Riverboats, the WWII Museum & Mardi Gras World
Prices & schedules checked October 18, 2026
These three fill most visitors’ daytimes, and all three are a short ride from the French Quarter. Here’s what the official sites say about hours, prices and timing.
The National WWII Museum
- Hours: open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Mardi Gras Day.
- Admission: general admission ranges from $27 to $37 and includes all exhibit buildings and current special exhibits. Add-on films and experiences are extra (the museum lists two at $9 each or $12 as a combo).
- Discounts: active or former military and their spouse get $10 off general admission with proof of service; WWII veterans and one companion are admitted free. The museum also lists AAA and senior (65+) discounts.
- Time: you can leave and come back the same day until 5 p.m., and a Second Day Pass is $15 if bought within 7 days. The museum says its exhibits are designed for visits of anything from two hours to two days.
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Mardi Gras World
- A working float studio (Kern Studios) on the riverfront at 1380 Port of New Orleans Place, at the foot of Henderson Street.
- Tours: about one hour, starting with a 15-minute film and then a guided walk through the float den with a slice of king cake. Tours depart every 30 minutes, first at 9:30 a.m. and last at 4:30 p.m., seven days a week.
- Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Mardi Gras Day. A free downtown shuttle is offered; the nearest convention-center lot charged $23 when we checked.
Steamboat Natchez
The New Orleans Steamboat Company’s Natchez cruises the Mississippi. The operator lists daytime lunch & sightseeing cruises, weekend brunch jazz cruises and evening dinner & sightseeing cruises (the dinner is optional), and its sister riverboat City of New Orleans handles the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve sailings. Prices vary by cruise and add-ons; see the official site.
Viator prices change often, so we don’t quote them: the Viator buttons open the live listing, where you’ll see today’s price, times and cancellation terms. Facts on this page come from the operators’ own sites.
More military history: Chalmette Battlefield
Downriver in Chalmette, the Chalmette Battlefield unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve marks the site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans. The adjoining Chalmette National Cemetery, established during the Civil War, holds more than 14,000 headstones. The NPS lists the cemetery’s vehicle gates as open 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily; it’s open to pedestrians from sunrise to sunset.
Sources
- The National WWII Museum — Plan your visit (hours, closures, admission, discounts, Second Day Pass)
- Mardi Gras World — Tours (address, tour length, times, closures, parking)
- Steamboat Natchez — cruises and holiday sailings
- Steamboat Natchez — Evening jazz cruise with dinner option
- National Park Service — Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery
- Viator — The National WWII Museum ticket
- Viator — Mardi Gras World behind-the-scenes tour
- Viator — Steamboat Natchez harbor cruise