New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
4.5
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Located at the site of the first licensed apothecary shop, the Pharmacy Museum includes cures for anything that ails you including voodoo potions and other weird medicines.
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: French Quarter
A small and teeming network of laissez-faire living lounged out on the balmy banks of the Mighty Mississippi, the French Quarter has long been a port of call for folks in search of a good time and a great story. Perpetually inebriated Bourbon Street runs across its midriff like a strand of cheap ribbon tied around an otherwise rather pretty and impressively well-kept vintage dress. Throughout the rest of the Quarter, brightly colored Victorian homes and businesses, famously done up with wrought-iron features, provide a distinct and immediately recognizable backdrop for all varieties of fun. At any given moment in this historic riverside setting, some of America’s finest meals are being cooked, most potent cocktails are being mixed, and most engaging music is being performed.
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Best nearby
Restaurants
1,531 within 3 miles
Attractions
625 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- EddieGamsLos Angeles, California18 contributionsAsk for tour guide GraceA fascinating spot with well curated artifacts at a beautiful location in the French Quarter. The tour guide Grace was the perfect blend of informative and performative. A perfect way to learn more about New Orleans as well as the history of medicine/cosmetics/(soda) pop culture/technology.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 29, 2023
- Happiness63813018319Chicago, Illinois10 contributionsEngaging tour guideOur tour guide was great. Very informative and engaging. The tour was about one hour and then after that you got to look through the museum at your leisure. The second floor had some good artifacts. A must see for anyone who is interested in this area of healthcare.Visited January 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten January 7, 2024
- Maps6963391 contributionWedding Venue Magic!Just the dreamiest venue we could have ever partnered with. We are thrilled beyond words to have had our anniversary celebration in their courtyard. Their team is as sweet as can be and the space itself has it's own magical presence. It truly was the perfect backdrop for our joy filled day and we will be forever grateful to have booked with them! All the praise - long live the Pharmacy Museum!Visited January 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten February 14, 2024
- Relax09579553377New Orleans, Louisiana2 contributionsReturn to the Pharmacy MuseumI work in healthcare. We used to go to the museum annually before the pandemic, but this was our first return since that time. It was and remains an incredible collection and offers an accurate glimpse into the history of medicine. The museum is rather small, so it does limit how much they can show, but if you can, I'd recommend signing up for a guided tour. Our guide was Grace Kennedy, who was entertaining, accurate, and informative. Historical storytelling connects with an audience by including a healthy mix of artistic expression that is factually grounded, and she has a good grasp of both skills. The bottom line is that the museum is an hour or so well spent and best spent if you can schedule a tour.Visited February 2024Traveled with friendsWritten March 1, 2024
- eddierasChicago, Illinois661 contributionsWonderful TourAt the suggestion of an earlier tour guide we did the Pharmacy Museum tour. Grace was our guide and Grace IS the tour! She is absolutely wonderful. Extremely knowledgeable, friendly and her presentation will pull you in. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and learning all about the history of pharmacy - sounds boring? Not at all and certainly not with Grace! Highly recommend, but make sure it's Grace leading the tour!Visited March 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten March 17, 2024
- Debra T1 contributionFantastic!This tour was so enjoyable. Grace and Cameron do an amazing job. They really know the New Orleans history and Grace's storytelling skills are fantastic. She is engaging, knowledgeable and funny! My husband and I and our two young adult children thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!Visited April 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 14, 2024
- Mike&family4 contributionsA walk into pharmacy historyA truly stunning museum, so much to see, really authentic and such a wide variety of pharmacy artefacts. The tour conducted by Grace was extremely informative and conducted with humour, included Early New Orleans history and the development of pharmacy, medicines and quack cures. Recommended. Mike H, UK.Visited June 2024Traveled soloWritten June 7, 2024
- Ava L1 contribution10/10 experienceThe tour guide was absolutely amazing. He was so into it with also making some funny jokes that got the audience engaged and entertained. The tour was a whole was very informative. I totally recommend if you want to hear some New Orleans history.Visited June 2024Traveled with friendsWritten June 29, 2024
- Lucy SFort Lauderdale, Florida3 contributionsWonderful slice of historyHighly recommended for all, but for science and medicine aficionados its a must! Our tour guide, Grace, made the history come alive! Its amazing how much has changed yet so much stays the same.Visited June 2024Traveled on businessWritten June 29, 2024
- ElenaK0403London, United Kingdom469 contributionsInterestingUnfortunately we had to visit on a Tuesday where we couldn’t get a guided tour of the museum but everything is very well explained. A very interesting place to visit. We also heard from another tour we did that this place was haunted but we didn’t feel any presence. We still thoroughly enjoyedVisited July 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten July 16, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,172 reviews
Excellent
731
Very good
320
Average
91
Poor
20
Terrible
10
Kyle L
Portland, OR89 contributions
Jan 2020
The museum is fairly small, but packed with various remnants from the history of healthcare. I would say that your experience would largely depend on your expectations. For $5, my expectation wasn't to the level of the WWII museum, but was pleasantly surprised at the amount of displays and information that were packed into the building.
