Old Us Mint

The Mint, housed in a somewhat blocky Greek-revival building, was the only one in the USA to have printed both US and Confederate currency. Its roof was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina and the majority of displays housed here remained closed at the time of writing. There’s a small exhibition in the interior hall on the currency that has been printed here. When they’ve been reopened, the jazz exhibit is worth a visit to see dented horns, busted snare drums and homemade gut-stringed bass fiddles played by some of the Crescent City’s most cherished artists, and the Houma Arts exhibit is an impressive and often humorous collection of colorful wood carvings depicting men and animals – many of them life-sized.