Jazz, the second line and the Mardi Gras Indian suit all came out of Black New Orleans, and the daytime city still carries it: Congo Square, a Tremé museum founded by a man who photographed it for decades, a Lower Ninth backyard full of feathers. Twenty places worth your daylight, Black-owned first.
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Sylvester "Hawk" Francis started documenting Black Masking Indians, Baby Dolls and jazz funerals in the 1970s. His daughter Dominique runs it now, in a bigger St. Philip Street home with a new room. Stand close to the beadwork. Every stitch was sewn by hand, for one morning.
Pip’s Tip Mardi Gras Indian suits, second-line history
Brandan "BMike" Odums turned a 36,000-square-foot Bywater warehouse into a gallery of floor-to-ceiling portraits, protest and New Orleans faces. The room is uninsulated, so dress for the weather. Louisiana locals and students walk in free on Wednesdays.
Pip’s Tip BMike's warehouse of murals, walk it slow
Ronald W. Lewis built this backyard museum in 2003 to hold the suits, photos and stories of Mardi Gras Indians, Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs and Skull & Bone gangs. His widow, Charlotte "Miss Minnie" Lewis, keeps the door open now. Call ahead, and come ready to listen.
Pip’s Tip Backyard museum, call Miss Minnie first
One small room, one big storyteller. Tremé historian Al Jackson walks you through paintings, photos and horns that trace jazz from these streets back across the water. Walk-ins welcome, $20 donation, and groups of five or more should call ahead.
Pip’s Tip Al Jackson tells jazz from Tremé out
Dr. Stella Jones left medicine to open this gallery in 1996, so Black folks could walk in and see themselves on the walls. Painting, sculpture and prints from African American and diaspora artists, at the foot of St. Charles. Come in from Common Street.
Pip’s Tip Fine Black art since 1996, enter Common
Since 1998 this corner has anchored the boulevard named for Oretha Castle Haley. A gallery, a theater and a gathering room for African American artists and culture bearers. Check the calendar before you roll through. Some of the best nights here are a drum circle or a reading.
Pip’s Tip Gallery, stage and heartbeat of O.C. Haley
In 1960 Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost and Gail Etienne walked into McDonogh No. 19 past a screaming crowd. The Leona Tate Foundation turned that same building into a civil rights interpretive center. Stand in the hallway they walked. Call before you drive out.
Pip’s Tip Where three six-year-olds desegregated a school
Kathe Hambrick founded this museum in 1994 to tell the story of Black life along the sugar parishes. Freedom stories, rural Black doctors, jazz roots and records naming more than 5,000 enslaved people. About an hour up the river. Pair it with Whitney for a full day.
Pip’s Tip Day trip up the river, names and all
Founded in 1996 on the grounds of a Tremé villa, telling the art, history and neighborhoods of Black New Orleans. The main house is under restoration, so exhibits run out of the administrative building for now. Locals pay less, so bring your ID.
Pip’s Tip Tremé's own museum, on a historic villa lot
A historic house on Esplanade holding the story of New Orleans' free people of color. Furniture, portraits and documents from the families who built so much of this city. Tours are guided and booked in advance, so plan the afternoon around it.
Pip’s Tip Free people of color, told inside the house
Enslaved and free Africans gathered here on Sundays to drum, dance and trade. Much of American music traces back to this ground. Walk in through the Armstrong Park arch, stand on the circle, then walk Tremé toward St. Augustine Church, the city's oldest Black Catholic parish.
Pip’s Tip Sunday drums, where it all began
The one plantation museum in Louisiana built around the lives of the enslaved people, not the big house. Memorial walls carry thousands of names, and the story is told plainly. Give it two hours and a quiet drive back. About an hour from the city.
Pip’s Tip The plantation tour told from the quarters
The Old U.S. Mint sits right where the Quarter meets Frenchmen, and it holds the city's jazz story. Instruments, photographs and a performance space with concerts on the calendar. Go in the afternoon, then walk straight onto Frenchmen for the night.
Pip’s Tip Old U.S. Mint, jazz on every floor
The city's big art museum sits at the end of Esplanade inside City Park. The sculpture garden next door is free every day, with lagoons, live oaks and work set along the paths. Louisiana residents get into the museum free on Wednesdays.
Pip’s Tip Free sculpture garden under City Park oaks
Six buildings of dog tags, letters, aircraft and first-person stories from the men and women who served. Wear good shoes and give it a half day. Beyond All Boundaries, the 4D film, is an add-on worth the extra few dollars.
Pip’s Tip Give it a full half day
The Louisiana State Museum on Jackson Square gives a full exhibit to Carnival: costumes, krewe history, float pieces and old recordings. You learn how the city's parade culture really works. An easy hour before lunch in the Quarter.
Pip’s Tip Carnival history on Jackson Square
The working warehouse where parade floats get carved, painted and stored all year. The tour puts you between giant heads and half-finished floats while artists work. Call for the free shuttle from select downtown spots. Good first stop if friends are in town.
Pip’s Tip Walk the float shop year-round
A 1.8-mile loop under old live oaks, a lagoon full of egrets, and the river on the far side at the Fly. Walk it in the morning, then catch the streetcar back down St. Charles. The walking and hiking clubs will like this one.
Pip’s Tip Walk the loop under the live oaks
The oldest running streetcar line in the world rolls from Canal Street up St. Charles through the Garden District to Carrollton. Sit on the river side, window down, and watch the mansions go by. Bring exact fare or use the Le Pass app.
Pip’s Tip Green cars, open windows, Garden District mansions
A boat ride into one of the least-altered river swamps in the country, with licensed local guides. Cypress knees, hanging moss, gators and birds. Drive out yourself or book the hotel pickup. About 45 minutes from the city.
Pip’s Tip Cypress, moss and gators, book ahead
Sylvester "Hawk" Francis spent his life documenting Black Masking Indians, Baby Dolls and jazz funerals, and his daughter Dominique keeps it going on St. Philip Street. Start your New Orleans day here and the rest of the city makes sense.
Members walk Tremé together, Backstreet to Congo Square, then sit down for lunch.
Day trips are one chapter of Pip's Lifestyle, find the stays, brunch spots, lounges and the Domino Club below.
