Best Arts and Culture Places in Kenner

"Civil War Museum and Ogden Museum of Southern Art|© Richard Cummins / Alamy Stock Photo. Sitting adjacent to the National WWII Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, this Smithsonian-affiliated museum celebrates the culture of Southern artists through folk art, painting, photography, sculpture and handcrafted heritage, as well as contemporary works from Southern artists and designers. With works dating back to 1733, there’s a permanent collection of more than 4,000 pieces from 15 states, making it the most comprehensive collection of Southern art in the world."

"If you’ve got an eye for art, you simply have to check out the New Orleans Museum of Art, known simply as NOMA for short. Located in City Park, this museum shows off some of the truly beautiful and historically rich art. This Louisiana museum first began its journey in 1912, when Isaac Delgado, an art collector and sugar broker, left the city behind, also leaving a large financial grant to be used to establish the museum."

"In the south part of City Park is the New Orleans Museum of Art, one of the finest of its kind in the South. The museum features an excellent collection of French and American art, as well as African and Japanese pieces. On site and another of the institutions highlights is the outdoor Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, with more than 60 sculptures, as well as walking paths, lagoons, and mature live oak trees."

"The NOMA Sculpture Garden is another great part of City Park. It is a a free portion of the NOMA Museum and, as with everything in City Park, is surprisingly large, with a ton of sculptures placed among beautiful trees and small ponds. There are plenty of fun statues that make for great Instagram shots."

"Warehouse DistrictFounded in 1976 with a mission focused on the cutting edge of art and performance, operated by artists and performers, the CAC has become an important institution in the New Orleans art world, with a focus not just on visual and performing arts, but also on arts education as well. Basically, it’s pretty great. And, if you happen to have a Louisiana state ID, you can check it all out on Sundays for no charge."

"The CAC (900 Camp Street; 504-528-3805) has been in the heart of the Warehouse District since 1976. It is the place to find new and exciting expression in the medium of painting, theater, music, performance art, dance, photography, video, sculpture and more in New Orleans. Love is in the air at the NOMA Sculpture Garden in City Park."

"The CAC has free admission for Louisiana residents on Sundays courtesy of the Helis Foundation. The museum focuses on multi-disciplinary programming and rotating exhibits."

"Gracing the main entrance to City Park since 1911, this traditional fine-arts museum draws from classic Greek architecture, with several…"

"While you're strolling along Royal Street be sure to make time for the Alex Beard Studio. Beard's paintings of animals in the natural world reflect his travels in Africa and are interesting in the context of African-centric New Orleans. Influenced by both his uncle, Peter Beard, and mother, Patricia Beard, Alex's creativity derives from both nature and nurture – he spent his youth around artists such as Warhol and Capote – which echoes throughout the "Abstract Naturalism" style he has created."

"American painter and author Alex Beard is best known for his elaborate wildlife compositions created in his signature style of gesturalpainting, which he has coined “Abstract Naturalism.” Raised in a family that fostered philanthropy, creativity and exploration, Alex has traveled extensively around the world. The diverse cultures, colors, and climates of Africa, India, China, the Americas, and Australia have profoundly influenced both his professional and artistic practice."

"Classical shapes, iridescent colors and interior designs are combined to provide a unique approach to an ancient art. The creative force and owner, Mark Rosenbaum, brings to Rosetree an unusually diverse background in glassblowing, glass casting, ceramics and jewelry. The result is an exciting interpretation of the art of glass."

"Located in a courtyard, this gallery is a fine base for local artist and all around character Emile Rhys. A supremely talented artist, Rhys is best known for her fine art ink and pen drawings of the city’s local musicians. Her work, which synthesizes two great elements of New Orleans creativity – the sonic world of music and the frenetic energy of her visual art – is unique and singularly worthy of souvenir consideration."

"Many visitors pigeonhole New Orleans art as big, bright and made for tourists, but this is hardly the case at the Angela King Gallery, one of the best contemporary art galleries in the city. At any one time, the gallery showcases the work of up to 30 artists, whose talents range from oil paintings to mixed media to ink sketches. This is an extremely varied, diverse gallery, and a great stop for visiting (and local) art lovers."

"Since 1983, LeMieux Galleries has been showcasing artists from the Southern US. It’s a mix of pop-surrealist narratives, vibrant colors and remarkable Louisiana landscapes from painters like Thomas Deaton, Kate Samworth and Billy Solitario. Here, you’ll find artwork which captures the rich atmospheres of New Orleans to take home with you. But if you’re not looking to buy, it’s still worth investing an hour or two to see some of the Southern visual culture on display."

"The name of this sugarcane plantation on the west bank of the Mississippi in St. James Parish comes from the graceful 240-metre alley of southern live oaks running from the riverside to the Greek Revival house. These were planted in the early 1700s, a good century before the house was built, and their twisting branches form a beautiful shade canopy. The house went up in 1837 and has a colonnade with 28 imposing Doric columns, mirroring the 28 oaks in the alley."

"Oak Alley Plantation is actually about an hour west of New Orleans, but it is such an amazing photo location, anyone visiting New Orleans should make the trip. It was definitely one of the highlights of our vacation. As you might expect, it is an old plantation house, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in the community of Vacherie, which is in St. James Parish."

