Exhibits

Elevate your senses 34 stories up from the city’s only 360° indoor and outdoor observation deck. See the entire length of Canal Street, stretching from the river to the lake. Take in the mighty Mississippi teeming with ship traffic as it winds through our city. Set your sights on 15 neighborhoods and 60 attractions in the French Quarter, Treme, Garden District, and beyond. From history-rich urban architecture to the wetlands and waterways surrounding us, the Vue Orleans 360° observation deck delivers the best views in town. It’s the ultimate starting point for any New Orleans visit.

Surround yourself with music, from jazz and R&B to funk and bounce. Discover the musicians whose contributions birthed jazz music in the city that keeps its own beat. Step inside an oversized gramophone where you can listen to every genre of music coming out of New Orleans, from the likes of jazz great Louis Armstrong, and Bounce superstar Big Freedia.

Even your elevator ride will be entertaining and like no other! Make sure to turn around and enjoy a different show going up and going down.

Take a seat in our panoramic Vue River Theatre and hear from the “Soul Queen of New Orleans,” Irma Thomas, as she tells the story of how the Mississippi River has shaped our storied city through time.

In New Orleans, we love to play dress-up. Create your own costume, from top to bottom. This interactive exhibit uses cutting-edge hands-free technology to allow you to see yourself decked out for a masquerade ball, dressed as a jester, or marching in a parade. Take a photo home and remember the experience. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Order up! Step into our digital café with local food icons Chef Kevin Belton and Journalist Poppy Tooker, and learn how to make some of the most iconic New Orleans dishes, including gumbo, jambalaya, king cake, and more.

Discover the real New Orleans. Meet the historical figures whose cultural customs and traditions formed and flavored this wild, wonderful place we’re proud to call home. Learn about Carnival, Mardi Gras Indians, Second Lines, and more. Enjoy breakout moments from the Preservation Hall All-Stars, second line dancers, and Mardi Gras Indians, including Creole Wild West Big Chief Howard Miller and Queen Rukiya, Comanche Hunters Keith ”Big Chief KeKe” Gibson and Keyonna Big Queen Keedy Braxton. Interact with the personal stories of Jelly Roll Morton, Henriette DeLille, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, Marie Laveau, and many other influential New Orleans characters.

Listen to Henry Louis Gates Jr., renowned author, documentary filmmaker, essayist, literary critic, and professor, talk about how New Orleanians never gave up the fight for freedom and Civil Rights in the last 1800s and early 1900s. Learn about what is being done to shore up the wetlands and prevent disastrous flooding in the future. Have you always dreamed of being a riverboat captain? Here is your chance to see if you have what it takes to steer a cargo ship through the winding river, avoiding other boats and the riverbank. Hear the whistle! Full steam ahead!

Not your grandfather’s viewfinder, but a rare perspective of our neighborhoods from high above the river's curve. Point the Vue Finder in any direction and learn more about the city and neighborhoods below. From the river to the lake, the French Quarter to Uptown, and the West Bank to Chalmette, you will learn tidbits about each neighborhood—its attractions, its people, and its history. Get a glimpse of the lifelong home of Fats Domino, learn the location of the eight nationally ranked universities located within the city limits, or scope out one of the more than two dozen Catholic church steeples. Each neighborhood has its own history, mysteries, and stories to tell. You won’t want to miss even one.

Make a stop in our 34th-floor café and grab a snack and a local brew or one of our cocktails or a glass of wine before sauntering your way around our spectacular 360° outdoor observation deck. Need a quick bite to eat? Choose from several wraps, sandwiches, or snacks. Nosh on a king cake slice, a New Orleans praline, a bag of Zapp’s New Orleans kettle-style chips, or one of a handful of other quick-grab snacks.