New Orleans Feature

For souvenirs that go beyond the typical snow globe and T-shirt, visit the gift shops in New Orleans's many museums and cultural institutions. The stores, which help support the organizations' missions, often are open to shoppers without having to pay museum admission. The gift shop in the New Orleans Museum of Art (1 Collins C. Diboll Circle, Mid-City), for example, has a wealth of books on art, photography, and Louisiana cooking, as well as scarves, puzzles, and locally made crafts, such as jewelry by local designer Mignon Faget made specifically for the museum. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art (925 Camp St., Warehouse District) includes the beautifully curated Center for Southern Craft and Design store, where you'll find ceramics, glasswork, decorative items, jewelry, and books on and by Southern artists. The Historic New Orleans Collection's (533 Royal St., French Quarter) gift shop is the place to find such items as a reproduction of a 1916 railroad map of Louisiana and a NOVA documentary DVD on Hurricane Katrina. The Aquarium of the Americas (1 Canal St., French Quarter), the Audubon Insectarium (423 Canal St., French Quarter), and the Audubon Zoo (6500 Magazine St., Uptown), all part of the Audubon Nature Institute, all have gift shops stocked with colorful, quirky, educational, and fun items for children and adults.