The Historic New Orleans Collection, housed in a complex of historic French Quarter structures, is a museum, research center, and publisher. The collection's focus is the history and culture of both New Orleans and the Gulf South. The museum includes the Williams Gallery, which hosts temporary exhibits; Louisiana History Galleries, which depict state history; and a house museum, the Williams House. The Williams House is an Italianate townhouse built in 1889. The interior is interpreted in the style of the mid 20th-century, when General L. Kemper and Leila Williams, who instigated the collection, lived on site. This residence is the only French Quarter home open to the public which contains original furnishings and decorative arts objects. The Williams Research Center provides access to more than 35,000 library items and 350,000 artifacts.
The collection offers exhibits, period rooms, self-guided tours of the Williams Gallery, guided tours of the Louisiana History Galleries and Williams House, guided architectural tours, school tours of the Williams Gallery and Louisiana History Galleries, weekly curatorial talks, collections access, educator training programs, a school program about Creole cuisine history, and outreach presentations for school. Reservations are required for groups of eight or more desiring a guided tour and for school tours. The website offers podcasts and a list of teacher resources available upon request.