A historic house is not a museum you wander. The rooms are small, the objects are unprotected, and the whole point is a person walking you through what happened in each space. All four of these require a guide, and three of them have schedules tight enough to plan around.
1. Pitot House — Bayou St. John
The circa 1799 house at 1440 Moss Street is one of the few West Indies-style homes left in Louisiana and the only colonial Creole country house in New Orleans open to the public. It was home to James Pitot, the first American mayor of New Orleans, along with a string of later owners.
The Louisiana Landmarks Society bought the property in 1964 and runs it as both a museum and its own headquarters, which makes it a working preservation office as much as an exhibit. Tours run Wednesday through Friday from 10 to 3, on the hour, with the last one starting at 2. Admission is $15, or $12 for students, seniors 65 and up, and National Trust members. Entry is by guided tour only. Group tours outside those hours can be arranged at $20 per person by calling (504) 482-0312.
2. Hermann-Grima House — French Quarter
Built in 1831 at 820 St. Louis Street, this one carries a Federal style façade, an original open-hearth kitchen that still works, intact urban slave quarters, and a large courtyard. The kitchen gets used for an open-hearth cooking program, which is worth timing a visit around.
The Urban Enslavement Tour is the headline here, examining how slavery in a city differed from slavery on a plantation and how people of African descent shaped New Orleans. Condé Nast Traveler named it among the best tours in the city and the only museum tour on that list. The house is open Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesdays, with tours at 10, 11, 1, 2, and 3, and nothing at noon. Reservations are encouraged. The Exchange Shop sits in the 19th-century carriage house, run by The Woman’s Exchange, founded in 1881 and one of the oldest women-led nonprofits in the South.
3. Gallier House — French Quarter
James Gallier Jr. built this Royal Street townhouse in 1860 as his own family home, which means the architect was designing for himself rather than a client. The results show. The house had running hot and cold water and an experimental skylight at a time when neither was standard.
The iconic Paris Green gate marks the entrance at 1132 Royal Street. Inside is ornate Victorian interior decoration, the attached slave quarters still intact, and a classic Quarter courtyard. Hours run Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesdays, from 10:30 to 4:30, with tours at 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30, and nothing at 12:30. Reservations are encouraged. A virtual tour called Shifting Landscapes is available online for anyone who cannot make the schedule. Phone is (504) 274-0748.
4. Longue Vue House and Gardens — Near Lakeview
The estate at 7 Bamboo Road sits about twenty minutes from downtown and requires a car. The Greek Revival mansion was built between 1939 and 1942 and is listed on the National Register, designed so the interiors open onto formal terraces and eight acres of gardens.
Those gardens came from landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman, with sections inspired by the Generalife in Granada. A Discovery Garden gives children something to do, which is unusual for an estate of this type. The house is accessible only by guided tour, though the grounds are open to self-guided walking. The 45-minute house tour runs $22 for adults and $17 for children, a 75-minute house and gardens tour runs $30 and $25, and gardens-only access runs $10 and $5. Pricing varies across booking channels, so confirm when reserving. Museums for All brings admission down to $2 for EBT and SNAP cardholders. Free Family Sunday on the first Sunday of each month gives Louisiana residents free garden access and discounted house tours. Phone is (504) 488-5488.
