As part of New Orleans’ tricentennial activities, the Cabildo is proud to open a brand new exhibition, We Love You, New Orleans. Celebrating the people, places and things that make New Orleans one of the nation’s most unique cities to visitors and residents alike, the exhibition plays as a love letter to the city from the Louisiana State Museum.

“We are proud to announce this exhibition during this tremendous occasion for New Orleans,” said Lt. Governor Bill Nungesser. “New Orleans is an integral part of the fabric of Louisiana, and it has a lasting impact on all those who live here and visit. This unique ‘love letter’ is a fun, educational and entertaining way to honor the city’s 300th birthday.”

Visitors to the exhibition can see more than one hundred artifacts highlighting the uniquely New Orleans versions of architecture, food and drink, music, nightlife and more. Among these items are a sign from Pontchartrain Beach, a Zephyrs uniform, a streetcar operator’s cap and images related to the city’s iconic streetcars.

The exhibition explores the well-known Crescent City culture of food and music with a Jax beer sign, a collection of historic cookbooks, Sidney Bechet’s saxophone and a jacket worn by Ernie K-Doe. Mardi Gras – probably the most famous facet of New Orleans – is represented by several pieces, including a Mardi Gras Indian suit and a gown and necklace worn by the 1968 Queen of Carnival.

While the majority of objects on display are part of the Louisiana State Museum’s collection, several are on loan including a snowball machine and a Tujague’s busboy jacket, both from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, also located in New Orleans.