New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

724 Rue Dumaine
New Orleans, Louisiana

Phone: 504-680-012 -- TTY: 504 522 5223

Statement of Purpose:

The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum is believed to be the only museum in the world dedicated to Voodoo.

The primary purpose of this museum is to represent the traditional practices of the Voodoo religion in New Orleans. The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum brings together ancient and modern day Voodoo practices.

The museum places an emphasis on understanding Voodoo through four categories:

Religion in which the practitioners understand the gris-gris magic comes via supernatural powers,
Superstition in which the practitioners believe the object, such as a doll or candle, has a power in itself,
Folklore which is the oral traditions handed down from generation to generation either by culture or locality (Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen and the Rougarou swamp zombie are examples), and
Folklore which is the misappropriation of folklore either for financial gain or personal aggrandizement.

Highlights & Collections:

Located in the historic French Quarter, the Museum is an excellent stop for an afternoon walking tour. Our tours highlight the historical importance of Voodoo in New Orleans, along with tales of famous Voodoo Practitioners.

While you are visiting the Museum, you may wish to have one of our practitioners prepare a special Gris-Gris bag just for you or someone you may know. There are four categories of gris-gris bags used in Voodoo: love and romance, power and domination, luck and finance, and uncrossing. Uncrossing bags are used to undo a hex or for healing purposes. Love and romance bags are used to attract and keep love or force breakups. Luck and finance gris-gris are popular with gamblers and anyone trying to make more money. Power and domination gris-gris are used to gain advantage in competitions. These gris-gris are used by politicians, athletes, and lawyers and other types of competitive professions. A New York politician or Dallas DWI lawyer may come to New Orleans for a good time but may leave town with a gris-gris bag tucked away for good luck.

Visiting the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum is an interesting and educational experience for followers and skeptics alike.

The Museum houses artifacts of the Great Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau.

The museum has recently been featured in SciFi Investigates, Weekend Getaways with Giada (the Food Channel), in Madrid on "No Solo Musica," in Paris on "Bon Plans," the History Channel, the Travel Network and numerous radio interviews and print features.

The only "walking" tour we are doing right now is the Voodoo/Cemetery Tour which includes Free Admission to the Museum. The tour focuses on a visit to the Tomb of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen in St. Louis Cemetery #1.

Our rituals are not scheduled, but may occur at various times. Interested persons should check with us.

Exhibits:

Our St. John's Eve Ritual is held annually on June 23.

We also have a Special Halloween Ritual on October 31 which also takes place annually.

Due to the size of these Voodoo Rituals, they are normally held at a seperate location and tickets may be purchased at the Museum.

Hours:

We are open seven days a week from 10:00am until 6:00pm (or when it gets dark).

Admission & Directions:

General Admission is $7.00 however since Hurricane Katrina we have universally given a $2.00 Discount, making the Admission $5.00.

We are located on rue Dumaine between Royal and Bourbon Streets.

Images.

Marie Laveau,
Great Voodoo Queen of New Orleans by Charles Gandolfo. Marie Laveau was born in New Orleans in 1794 and died in 1881. She became the most famous and powerful voodoo queen in the world.

Gris-gris and ritual room at Museum.
Our ritual room contains a working altar to Exu, the guardian of the crossroads and other voodoo artifacts.

Ritual at Marie Laveau's tomb
on Voodoo walking tour. Walking tour begins at 1pm daily and features wishing ritual at Marie Laveau's tomb and a visit to a temple.

Le Musee du Voudou.
Entrance to Museum at 724 Rue Dumaine. The Museum was opened in 1972 by late Charles M. Gandolfo and is located in New Orleans' French Quarter.

Key Personnel:

Jerry Gandolfo, Curator

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New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

Statement of Purpose:

Highlights & Collections: