Arnaud's Germaine Wells Mardi Gras Museum

Very nice museum that has a lot of Mardi Gras history. Some of the gowns in the display are so delicate that a light breeze could probably destroy them. They are protected in glass cases and you can see them up close.It is nice to see such devotion to preserving the family history and that they share it with anyone who visits for free.

On a visit here, I took it upon myself to duck in here and see what this neat little exhibit was all about. It's basically a lot of the Mardi Gras gowns that a Mardi Gras queen wore over thirty years. You can tell that a lot of care has been taken to preserve these artifacts and seeing them up close was a real treat.

This is one of those places that I've heard about for years, but never actually stepped foot in. So I wasn't sure what I was expecting.Yep, it's creepy with so many vintage mannequins looking like they want to come alive and zombify you to join them. (Maybe that's just me though.) The costumes are fabulous and the photos are amazing.BUT the entire collection is starting to crumble. Long term the heavier beaded dresses should not be hanging on mannequins and you can see where the fabric is starting to give. I hope it gets some attention before it's too late.Also shout out to Lindsay for her commentary while we were touring the space and to Michelle who just giggled the whole time at whatever we said. Good times.

Queen of Mardi Gras!Here at the Museum you can have a look of the lavish and luxurious gowns that was wore by Germaine Wells who reportedly reigned as queen of over twenty-two Mardi Gras balls from 1937 to 1968, more than any other woman in the History of Carnival.Located upstairs of Arnaud's and it is free for the public, so we ended up visiting since we were having a drink downstairs.If you are in the area and want to escape NOLA hot weather, come and chill out for a short visit but definitely not worth going out of your way for this!

The museum above Arnaud's is amazing. So much history and it's so cool.I want to try in eat and ever dress.

So let me comment on the "museum". AMAZING!Free!So my girl and I hear about the place, just off bourbon street.As we entered a couple told us it was upscale and had a dress code. We were only coming for museum. So we continued on.We gently asked if we could view the museum without purchasing dinner... we were guided to the museum with out hesitation. For FREE!It's a small bit refined collection of mostly Mardi Gras queen dresses. As far back as the late 30's!Totally recommend it!

"Only New Orleans could produce a Germaine Cazenave Wells. She was lusty, dramatic, loud and headstrong. Her taste and capacity for alcohol, celebration and men were extreme, even by the standards of today. She worshiped her father; the pair were certainly kindred spirits." (From Arnaud's website)Although I never knew her, based on this description, I love her. A lot.This small museum is a wonderful tribute to her...daughter of Count Arnaud, who although left his restaurant in her hands himself, doubted she could pull it off. But she did just that. Arnaud's is to this day a wonderful New Orleans institution thanks to her.She was also Queen of over twenty-two carnival balls. Her gowns in the museum are sparkly and just beautiful. She loved lavish things and it shows. I think of Germaine as a brunette Marie Antoinette. Definitely worth a visit if you're dining at Arnaud's."After all, New Orleans is the Paris of the South." - Germaine Cazenave Wells^yep. Her and I would have been best friends. :)

Before you read this review, I must offer a disclaimer. I am a dude and I like dude things. Had this been the Germain Wells museum of guns, cars and badassery, I would have lamented Yelp's lack of half stars just so I could bestow the coveted 10million and one half star review. But it's not. So now that you've read the disclaimer I will proceed with my review.Many others have explained this "museum" quite well. I think the term museum is stretching it a bit as this is basically a display of old gowns, trinkets and hats. Sure it is super cool that the former proprietor of Arnuad's was queen of so many different Mardi Gras balls, but as far as I am concerned, the story alone is cool enough. I don't need to see a bunch of cracked and creepy as hell mannequins wearing old poorly preserved dresses.Now that I have gotten my opinion out of the way, I do highly recommend you check this display out if you are at Arnaud's. You are most likely not like me and will probably enjoy it as evidenced by all of the positive reviews. I probably would not recommend you make a special trip, but since Arnaud's and the neighboring French 75 bar are so awesome anyway, I suspect you'll end up here at some point.I did forget to mention the one thing I thought was pretty cool. The ceilings were pretty low which made me feel tall. So if you love Mardi Gras, dresses, hats and like to feel tall, check out the Germaine Wells Mardi Gras Museum.

I would hesitate to call this a "museum." It's more like a showcase of vintage Mardi Gras gowns and costumes. Located upstairs from Arnaud's, this showcase can be difficult to find if you do not know where you're going. We had to ask a waiter to help us find it. You have to walk up the stairs, past all of the autographed celebrity pictures, and through a door that looks like it is locked.The exhibit is pretty cool, but don't plan on spending more than 15 minutes checking it out. As I said, the "museum" is basically a collection of old Mardi Gras costumes, masks, etc. We were the only people looking at the exhibit and we actually felt a little creeped out...in a good way, of course. It felt like the mannequins were watching us as we walked around in complete silence. No music playing, no other voices, not even any noise coming from the restaurant downstairs. This place is worth the time, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it.

It's very small but really great! There are costumes dating back to 1939. So elaborate and all hand made. There are lots of pictures too. You can see the grandeur of a bygone era. It also has a short history of Arnaud's family. I found it really fascinating. A little hidden gem. It is just one room, but to me it was well worth it!!