Visiting The National WWII Museum – A Foul Weather Day Alternative
Eugene L. 03.28.25
Some days, the weather doesn’t work out for whatever fishing plans you may have. For me, on a recent trip to New Orleans, I had to cancel an inshore charter I had planned with Captain Hunter of New Orleans Best Charters. With the wind forecasted that morning to blow at a steady 20mph+ with even higher gusts, my family wasn’t really feeling a fishing trip that day. So, instead, we found an alternative for this Foul Weather Day by visiting the National WWII Museum. Situated in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, this massive campus covers everything that the United States contributed to the Allied victory in World War II.
The museum was originally founded in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum, located in part of the former Weckerling Brewery. New Orleans was selected due to the history of Higgins Industries, which designed, built, and tested the Higgins boats in New Orleans during the war. In 2004, the U.S. Congress designated the museum as the official National WWII Museum, and since then, the campus has only grown larger and added more galleries of exhibits as the years have gone on. The National WWII Museum campus is now made up of 7 buildings with a few open spaces in between them with parade grounds and plazas.
Right across the street from the main entrance is the Founders Plaza, which features several bronze statues and outdoor exhibits. So, even before you get into the museum proper, there are several stops you should make time for to see.
Once you make it inside the main entrance, you are greeted by a massive C-47, a Spitfire, and a Higgins Boat. And note that this is the view you see while you are just waiting in line to get your tickets. Tickets for the general public cost about $36, with different discounted rates available as well if you qualify.
I could go on and on about the National WWII Museum, but there is just so much to cover there. We easily spent 6 hours there and didn’t feel like we went through every exhibit thoroughly. So, while we only had one day to look through the museum because of our foul weather-induced fishing charter cancelation. I really recommend that you take a full day or two and go through this museum that commemorates our Greatest Generation. I promise you it’s worth your while. Here are a few more photos from the museum.
