National WWII Museum Private Tour With Driver: How to Get to the Museum by Car

Few attractions in New Orleans are as easy to reach by car as the National WWII Museum, and few repay careful timing as much. The museum is not in the old streets of the French Quarter. It sits in the Warehouse District, on a campus of connected pavilions, and it publishes unusually clear arrival information, including a stated drop-off point.

That clarity is what makes a National WWII Museum private tour with driver straightforward to plan. We know where the car stops, where the garage ends, and which days the doors are shut. The hard part is deciding how long to give the museum, because its own planning pages offer itineraries from two hours to two days. This guide takes the logistics from those official pages and leaves the history to the exhibits.

How do you get to the National WWII Museum by car?

The museum's visit page states the drop-off in front of the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, which houses ticketing and tour check-in. It does not describe a separate rideshare zone or bus stop. A chauffeured car uses the same front-of-pavilion stop, leaves immediately and returns when you message.

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Drive times to the museum

Our New Orleans chauffeur page lists the other bookings we handle in the city, and the airport hub covers gateways we serve.

The garage at 1024 Magazine Street

For guests who drive themselves, the museum operates a garage at 1024 Magazine Street. The visit page states that it cannot take motorcycles or vehicles taller than 6 ft 8 in. Its listed tariffs run from $8 for up to an hour, $15 for one to three hours, $20 for three to seven hours, $25 for seven to twelve hours and $50 for twelve to twenty-four hours, as of 2026. Surface lots for oversized vehicles and motorcycles are listed at the corner of Camp and Andrew Higgins Street and at St. Joseph and Magazine Street.

There is no on-campus RV parking. The museum names two off-campus options.

For a chauffeured visit the garage matters less than the height line. A Sedan or Luxury SUV clears 6 ft 8 in. A Sprinter van or a mini-coach does not, so a group booking is dropped at the front of the pavilion and the vehicle then waits elsewhere. Tell us at booking if your party is large.

How much time to give the museum

The museum does not recommend a single duration. Its planning pages offer itineraries of two hours, a half day, a full day and two days, which tells you something about the scale of the place. Galleries named on the visit page include Road to Berlin, Road to Tokyo and Campaigns of Courage, alongside special exhibits and the Arsenal of Democracy in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion.

For a first visit with a limited morning, choose one of the shorter itineraries the museum's visit page outlines and let the chauffeur collect you at a fixed time. If you want the full campus, book a driver for the day, or arrange a drop-off and a pickup with a message in between. We recommend a later pickup than you expect, because many visitors extend once inside.

With a campus this large, it helps to decide before you go which two galleries matter most and treat everything else as a bonus. The pavilions are connected, and the museum allows same-day re-entry once you have checked in, so a break for lunch or a rest in the car does not cost you the afternoon. The car returns when you message, so there is no pressure to rush the last gallery to meet a fixed pickup.

Hours, shows and tickets

Exhibits and the museum store are open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. The museum is closed on Mardi Gras Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Mardi Gras Day in 2027 is February 9.

Two shows and one experience run through the day. Beyond All Boundaries is a 48-minute show starting on the hour from 10 am to 4 pm. The Freedom Theater shows a 30-minute film twice an hour, from 9:50 am to 4:20 pm. The USS Tang Submarine Experience is 15 minutes, runs from 11:15 am to 4:15 pm and is included in General Admission.

The museum recommends buying tickets in advance for faster service, though they can also be bought on site, and it does not describe a timed-entry system. As of 2026 the page lists adult General Admission at $37, the two theater shows at $9 each or $12 combined, and a second-day pass at $15. Daytime tickets are non-refundable. Visitors who check in at Ticketing can leave and return the same day until 5 pm. Check the museum's homepage for the ticket links before you travel.

Security, bags and lockers

All persons and bags pass through a security checkpoint before entering. Rolling luggage can be stored in carry-on lockers, and backpacks and small items in smaller lockers, though capacity is limited. Small backpacks and purses are allowed in the exhibits. Only bottled water with a secure lid is allowed in the galleries.

If you are arriving from the airport with luggage, leave it in the car. Our drivers can hold bags at the hotel or in the vehicle through the day, which avoids the locker queue at the start of the visit.

