amazing that this place is free to the public. I am happy to see that since my last visit they have added new sculptures/​art to their collection. I didn’t realize that this is an ever evolving outdoor exhibit space but, I am happy it is since I love to visit this place on every trip to New Orleans. I am also pleased that a city supports their culture through art that much.
Of course if you want to do the photo op with the New Orleans Love sculpture this is the place to do it. It has so much more to offer though in sitting in peace and reflecting on art while also being able to see the New Orleans history through the art.
Parking is always easy every time that I have been here either in front of the art museum or behind near the botanical gardens. If you come to New Orleans for just Bourbon Street you may not appreciate this place but, I urge you to see this place and more of what makes this fantastic city so magical!

What can I say about such a wonderful place? Located in the famous City Park with so many options to be able to do the museum AND other activities without having to travel too far, this is pretty darn awesome, in my opinion.
Wednesdays are free for Louisiana residents. Discounts for students, veterans, and over a certain age. It is a wonderful place to spend a warm summer day, or take a break from a festival that is nearby, as they are frequent. It is always neat, clean and well staffed. There always seems to be new exhibits, and a rotating collection. There is a coat/​bag check upon entry. It is handicapped accessible. I would suggest wearing shoes that are not too slippery, as I would be afraid that I would fall on the well polished floors.
I just love this place!