New Orleans Jazz Museum: What to Know Before You Go

As a big fan of jazz music, I was excited to explore the New Orleans Jazz Museum when I was in the Big Easy for a work conference. I was even more intrigued when I discovered it also housed displays on the U.S. Mint, which initially was operated in the same building.

Since I didn’t really know what to expect when I walked through the doors, I thought it would be helpful to you – my readers – to learn what you can expect at the museum and decide whether or not you want to invest your time and the $8 admission fee to visit it.

New Orleans Mint: A Little History About Coin Making

I enjoyed touring the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. When I heard the building where the New Orleans Jazz Museum was housed was an old branch of the U.S. Mint and they had an entire floor dedicated to it, I was excited.

But since this building is not an active U.S. Mint, it’s more history than it is operations. I was able to see some old coin-making machines and learn a little about the old process.

The artifacts around coin making were interesting, but I probably didn’t spend more than 10 minutes touring that exhibit before heading upstairs to the jazz music exhibits.

A Collection of Jazz Artifacts and Instruments

In the entry way, before even checking in at the front desk, you’ll notice a coronet. At first glance, you may not realize its significance. But upon further inspection, you’ll realize it belonged to world-renowned jazz musician Louis Armstrong.

The coronet is one of 25,000+ artifacts found in the museum. Although I don’t think even half of them are on display – but I could be wrong.

While I love jazz music, I am not familiar with its beginnings or long-time history. I only know a handful of jazz musicians, like Louis Armstrong, Glen Miller, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzie Gillespie. But the museum had artifacts on many others that I didn’t recognize.

Since I timed my visit with a school group, and I had limited time between work meetings, I wasn’t able to fully read about all the artists and artifacts in the museum. But I caught a few highlights.

My favorite exhibit area was Drumville. I was able to listen to some jazz music on some headphones and see drum sets that belonged to famous jazz musicians. It’s the area where I spent most of my time… until I heard music playing in the auditorium.

Catch a Concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum

I was lucky enough to time my visit with a performance. The music was great, and the musicians were engaging with the students and helping them understand a little about jazz music. The $8 admission fee was totally worth it for 30 minutes of live jazz music.

In fact, the New Orleans Jazz Museum has 365+ concerts every year. My guess is that you’d be able to find a concert there almost anytime you’re there for a visit. Especially if you plan to visit during one of the many festivals in New Orleans.

If you are looking for some great jazz music in New Orleans, and you aren’t able to catch one while visiting the museum, I strongly recommend a visit to Fritzel’s European Jazz Club on Bourbon Street. It’s the best jazz place I’ve found in the Big Easy, and totally worth a stop.

The Details

Address: 400 Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70116

Cost: Adults are $8, Students, senior citizens and active military are $6. Children, ages 6 and under are free.

Hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10am to 4:30pm. Closed on Mondays.

Website: https://nolajazzmuseum.org/

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