The Bywater Museum of Unnatural History

This small museum specializes in dioramas and other oddities. The dioramas capture unnatural scenes and settings devised by local amateur crafters as well as artists and costumers. The oddities range from a shoe made out of a rat to a cigarette from Liza Minnelli, along with a few interactive pieces and things you can touch or play with.

You can get a little lost in the over 40 dioramas. While the majority of dioramas were made for the museum, evident in part by their homage to the museum’s theme, these are complemented by a healthy collection acquired from locals and globals alike. The holdings include scenes depicting odd versions of New Orleans life and characters, as well as a dinosaur wedding, a birthday party for rocks, alien lifestyles, and revisionist history of all kinds. No diorama is alike and they contain all manner of assemblage and found objects, one even has a real Twinkie.

The museum started in the Bywater, NOLA, in 2019 at the Aquarium Gallery and Studios. Now located in the Marigny, the Bywater Museum of Unnatural History occupies the front room of a New Orleans creole cottage and has a fun gallery, unique displays, and a strong charm factor.