Seven not-for-profit museums in the French Quarter have joined forces to create the French Quarter Museum Association, an effort to elevate the profile of history museums as an enriching cultural experience in the city’s oldest neighborhood.

To kick off the collaboration, for the rest of the tricentennial year The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 533 Royal St. location is hosting the FQMA visitor center, which will offer passersby information about all participating museums in the Vieux Carré.

“Approximately 11 million people visit the French Quarter annually, and that figure doesn’t even factor in locals,” explained THNOC Vice President and Deputy Director Daniel Hammer, who has overseen THNOC’s work on the FQMA visitor center. “By working together to promote what we do, museums of the French Quarter can have a positive impact on the Vieux Carré by growing the number of people we touch and by growing the profile of museum-going as a central activity of the French Quarter.”

In the visitor center, each institution has a dedicated alcove with a text panel and pictures, so that visitors can learn at a glance about all the historical offerings a short distance away. A representative will be on hand to provide additional information about all the museums and the 13 sites that they represent. Visitors will be able to take a FQMA brochure featuring a map of the participating institutions and receive details on discounted admission or shop perks to member institutions. In addition, all institutions are offering a special incentive: visit five locations and receive a free dessert at Dickie Brennan’s Tableau Restaurant.

The FQMA’s participating institutions are The Historic New Orleans Collection, Hermann-Grima + Gallier Historic Houses; the Beauregard-Keyes Historic House and Garden Museum; the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum; the Louisiana State Museum, which includes the Cabildo, the Presbytère, and the 1850 House; the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the US Mint (an affiliate of LSM); and the Catholic Cultural Heritage Center, which comprises the Old Ursuline Convent, St. Louis Cathedral, and St. Anthony’s Garden.

The FQMA is supported by its participating institutions, Friends of the Cabildo and the Louisiana Museum Foundation—nonprofit entities that support the operations of the LSM—as well as New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., Doerr Furniture, and Dickie Brennan’s Tableau Restaurant..

The FQMA visitor center will be open the public Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., through December 30, 2018. Admission is free to the visitor center; regular rates apply at each site.  The brick-and-mortar center will come down at the end of 2018, but the FQMA will live on, via www.frenchquartermuseums.org and continued collaborative programming.

About the French Quarter Museum Association
The French Quarter Museum Association is a network of seven unique cultural and historical museums that tell diverse stories from all corners of New Orleans’ oldest neighborhood. The mission of the FQMA is to make museum-going an integral part of the French Quarter experience. By working together to create shared experiences throughout the Quarter, FQMA members provide engaging and enriching cultural experiences at your fingertips. It is the mission of the FQMA to help you discover the key to our city.

Media Contacts: 
Teresa Devlin, The Historic New Orleans Collection
504-598-7170 | teresad@hnoc.org

Anna Grundman LeDonne, Gambel Communications
985-807-5341 | ann@gambelpr.com

FQMA Visitor Center, 533 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
www.frenchquartermuseums.com