The Cabildo is a Louisiana State Museum history museum on Jackson Square in the French Quarter of New Orleans. This guide covers current opening hours, ticket prices, transport and parking, accessibility, and practical tips for a first-time visit.
This guide was updated in August 2026.
Quick facts
| Opening hours | Tuesday–Sunday, 9am–4pm (last ticket sold at 3:30pm). Closed Mondays and select state holidays |
| Adult ticket price | $11 |
| Address | 701 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70116 |
| Nearest transport | Riverfront Streetcar, or roughly a six-block walk from Canal Street |
| Typical visit length | About one to two hours |
The Cabildo opening hours
The Cabildo is currently open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 4pm. The last ticket is sold at 3:30pm, and the museum is closed on Mondays and on select state holidays.
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The Cabildo ticket prices
Adult admission costs $11 per person. Seniors, military personnel and students with valid ID pay $9, and children aged 6 and under enter free.
Opening hours and ticket prices were checked on the official website and last updated in August 2026. Buying tickets to multiple Louisiana State Museums together on site saves $2 per additional ticket, AAA members receive a 10% discount, and groups of 15 or more with a reservation save $2 per person. The Cabildo is also included in the Go City New Orleans pass, alongside attractions such as the National WWII Museum, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, the Presbytère and the Old Ursuline Convent Museum.
Why book the Go City New Orleans All-Inclusive Pass?
- 🎺 Access to 25+ Top Attractions: Take total control of your itinerary with admission to the city’s premier cultural sites, including the National WWII Museum, Mardi Gras World, and the Audubon Zoo.
- 🚢 Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Cruise: Take to the waters of the Mississippi River on an authentic, historical paddlewheeler cruise to take in beautiful views of the city skyline and local riverfront landmarks.
- 🐊 Cajun Swamp & Bayou Tours: Journey out into the mystical Louisiana wetlands on a guided boat tour to spot wild alligators, native birds, and moss-draped cypress trees up close.
- 🎭 French Quarter Walking Tours: Deepen your knowledge of local lore with multiple included walking tour options covering the city’s legendary ghost stories, voodoo history, and stunning French Quarter architecture.
- 📲 Convenient Digital Pass: Enjoy a completely paperless experience by loading your multi-day pass directly onto your smartphone using the free Go City app, complete with maps and attraction entry details.
How to get to The Cabildo
The Cabildo sits inside the French Quarter, where no streetcar line runs directly through the pedestrian core. The Riverfront Streetcar line stops within a few blocks of Jackson Square, and it is roughly a six-block walk from Canal Street.
Many visitors simply walk, since the French Quarter is compact and Jackson Square is one of its central landmarks.
Parking at The Cabildo
There is no dedicated museum car park. Paid parking garages operate nearby in the French Quarter and Central Business District, and metered street parking is limited and in high demand.
Visitors driving in are generally better off parking a few blocks away and walking, since Jackson Square itself has no visitor parking directly outside the museum.
How long to spend at The Cabildo
Most visitors spend around one to two hours inside, moving through the museum’s three floors of exhibits. A focused visit covering the main highlights takes about an hour, while a slower pace through every gallery can take closer to two.
Visitors combining a stop with the neighbouring Presbytère or 1850 House should allow extra time, since each is a separate ticketed museum.
Accessibility at The Cabildo
The Cabildo is fully wheelchair accessible, with elevator access to every floor. Service animals are welcomed, and text guides are available on request in English, French, Spanish and Vietnamese by contacting the museum on (504) 568-6968.
Inside The Cabildo
Napoleon’s death mask, cast in bronze shortly after his death in 1821, is one of the museum’s most requested sights and is displayed in the Sala Capitular, the building’s historic council chamber. The same room hosted the ceremony finalising the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
The Battle of New Orleans exhibit covers the diverse forces and events behind the 1815 American victory, while Gálvez and Louisiana in the American Revolution explores Louisiana’s role in the fight for American independence.
Bienvenue Lafayette examines the Marquis de Lafayette’s connection to Louisiana, and People & Power: Building History at the Cabildo traces the politics and events that shaped the building itself, including the Plessy v. Ferguson case decided there in 1892.
A temporary exhibition, Michalopoulos: Mystical Expressionism, features work by contemporary New Orleans artist James Michalopoulos and is scheduled to run through late September 2026. A new exhibition, Sportsman’s Paradise: Celebrating Conservation, is due to open in November 2026.
Practical visitor tips
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Timing | The museum is closed on Mondays and select state holidays, so avoid planning a visit around those days. |
| Crowds | Jackson Square is a busy tourist area, so arriving soon after the 9am opening usually means a quieter start. |
| Layout | Exhibits are arranged chronologically across three floors, so allow time to work through each level in order. |
| Entry process | The last ticket is sold at 3:30pm, half an hour before closing, so arrive with enough time to see the galleries. |
| On-site logistics | No full-service restaurant operates inside the museum, and food availability from the Calas Café pop-up should be checked in advance. |
Frequently asked questions about The Cabildo
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is The Cabildo suitable for children? | Generally yes, though some exhibits cover serious historical topics, including slavery and civil rights, that suit older children better. |
| Do you need to book tickets in advance for The Cabildo? | No. Tickets can be bought at the door, though booking online in advance is also possible. |
| Is The Cabildo open on Mondays? | No. The museum is closed on Mondays and select state holidays. |
| Is The Cabildo wheelchair accessible? | Yes. The building has elevator access to every floor. |
| Can I see Napoleon’s death mask at The Cabildo? | Yes. It is a permanent highlight, displayed in the Sala Capitular council chamber. |
Things to do near The Cabildo
St. Louis Cathedral stands directly beside the Cabildo on Jackson Square and is open to visitors outside service times. The Presbytère, the Cabildo’s twin building on the other side of the cathedral, is also part of the Louisiana State Museum and focuses on Mardi Gras and Hurricane Katrina.
The 1850 House, a restored antebellum row house also run by the Louisiana State Museum, sits on the square’s Lower Pontalba building. The French Market, a historic marketplace with food stalls and shops, is a short walk along Decatur Street.
The New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint is a short walk downriver and covers the history of jazz in a former federal mint building.
What to visit tomorrow
Louisiana’s Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge is about an hour and a quarter’s drive away, and its Museum of Political History occupies a 19th-century Gothic Revival statehouse overlooking the Mississippi River.
Destrehan Plantation, around 40 minutes’ drive from New Orleans, is one of the oldest documented plantation houses in the lower Mississippi valley and offers guided tours.
Oak Alley Plantation, about an hour’s drive west, is known for its avenue of live oak trees and offers house tours covering the property’s history.
Whitney Plantation, also about an hour’s drive, focuses specifically on the lives of enslaved people through first-person narratives and memorial exhibits.
Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site, near St. Francisville, is roughly two hours’ drive and preserves an 1835 plantation house alongside its original formal gardens.
More New Orleans travel
Other New Orleans travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- What you need to know before visiting the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans.
- Discover tales of slavery in the antebellum South at the Hermann-Grima House.
- Embrace local food and drink culture at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.
- See the costumes and floats in progress at Mardi Gras World.
- Plan your visit to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans.
