Madame John’s Legacy

This is a great little free museum and is well worth a quick stop in to see some neat pottery and read about the history of the women who made it.
The museum is only made of 5 – 6 small rooms in total so you don’t need long to see it all; even a half hour would probably do. It’s right in the French quarter though so getting there is half the you’ll see some really great architecture on the way so take your time and stroll leisurely!

Madame John’s is a self guided tour through a classic French home that really isn’t anything overly great. It’s a gorgeous spot and the tour is free, so you really can’t complain and it’s worth checking out, as long as you aren’t expecting anything over the top. Move from room to room and read about the history of the house and the pottery therein.
I really liked the space itself, but I’ll be honest when I say that I found the «tour» kind of boring. There was no one there so I could ask questions and the building was basically a ghost town. I was happy to stop in and I did appreciate the history of the home, but I would have liked to have been able to ask a few questions.

First of all this place has limited hours due to limited staff. If closed when they are supposed to be open I would suggest going to the main museums in Jackson square and maybe the staff can tell you if they will be open. Small place abs won’t take much time to see but if you get a chance be sure to check it out. A nice look at what those homes looked like. And free is very nice

Such a nice and unexpected place to go to and learn about the history of the area. Best of all, it’s free!
It was great to see the inside of an old French home. I also learned that it was one of the only buildings that survive today which was a pre-​fire building. Apparently a lot of fires burned the older and original buildings in the area but this one still survives today.
I’d recommend it. Definitely for history buffs and those looking to escape the sun and heat (the AC was fantastic!)

Most of the really cool-​looking houses we passed in the French Quarter were private, or offered tours for admission, but were closed. This was one of the few houses that was open, and also FREE. Yeah, the rooms are mostly empty except for small pottery displays, but you get a better look at the house’s structure. Definitely wander out onto the front porch and take in the street from above. You won’t be there long, but that is nice in a way — you can get in a quick taste of history and then do your normal touristy stuff.

It’s cool because it’s one of only three buildings in the French Quarter that are actually of French design. It’s free, which is nice, but the exhibit wasn’t all that exciting and there’s not as much history of the house as I had hoped.

I first noticed Madame John’s Legacy as I passed by on the street. It’s an interesting building, and immediately apparent is that in a city full of old buildings, it’s REALLY old. As I crossed the road to read the plaque on the building about its history, my husband pointed out that we could go inside.
The entrance to the building is up a flight of stairs, a feature original to the building to enable its inhabitants to catch a breeze during the hot summer months. (If you are unable to climb steps, there is a first-​level video you can watch about the home by request.) The current exhibition features a lovely display of Newcomb pottery, which I had heard mentioned about ten thousand times on the Antiques Roadshow but never connected with the New Orleans area. It’s a pity I haven’t won the lottery, because otherwise I’d be starting a collection of beautiful Newcomb vases.
In addition to the exhibition space, there are interpretive panels talking about the history of the house, as well as the use of each of the rooms. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit here, but if you’re puttering around the French Quarter, you can kill 20 minutes here. Plus it is absolutely free (with donations accepted), so you can’t really complain.

Before Katrina the place where I worked often had me bring folks «out» to visit places and this was one of the tours we would take. This was the least popular and quickest tour that we would take folks to as this is basically just a building without much to see inside. There are a few interesting architectural details and they will often use the space for some exhibits but as a stand alone tour it doesn’t offer much which is reflected in its admission price of FREE.