What is on until early 2027

The museum's homepage lists two special exhibits that overlap with a late-2026 visit. Come Back Fighting: USS New Orleans at War runs from April 9, 2026 through February 14, 2027. Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin and the Art of War runs from July 16, 2026 through April 18, 2027. The homepage also lists a newly remastered 4D experience in the Solomon Victory Theater under the Beyond All Boundaries title.

Dated events include a Family and Military Appreciation Block Party on November 14, with free entry and live entertainment, and the 19th International Conference on World War II from November 19 to 22, 2026. On event days the neighborhood fills, so plan the pickup with a margin. The museum's page does not list Veterans Day or Pearl Harbor Day programs.

Guided tours and private experiences

The museum sells guided programs apart from general admission. Its tours page lists a Museum Highlights Guided Tour, a small-group overview for visitors with limited time; a Home Front Guided Tour of the Arsenal of Democracy exhibit; a Europe and Pacific tour of the Campaigns of Courage pavilion; Into The Vault, a two-hour tour through the private Center for Collections and Archives; and Beyond the Galleries, a private, guide-led visit to two galleries. Experience the Victory is a custom small-group program that includes three nights at the Higgins Hotel.

Most of these can be booked as private experiences through the museum's sales department. We do not book the museum's guided programs. Our chauffeur delivers you to the pavilion on time for the start, and the museum's guide takes over, much as a licensed guide does at other sites. Tell us the tour start time and we set the drop for about 20 minutes before it, which covers the security checkpoint.

The campus, and where to eat

The museum describes a campus of several buildings: the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion for ticketing and the Arsenal of Democracy, the Liberation Pavilion with the Freedom Theater on its third floor, the Solomon Victory Theater, the Kushner Restoration Pavilion with a nursing room and quiet space, the Boeing Center for the US Freedom Pavilion, and the Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Grounds. The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center is on campus, and the museum's dining page lists food options.

For a long visit, the chauffeur can collect you for a lunch in the Warehouse District, the Central Business District or the French Quarter and return you for the afternoon. The museum allows re-entry the same day for ticketed visitors who have checked in.

Price & book your ride

Museum morning, French Quarter evening

1. Morning drop-off at the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, 525 Andrew Higgins Boulevard, shortly after the 9 am opening.
2. Galleries and one show chosen from the museum's itineraries, with the car released.
3. Lunch off campus, with a pickup from the same pavilion front if you leave.
4. Afternoon: a second gallery block, or a drive of about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) to the Quarter.
5. Evening at dinner in the Quarter, with a late return.

If your trip also covers the Pacific theater, our guide to Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu covers that visit. In the south, Graceland in Memphis is a long day's drive away. See the attractions hub for more, and our private tours with driver page for day bookings. The North America directory lists neighboring cities.

Accessibility

The museum's accessibility page lists accessible spaces in the museum garage and an accessible ramp at the main entrance at 525 Andrew Higgins Boulevard, with elevators wherever there are stairs. Complimentary manual wheelchairs are offered first come, first served, and a person assisting a guest in a wheelchair receives complimentary admission. Staff and volunteers do not push guests. Motorized scooters and chairs are allowed on campus, though the museum does not rent them, and third-party companies in the New Orleans area do. Service animals are welcome and pets are not, compact strollers are allowed in the galleries, and bench seating is limited.

For sensory needs, the museum holds a KultureCity sensory-inclusive certification, with sensory bags and weighted lap pads available subject to supply. The Nursing Room in the Kushner Restoration Pavilion doubles as a quiet space. Exhibit videos carry open captions in English, but the page says the main features for the USS Tang experience, the Freedom Theater and Expressions of America do not currently have captions. Tell us at booking if anyone needs step-free access, and we will propose a vehicle with an easy step-in, subject to availability.

Walk, streetcar or car: reaching Magazine Street

The museum itself says it can be reached by car, bus or streetcar, taxi, rideshare, or bike, without naming stops. The city's tourism site carries the visitor guide. For a short hop from the Quarter, a walk or a rideshare is often the lowest-cost choice and we say so. A chauffeur earns the booking on airport arrivals, groups and the long museum day.

Conduct in a museum of memory

The museum honors people who served and died. Keep voices low in the memorial areas, follow signs in the galleries and give veterans space. For privacy, our chauffeurs do not photograph clients or post about trips, and an alias can be used on any name board.