"New Orleans has many plantations which, while they all have a past fraught with slavery and horror, offer a slice of Louisiana that make them among the best ways to look into New Orleans’ past. Oak Alley Plantation sits along the Mississippi’s western bank. An alley flanked by oak trees, all planted in the 1700s, runs up from the bank to the home."

"The refined Uptown park around Audubon Zoo is a bit older, having been landscaped in the 1880s on what used to be a plantation and staging area for Buffalo Soldiers in the Civil War. If you’re mesmerised by New Orleans’ twisting live oaks you’ll love Audubon Park, which has trees that go back to its plantation days. Before this space could be laid out by the eminent John Charles Olmsted, it hosted the World Cotton Centennial of 1884, a world’s fair."

"Get your dose of nature at one of New Orleans’ two large parks.City Park is larger than Central Park in New York and is home to the New Orleans Museum of Art, as well as several gardens.Audubon Parkboasts the Audubon Zoo and is easily accessible by street car. Either way, both are excellent options for a relaxing afternoon."

"Audubon Park boasts a great green lawn overhung by live oak trees in Uptown. One of our favorite spots for river-watching, the Fly, is located here. At the Fly, you can stroll along the riverside while kids play and pets poke around the trees."

"Located in New Orleans East not far from the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, Royal Brewery has one of the most original tap rooms to have sprung up in the past 5-10 years. Taking inspiration from brewing styles from around the world, Royal’s brewers concoct a litany of unique flavors from ales fermented with a British Ale yeast to California Common Steam Lagers. They even feature their own ginger ale which you can sample in-house (trust us, it’s worth the trek)."

"Raymond and Mandy Pumilia have been doing some heavy lifting bringing the first (but rumor has it, not the last!) brewery to New Orleans East. Royal Brewery stays open during the weekend and brings a lot to the table to entice you out that way. First of all, their live music offerings are the best any brewery in this city has."

"A post shared by Brieux Carré Brewing Company (@brieuxcarre) on Jul 30, 2017 at 12:13pm PDT. Craft brewing manufacturing facility with a taproom open on weekends. Games are set-up around the venue including an area for kids along with a stage for live music."

"A post shared by Gordon Biersch New Orleans (@gb_nola) on Nov 26, 2017 at 2:36pm PST. Chain hangout for house-brewed, German-style beer & a pub menu served in a casual setting. Located right across from Harrah’s Casino and within walking distance of the French Quarter."

"Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch’s dream came true when Gordon Biersch Brewing Company opened its doors. The brewery opened in Palo Alto, California, in July 1988. The duo worked together to bridge fresh, handcrafted beer and world class cuisine."

"Second Line’s been growing quietly since opening in 2015, adding more fermentation capacity and diversifying its styles. The imperial rye IPA called Allryte, Allryte, Allryte, released several times a year, is a critical success. The beer garden is a great place for locals to mix it up with beer, food trucks, and movies every Wednesday."

"Second Line Brewing Company is located in the mid-city neighborhood of New Orleans. Its name was derived from the unique tradition of New Orleans called Second Line Parade. The parade is an unbridled expression of fun and celebration for the New Orleans community."

"Second Line Brewing’s name derives from New Orleans’ tradition of second line parades. Over 100 years ago, the parades began as customs for jazz funerals. Today, the parades are held as symbols of joy, fun, and celebration."

"Named for the beloved New Orleanean gospel singer, the jewel of Armstrong Park was decimated in Katrina and subsequently refurbished into a state-of-the-art facility. The inaugural performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Messa di Requiem established a roster a of stellar lineups, ranging from Broadway shows and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the New Orleans Ballet Association. Catch programmes such as Shostakovich, La Bohème and comedian Aziz Ansari this spring."

"The Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts is a theater located in Louis Armstrong Park and named after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was born in New Orleans. It originally opened in 1973 as the New Orleans Theater of the Performing Arts and then was renamed after Jackson in 1993. The theater was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina but reopened in January 2009."

"You can still feel the glamour that must have accompanied the opening of Saenger Theatre in 1927. Although the capacity has been cut from 4,000 to 2,600, the grand venue is still one of the biggest theaters in town, with a performance hall modeled on an Italian baroque courtyard and overhead lighting that resembles a starry constellation. The space hosts big events that still need a more intimate setting than a sports arena: touring Broadway shows, big-name comedians, and the occasional concert."

"With decorative moldings and ornate archways, the interior of the Saenger Theatre replicates that of a grand Italian courtyard, complete with a starry sky ceiling. Having been devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the theatre underwent a huge restoration project and reopened in 2013 to offer a bustling schedule of live music, lectures, comedy, and more."

"The historic Saenger Theatre in New Orleans is one of the Gulf Coast’s premier live entertainment venues. Heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the ‘Grand Dame of the South’ reopened its doors in September 2013 after an extensive restoration. The 1927 design lives on in this iconic live performance venue."

"The unassuming Uptown building with no seats may be over 100 years old, but Tips, as it’s affectionately known, only became a music venue in the 1970s. It quickly cemented its place as a New Orleans music institution: Local brass bands are a particular thing to see here. There are no seats, but you'll likely want to be up on your feet for whatever local talent is about to take the stage by storm."

"Tipitina’s opened in 1977 and has been hosting live music and cajun dancing ever since. It’s one of the best know music clubs in New Orleans and is a favorite venue of many local musicians such as The Radiators, The Neville Brothers,  Galactic, Professor Longhair, and Dr. John."