New Orleans Field Trips Guide

Field Trip Categories In And Around New Orleans

Museums, Tours, And Local Landmarks

National WWII Museum
The National WWII Museum began with a particular New Orleans connection: historian Stephen Ambrose's work on D-Day and the Higgins boats built in the city, amphibious landing craft that were crucial to Allied operations. Since opening in 2000, it has expanded into a multi-building campus covering the European and Pacific wars, the home front, vehicles, oral histories and immersive campaign galleries. Aircraft suspended in the U.S. Freedom Pavilion convey scale, while personal artifacts keep the story grounded in individual lives. Middle and high school are the strongest school ages because the museum addresses combat, genocide and complex wartime choices; upper elementary groups need a more selective route. Families should allow several hours and resist trying to absorb every theater and gallery. School groups can build around one person's oral history or one object, then connect it to larger strategy. Timed films and special experiences may require separate tickets or reservations.
Street Address: 945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Web Address: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

New Orleans Jazz Museum
The New Orleans Jazz Museum occupies the historic Old U.S. Mint, bringing the city's music history into a building that once produced coins. Collections include instruments, sheet music, photographs, recordings and memorabilia tied to jazz pioneers, while live performances make the museum's subject audible rather than purely historical. The mint building dates to the 1830s and was unusual in having served both U.S. and Confederate governments during the Civil War. Upper elementary through high school can connect African American history, improvisation, migration and recording technology; music students should listen for call-and-response, rhythm and ensemble roles. Families benefit when a visit coincides with a live program. The museum opened in its current jazz-focused form after earlier Louisiana State Museum uses of the building. School groups should check the performance calendar and current exhibitions, then prepare students to compare an instrument or recording artifact with the sound of musicians using similar tools live.
Street Address: 400 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116
Web Address: https://nolajazzmuseum.org/

Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall is a tiny French Quarter music venue whose importance comes from the intimacy of hearing traditional New Orleans jazz a few feet from the musicians. Established in the early 1960s to provide work and visibility for veteran local players, the hall helped sustain a style that commercial entertainment had begun to overlook. Its worn interior and simple bench seating are part of the experience; this is not a polished concert auditorium. Middle school through high school music and history groups can learn about improvisation, ensemble communication and cultural preservation, but any education extension must be arranged around an actual youth program, workshop or suitable performance. Capacity is small, evening schedules may be impractical for schools, and standard shows are not automatically field trips. Teachers should contact Preservation Hall about current educational access. The key lesson is why preserving a living tradition requires supporting working musicians, not merely putting old instruments in cases.
Street Address: 726 St Peter, New Orleans, LA 70116
Web Address: https://www.preservationhall.com/

Zoos, Aquariums, And Wildlife

Audubon Aquarium
Audubon Aquarium sits beside the Mississippi River and uses that location to connect freshwater, Gulf of Mexico and global aquatic life. A signature Gulf of Mexico habitat presents sharks, rays and large fish around an offshore-rig structure, while Mississippi River and Caribbean exhibits show very different water systems. The aquarium first opened in 1990 and underwent a major renovation and combined reopening with the adjacent insectarium in 2023. Preschool through middle school is the strongest age range, though high-school biology groups can compare salinity, adaptation and conservation. Families should check the current layout because aquarium and insect exhibits now share the Audubon Aquarium campus more closely than older guidebooks suggest. School groups benefit from scheduled education programs and animal talks. A distinctive assignment is to follow the path of water from the Mississippi River outside to the Gulf habitats represented inside and discuss how upriver pollution can affect coastal ecosystems.
Street Address: 1 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Web Address: https://audubonnatureinstitute.org/aquarium

Gardens, Parks, And Outdoor Learning

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is spread across multiple south Louisiana sites, so a New Orleans field trip must choose the specific unit. The French Quarter Visitor Center interprets Mississippi Delta cultures and history, while the Barataria Preserve south of the city offers boardwalks through swamp and marsh habitat where students may see alligators, birds and bald cypress. Other park units preserve Acadian culture and the Chalmette Battlefield from the Battle of New Orleans. Upper elementary through high school can connect wetlands, waterways, cultural diversity and national history; younger groups do well on short ranger-led nature walks. The park was established in its current form in 1978 and named for the privateer Jean Lafitte. Teachers should never list 'Jean Lafitte' as though it were one building. Confirm unit, trail conditions and ranger-program availability, especially after storms or high water.
Street Address: 419 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Web Address: https://www.nps.gov/jela/

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