Inspiration Attractions
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Matt Harding
Located in New Orleans’ French Quarter, just a block away from the famed Bourbon Street, sits the spectacularly morbid-sounding Museum of Death. Well, it doesn’t just sound morbid –- it is. The New Orleans location is a second to the original Hollywood, California venue, which has been closed since 2019 and is in the process of relocating. But true crime fans in NOLA are still in for a chilling time at 227 Dauphine St., home to quite a bit of death-related artifacts and displays.
According to WGNO, the Museum of Death houses a collection of death-themed oddities, including one of Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s suicide machines, a business card from Jack Ruby (who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald), letters from serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, several paintings by the serial killer John Wayne Gacy, and Manson family photographs, among other items.
Not for the faint of heart
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NOLA reports that the museum also features crime and accident scene photos, coffins, and skulls, some of which may be disturbing, so take heed. There are also exhibits on terrorism, cannibalism, and embalming, not to mention a collection of shrunken heads. Because of that, the museum is not recommended for children, and maybe not for the squeamish either.
A review from Frommer’s reads, in part, “If you find vampire tours positively banal and need more death in your death, here’s all the gore you could ask for. It’s graphic, no-holds-barred gruesome, for the thick-skinned only.”
The museum has mixed reviews from true crime fanatics on many travel websites, but a solid 4.1 rating on Google. Obviously, your own experience depends on your interest level in the subject and how willing you are to subject yourself to a self-guided tour of the museum’s macabre memorabilia — or how much you’d like to sit in a coffin, which is indeed an offer.
The New Orleans vibe
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New Orleans is especially known for its spooky vibe and visitors come from all over the world to enjoy its death culture and spend time in The Big Easy. In fact, cemetery and ghost tours in the Louisiana city are some of its most popular tourist attractions, and Voodoo shops and tarot card readers seem to be on just about every corner in the French Quarter.
Just a seven-minute walk from the famous St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which you’ll surely be visiting as well, why not give the Museum of Death a try? Truly morbid visitors can even pick up a T-shirt on their way out!
While their website is currently under construction as of this article’s publication, you can email the museum for more information or stop by during business hours to see what all the fuss is about. The Museum of Death is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Monday. Admission is $17 plus tax.