Written February 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan9012014
New Orleans, LA36 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
Popped in for a visit on a stormy afternoon and was told we needed reservations. Asked if we could make reservations at the point of entry and told “no, they have to be online.” As there was no one waiting in line behind us, asked if we could have the reservations made now, through the admissions guy. We did not have our phone with us, as it was bucketing and we didn’t want to risk rain damage to the phone. Told “No, we don’t do that” even as I saw an open, online screen on his laptop at the point of entry. I have popped in to other businesses here in New Orleans, like Saba restaurant, and they have been most gracious and made a reservation for us to use right then. Good to know that in a pandemic the museum can afford to be obnoxious to tourists trying to gain entry.
Written August 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brandon K
Flagstaff, AZ2,028 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
This place may sound a bit boring in name but the place is wonderful to visit. Two thoughts to keep in mind: the self guided tour is great but the guided tour is on another level, and you need to have an open mind to really enjoy it as much as possible. It is only $5 per person entry either way. The place is the original site of the first licensed pharmacy in the United States, but you could practice without being licensed. It is a collection of 19th century medical and pharmacological items from original powders, pills and bottles all the way to saws, knives, needles, glasses, tables, etc. It is also a business/home combination common from the times. Owen is the curator and does the guided tour. He is sarcastic and funny while informative about the medical ideas of the time before germ theory. He may throw in a few swear words and references to how some medical ideas about class and gender have not changed that much over time. They are all worthy and entertaining references so long as you keep an open mind to this being a window to the 1800s. This was likely the best $5 I’ve spent so far in New Orleans.
Written January 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jolene D
Wisconsin Rapids, WI7 contributions
Feb 2020
At first you think oh no! what did I get myself into. The speaker was great. He kept your attention at all times and even though we were packed into the tiny RX he was able to move around and entertain us all. The $5 dollar fee was well deserved. You could feel the history as the speaker explained thoroughly how this came from then to now. Amazing information.
Written February 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
5footprints
Minneapolis, MN9 contributions
Feb 2020
As someone in the medical field, I knew I would enjoy this museum, but was worried my husband wouldn't (he did!). The courtyard inside the building was a surprise! It was stunning. There are so many old medical devices and artifacts in the museum, it's overwhelming. The best part was the 1 pm tour (not really a tour, but a curator led show and tell discussion hour). The curator is quirky, funny, passionate and so so interesting! We learned so much, not only about 19th century medical history, but about life in the French Quarter during its early years. It's fascinating and horrifying all at the same time. Word is obviously out though, as the room was PACKED! Be prepared to stand for an hour in a crowd. This seemed best for teens interested in science and history, and up.
Written February 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hightest
Phoenix, AZ47 contributions
Mar 2021
An interesting collection of bottles, potions, equipment used in treating used in treating just about any condition you can imagine. It is a walkthrough on your own museum, so time needed is dependent on your level of interest. It is easy to find and centrally located. Definitely worth an hour of your time. Reservations are required due to capacity restrictions.
Written March 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Allison M
Hoover, AL15 contributions
May 2019
This place has it all. Education, spookyness, and air conditioning! It is a self guided tour through the nation's first pharmacy. It tells the stories of the pharmacists who owned it and the supposed hauntings the building holds. It is host to all sorts of antique medical equipment and medicines. Very interensting and great. The t-shirts look great too!
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
404HappyTraveller
Saskatchewan, Canada481 contributions
Jan 2020
From a pharmacist’s point of view, this was a great spot to stop and and wander around the vast collection of pharmacy and associated artifacts. Even from a non-pharmacist’s point of view, it was a good stop, mostly thanks to Owen the curator, who presented a lively, humorous and very informative “tour” of the museum. There was quite a large crowd in a rather small space, but everyone just stood around and listened to the presentation. In addition to the “tour”, the museum itself is well organized and easy to wander through, with well labelled displays of all the former tools of the trade, and more. There is only one “tour” each day at 1:00 p.m., so make sure you arrange to be there - it wouldn’t be quite the same just wandering through on your own.
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Relax09579553377
New Orleans, LA2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
I work in healthcare. We used to go to the museum annually before the pandemic, but this was our first return since that time. It was and remains an incredible collection and offers an accurate glimpse into the history of medicine. The museum is rather small, so it does limit how much they can show, but if you can, I'd recommend signing up for a guided tour. Our guide was Grace Kennedy, who was entertaining, accurate, and informative. Historical storytelling connects with an audience by including a healthy mix of artistic expression that is factually grounded, and she has a good grasp of both skills. The bottom line is that the museum is an hour or so well spent and best spent if you can schedule a tour.
Written March 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Veronica B
Lakewood, OH10 contributions
May 2022 • Solo
Very interesting museum to visit. The displays were easy to navigate and they provided information both in the displays and in a digital self guided tour document (or you could grab a paper one). The person working the ticket desk was also available for questions and very helpful. There are displays on the first floor and another couple rooms upstairs to visit. Overall was a cool place to see! Admission was only $10, and they offered student discounts.
Written May 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much is the entrance fee?
Written November 5, 2019
The tour is about 45 minutes You can explore the upstairs of the museum on your own.
Written December 4, 2017
how long should I plan to spend there?
Written March 28, 2017
I would say it all depends on your schedule. you can spend an hour and browse through it all or read everything in depth and spend hours... but regardless I would definitely stay for the guided tour, the tour guide was awesome!
Written June 13, 2017
I agree with our other friends here- 15 min walk probably. But you could hope the street car if you are too hot or worried about time. Enjoy!
Written August 30, 2016
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