US National World War II Museum

The US National World War II Museum in New Orleans tells the story of the war, focusing particularly on amphibious attacks. Using a combination of artefacts, photos, documents, information panels, stories and films, the National World War II Museum looks at everything from the Pacific to the African and European theatres.

US National World War II Museum history

Formerly known as National D-Day Museum, the collection commemorates the battles of Normandy and World War Two.

The Higgins Boat is the Museum’s star piece. The iconic amphibious warfare boat was used to deliver Allied troops onto the beaches of Normandy (and subsequently featured in any number of Hollywood productions). The Higgins Boat was designed and built in New Orleans, hence the city being chosen for the museum to be established in. The museum got its current name in 2006 after an act of Congress two years prior officially designated the museum as “America’s National World War II Museum,” formalised an affiliation with the Smithsonian, and slightly widened its scope.

US National World War II Museum today

Spread over 6 acres, the museum is divided into different sections that show different aspects of the war, from the home front in ‘The Arsenal of Democracy’ to ‘The Road to Tokyo’, which tells the story of the war in the Pacific.

The museum retains its focus on military history, although it skips ahead two years into the war to focus exclusively on the United States’ involvement via immersive, high-production exhibitions. Amongst its main attractions, the National World War II Museum has a fully restored C47 plane, a PT 305 boat and a Sherman tank.

The main exhibits at the National World War II Museum are divided into the Home Front, planning for D-Day, the D-Day beaches and a range of Pacific invasions. It is said that the National World War II Museum is the only one to deal with all such operations.

Getting to the US National World War II Museum

The Museum is located in New Orleans’s Historic Warehouse District on Andrew Higgins Drive between Magazine and Camp Streets. Parking is available at the Museum’s new multilevel parking garage, located at the corner of Magazine and Poeyfarre Streets.

The Museum’s paid parking garage is located at 1024 Magazine Street on the left side.