Degas House

My husband and I enjoyed a tour of the Degas House today with Joanie, one of his grand-nieces. We just happened to be the only two booked this morning, so it felt really special. She is, of course, a fount of information and history about the family, Degas' paintings, the house itself...as an art lover, this tour was fascinating to me and Joanie herself was as lovely and personable as can be. It's a bed and breakfast now, and weddings and other special events are held here, and another grand niece gives painting lessons to groups from time to time. Amazing lesson in art history as well as New Orleans history

This place is really cool. It's where he stayed in New Orleans at a certain time and does have some of his art there. Now split into two different buildings, you do need a reservation for a tour and the tour guide is actually a real relative of Edgar Degas himself which was really cool. Very interesting.

This is a historic space that I've attended events at and it also operates as a bed and breakfast. The noted French artist, Edgar Degas, lived here and produced some of his art here completing 18 paintings and 4 drawings before moving back to Paris. This is the only remaining home and studio of Degas who lived here for only five months when he stayed here with his mother's family during 1872 to 1873. It is a nice space for an event and it looks like it would also be an interesting place to stay at if you wanted a bed and breakfast experience. Overall this is certainly a nice spot to visit if you're in the area.

Made a reservation by phone for a Saturday morning brunch and guided tour. Arrived at 9 to find the left house locked up, the courtyard set up for a wedding, and the right house filled with a wedding party. Attempts to contact the staff by phone were unsuccessful, our calls were unreturned.

We spent Thanksgiving in New Orleans and invited two friends from Dallas to meet us. We were truly excited to have friends stay here, only two blocks from a property which we own, as we've been looking for a convenient non-airbnb type place for friends and family when we're all in town.The owner was pleasant and accommodating on phone calls and advised on Thanksgiving day that he would be away from the house, having dinner with friends. He was kind enough to upgrade both rooms and left clear directions via voicemail on how to access Degas House.We arrived early evening on Thursday just as it was getting dark outside, to bring luggage up to the rooms where our friends were staying. Degas House is charming with large rooms downstairs and an old, yet elegant staircase to the second floor. The upgraded rooms were located on the second floor at the front of the home. One room faced Esplanade, with a large gallery, and the other room was just behind the first. The rooms were large. A quick look at the bathrooms revealed claw foot tubs with shower curtains. Air registers in the ceilings of the rooms appeared near black from an apparent lack of cleaning. The bath robes smelled musty. The second bedroom from the front only had a trickle of cold water at the bathroom sink. All of these things were minor and easy to dismiss as we knew the home was old, but are things you expect to be addressed on a regular basis. The first night of the two night stay ended with one of our friends being cold throughout the night as the heat in her bedroom (closest to Esplanade) did not work. This was reported the following morning. Also, breakfast, which our friends understood would be served on Friday morning, was not available at the advertised time. Just before 10 AM on Friday morning, the owner responded to a message from one of our friends who was inquiring about breakfast and someone did arrive just before 10 AM, and offered to make breakfast for our friends, who declined breakfast as they were preparing to leave for the day. They did accept coffee which was prepared for them. Breakfast was served on Saturday morning, as advertised, although I don't know if our friends stayed and ate.Also, on Friday, our friends were advised that the great-granddaughter of Degas would not be available for a tour, as previously indicated. Friday night's stay revealed the heat in the front room had not been repaired and unfortunately, our friend who stayed in the front bedroom, got very little sleep over two nights.Our friends were also offered suggestions about dining options, being advised by the Owner that Cafe Degas is now a second generation restaurant and is not as good as it once was, and Santa Fe restaurant, very near Cafe Degas, would be an excellent choice for a meal. As someone who grew up in New Orleans and first went to Cafe Degas when it opened around 1986, and as someone who frequents Cafe Degas and Santa Fe when in town, I can offer without hesitation that Cafe Degas is a truly wonderful spot for lunch, dinner, or brunch. In fact, I ate at Cafe Degas on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and we had brunch at Cafe Degas yesterday (Saturday after Thanksgiving). Both meals were excellent. The service, as always, was phenomenal. The Owners and employees are terrific and we have chosen Cafe Degas for many special family events and moments, and dinners with friends, over the past 35+ years.I also had lunch at Santa Fe on Friday (restaurant recommended by the Owner of Degas House). I have eaten at Santa Fe dozens of times. I enjoyed my meal. Santa Fe is less than a block from Cafe Degas and is a good, convenient spot for a meal, with a somewhat more casual menu than Cafe Degas. Cafe Degas and Santa Fe offer two different dining experiences. My two-star review stems from 1) the apparent failure of the owner of Degas House to offer reasonable compensation for the lack of heat in one room and the failure to provide breakfast on Friday, during the advertised times; 2) the failure to provide a tour with the great granddaughter of Degas, as indicated; and 3) the apparent lack of maintenance to such items as ceiling registers and the failure to provide robes and curtains that didn't smell musty.The issue regarding the Owner's opinion of restaurants is his to offer. We all have our opinions of restaurants, and I disagree with his. With a little more attention to detail, some maintenance, and follow-through to provide meals and tours as indicated, this could be a truly wonderful and convenient spot in a historic section of New Orleans.

Simply AMAZING!!! This beautifully gem nestled in a quaint old neighborhood is a must do when you're in New Orleans. The staff is amazing, courteous and friendly. Matthew and Precious were highly attentive and efficient. Each course was served with a delightful description. The aroma lured you into the dinning room and the flavorful taste of each dish will keep you coming back for more. We will certainly be stopping in on our next trip to New Orleans. Beautifully charming!

I absolutely loved this tour. You should definitely come for breakfast, then do the tour. I had just finished reading Victoria Finlay's book "Color" a natural history of the Palette and it was so interesting to learn about how impressionism could never have happened without aluminum tubes being created. There was a small callout about Degas in the book and then to see the house where he painted and began his style in New Orleans was so cool. Really enjoyed learning about Degas and the timeline which gave a great visual of the history that Degas lived through.

Degas House was great. Late check-in and late check-out couldn't have been easier and I got a surprise upgrade. Period rooms were gorgeous, and the hit of my stay was breakfast with Akira. Best shrimp and grits I have ever had--fluffy grits and perfectly cooked shrimps. A few details to spruce up, a little dusty corner and a coverlet as an extra blanket, but the location could not be beat (fab coffee shop down the way, a great stroll to the quarter down Esplanade) and so nice to stay in a place with character rather than a drab hotel room. Three thumbs up.

Lovely knowledgeable tour guide! I was one of three on my tour and it was such an intimate and special experience learning more about Degas' life in NOLA.

My friends and I had a tour of the Degas house and a walking tour around the block with Liz, our tour guide. Liz was excellent and we really enjoyed our experience. We learned so much about Degas, his art, and his family. Just standing in the studio where he painted was reason enough to be there.Do yourself a favor and take a tour. You'll be so happy that you did.