Twenty years ago the
Museum of Death opened in Hollywood. Now, another branch has opened in … where
else …the Big Easy. What a perfect location for some fairly graphic exhibits
that might make you queasy, but intrigued.
 |
| Kevorkian's Thanatron |
Located in the
French Quarter of New Orleans, this macabre museum has hundreds of exhibits
including crime scene photos, funeral garments, letters written by serial
killers, items that belonged to Nicole Brown Simpson, and the
Thanatron; the suicide machine constructed by Dr. Jack Kevorkian to assist
those who wished to die. The machine was used over 130 times.
Co-founders Cathee Shult and J.D. Healy first started the museum in California in 1995 for the purpose of bringing those fears about death that we Americans have, out in the open. Other cultures see dying as simply part of the cycle of life, but we fear it, and avoid thinking about it, for the most part. This is our wake-up call.
The Museum of Death
is an in-your-face reminder that “this too, shall pass” and it offers up many
examples of just how death can occur. While there are no age limits at the
museum, they strongly recommend that "Mature Audiences" only attend.  |
| Charles Manson |
The NOLA Museum of Death has
numerous exhibits including Manson Family photos, morgue photos, body bags,
coffins, skulls, and execution items along with an exhibit on cannibalism, and
the Theatre of Death, where you can watch programs about all kinds of death.
The NOLA museum is
much larger than the one in Hollywood, and many exhibits here are in keeping with murders and events that have occurred in the state and southeast region. The Museum of Death in New Orleans had its officialgrand opening on June 1,
2015. It is open Wednesday through Monday, 10 am to 6 pm and closed
on Tuesdays; admission is $15 per person.
Many are not
prepared for what they’ll see at the museum. Several patrons have given the museum
a “Falling Ovation.” (In other words, they passed out.) This action warrants a Museum
of Death T-Shirt as a souvenir to remember them by.
Once you step out
into the bright daylight, you’ll be glad that you’re alive, and that, according
to the owners, is the whole point of the museum.
~Joy
If You Go:
227 Dauphine Street
New Orleans, LA
70112
(504) 593-3968
Other NOLA
Attractions to see:
724 Dumaine St
New Orleans, LA
70116
(504) 680-0128
Basin at St. Louis
St.
New Orleans, LA 70112
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 482-5065
