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Alexandria Louisiana Museums

Louisiana History Museum in downtown Alexandria at 503 Washington Street
Louisiana History Museum in downtown Alexandria

Alexandria and Central Louisiana are fortunate to have an active museum scene, with exhibits of interest to local area residents and visitors alike.

Louisiana History Museum

The Louisiana History Museum, located in downtown Alexandria, is dedicated to collecting, presenting, interpreting and promoting understanding of the wealth of history associated with Alexandria, and all of Louisiana. The museum maintains one of the foremost collections of historical objects in the state.

The collection has grown from several display cases upstairs in the Alexandria Genealogical Library to over 50 displays and exhibits on the ground floor of the historic Alexandria Public Library.

 

Visit the website of the Louisiana History Museum

The building housing the Louisiana History Museum and Alexandria Genealogical Library started life as the Alexandria Public Library in 1907. Admission is free and guided tours can be arranged.

 

The Louisiana History Museum is located at 503 Washington Street. Phone 318.487.8556 for more information or visit the website of the Louisiana History Museum.

In March of 2021, the Museum purchased the historic Shiloh Baptist Church at 930 Washington Street with $125,000 in donations. Once renovatons are complete, the church will be the new home of the Louisiana History Museum. Built in 1905, the structure used to be one of the premiere Black churches in Alexandria.

Alexandria Museum of Art

The Alexandria Museum of Art (AMoA) was founded in 1977 and occupies the historic Rapides Bank Building on the banks of the Red River. The bank building was constructed in 1898 and is listed on the National Historic Register.

Alexandria Museum of Art in downtown Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria Museum of Art (courtesy of AMoA)

In October of 1995, the Museum Trustees undertook a new campaign entitled “Jewel on the Red.” The goal of the campaign was to raise $6 million dollars for the construction of a new museum and a renovation of the historic bank and $2 million dollars for an operating endowment. In 1998, the Alexandria Museum of Art expanded and constructed its grand foyer and offices as an annex to the Rapides Bank Building.

The Museum operates a collaborative endeavor agreement with Louisiana State University of Alexandria (LSUA). AMoA now also serves as a downtown campus for LSUA classes and is host to multidisciplinary community events, including concerts and recitals, lectures, yoga classes, Second Saturday Markets, and Museum Afterhours. These events support all art forms – film, literature and poetry, songwriting and visual arts.

Typically, the Museum holds between five and seven exhibitions each year, displaying a variety of historic and contemporary subjects. AMoA offers multidisciplinary programming surrounding every exhibit, including lectures and master classes on the subject of or in the medium of the exhibit.

AMoA is located 933 2nd Street in downtown Alexandria. Phone 318.443.3458 or visit the website of the Alexandria Museum of Art for information and current hours of operation.

Arna Bontemps African American Museum & Cultural Arts Center

Arna Bontemps African American Museum in downtown Alexandria, Louisiana
Arna Bontemps African American Museum in downtown Alexandria

The Arna Bontemps African American Museum & Cultural Arts Center in downtown Alexandria is housed in the restored home that was the birthplace of the poet Arna Bontemps, renowned as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance.

The museum and cultural center is located at 1327 3rd Street, and is one of the featured sites on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

The home was rescued, relocated, restored, and established as the first African American Museum in Louisiana. Since its opening in August of 1992, the Museum has become a nationally recognized treasured landmark and a model institution that serves a cross-cultural community.

Phone 318.473.4692 or visit the website of the Arna Bontemps African American Museum for information and current hours of operation

Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum

Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum, Camp Beauregard, Pineville, Louisiana
Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum

Alexandria and Central Louisiana were a significant part of the massive U.S. military build up for World War II, and the site of the Louisiana Maneuvers.

Numerous military camps were built in the CenLA area to support the growing war effort: Camp Livingston, Camp Claiborne, Camp Beauregard, Esler Field, Pollock Army Air Field, Alexandria Army Air Base, and others.

The Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum tells the story of the massive army maneuvers that prepared the United States for World War II and was centered on several army camps in the Pineville area.

Built as a replica WWII barracks, this museum houses memorabilia and artifacts from the WWII era, as well as WWI and earlier time periods. View life size military vehicles, authentic military uniforms, and historic pieces from the home front.

Admission is free. It is located at 623 G Street, Camp Beauregard.

The museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm. For additional information, and for arranging after-hours and weekend tours, phone 318.641.5733 or visit the website of the Louisiana National Guard - Museums


T.R.E.E. House: A Children’s Museum

T.R.E.E. House: A Children’s Museum in Alexandria Louisiana

The Rapides Exploratory Education (T.R.E.E.) House provides children with a sensory-engaging, interactive and fun learning experience.

The Museum is located at 1403 Third Street in downtown Alexandria. Opening hours are Tuesday-Friday 9:00am - 3:00pm, and Saturday 9:00am - 4:00pm.

For more information, phone 318.619.9394 or visit the TREE House website.


Kent Plantation House

Standing on the original land grant from the King of Spain to Pierre Baillio II, Kent Plantation House offers a glimpse of the French, Spanish and American cultures that have influenced Louisiana. All three flags fly over the entrance.

The plantation house is one of the oldest standing structures in the state of Louisiana. Together with its outbuildings, it preserves the homestead of a successful Creole family typical of a Louisiana colonial era working plantation. Kent Plantation House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is an authentic Creole plantation house built circa 1796 prior to the Louisiana Purchase. The house was built by Pierre Baillio II, whose family came from France.

Kent House is located 3601 Bayou Rapides Road, just west of MacArthur Drive in Alexandria. For more information, tour options, hours and admission prices, phone 318.487.5998 or visit the Kent Plantation House website.


Tioga Heritage Park and Museum

Located just north of Alexandria is the Tioga Heritage Park and Museum, the centerpiece of which is the old Tioga Commissary.

This building served as department store, grocery, post office and general gathering place for decades and was the defining landmark in this little mill town built to house lumber workers and their families.

The Museum is located at 1301 Tioga Road, Pineville, LA 71360. Phone 318.640.8323 for hours of operation or visit the Tioga Heritage Park & Museum website.

Old Town Hall Museum

Pineville is home to the Old Town Hall Museum, the only museum in Louisiana dedicated to municipal government.

The building housing the Museum was originally built in 1931, and has now been faithfully restored to its circa 1935 appearance. It is located at 731 Main Street in Pineville.

Pineville Louisiana Museum on Main Street
Old Town Hall Museum, Pineville

Group tours are available and the museum is open 8:00-12:00 every day and by appointment. Admission is free. For more information, call 318.449.5690 or visit the City of Pineville's website.

Epps House

Constructed in 1852 for the Edwin Epps’ family, this single story Creole cottage was originally located on Bayou Boeuf near Holmesville in Avoyelles Parish. Relocated to Bunkie, LA in 1976, the house was moved to the LSUA campus in 1999 and reconstructed.

For more information, visit the LSUA website.

Alexandria-Pineville & CenLA Attractions and Things to Do

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