After breakfast at the RV, we drove to the nearby National World War II Museum. We had visited the museum last year on our Mardi Gras tour but we didn't get to see everything there and we wanted to go back if we ever got the chance.
The museum originally started out as a D-Day museum under the leadership of the author Steven Ambrose who lived in the New Orleans area. It has since expanded and is now a first-class museum telling the story of WW II through exhibits, personal memorabilia, and recorded oral and video histories of many people who directly participated in the war. There is also a spectacular 4-D film, "Beyond All Boundaries," narrated by Tom Hanks. The fourth "D" is smoke, lights, seats that rock, etc., and a host of other video and audio effects in an Imax format. New Orleans was also home to the manufacturer of "Higgins Boats" during WW II. The Higgins company produced most of the landing craft used in the war and played a huge part in the national war effort. This local connection to the war effort was also instrumental in the establishment and growth of the museum.
We relaxed back at the RV for awhile then went out to dinner at a famous French Quarter restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen. The restaurant is owned by the famous chef and cookbook author, Paul Prudhomme, who is still actively involved in the operation of the restaurant. The food was excellent .
The museum originally started out as a D-Day museum under the leadership of the author Steven Ambrose who lived in the New Orleans area. It has since expanded and is now a first-class museum telling the story of WW II through exhibits, personal memorabilia, and recorded oral and video histories of many people who directly participated in the war. There is also a spectacular 4-D film, "Beyond All Boundaries," narrated by Tom Hanks. The fourth "D" is smoke, lights, seats that rock, etc., and a host of other video and audio effects in an Imax format. New Orleans was also home to the manufacturer of "Higgins Boats" during WW II. The Higgins company produced most of the landing craft used in the war and played a huge part in the national war effort. This local connection to the war effort was also instrumental in the establishment and growth of the museum.
The National World War II Museum
After watching the Tom Hanks movie and touring some of the exhibits, we ate lunch at the restaurant in the museum, "The American Sector". The restaurant chef is John Besh, a local chef of some renown, a former marine, and a cookbook author. The food was excellent, presented well, and reasonably priced. The quality was not what you might expect at a museum restaurant and is a nice addition to the museum complex.
Lunch at the Museum - "The American Sector" restaurant
We continued touring the museum after lunch and still didn't finish it all before it closed at 5:00 pm. The place is a treasure trove of history from the build-up to the war to its aftermath and the birth of the atomic age. It is a unique presentation of history that essentially tells the story of the era through the eyes of those who were directly involved and impacted by the war. It is a legacy for "the Greatest Generation" that should be be seen and appreciated by all.
More Museum
We relaxed back at the RV for awhile then went out to dinner at a famous French Quarter restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen. The restaurant is owned by the famous chef and cookbook author, Paul Prudhomme, who is still actively involved in the operation of the restaurant. The food was excellent .
We are going to continue touring in the area tomorrow and go back to the WW II museum to finish-up what we didn't see today. The Jazz Fest starts on Thursday and will continue through the weekend.
Dinner at K-Paul's Restaurant
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