Besthoff Sculpture Garden

The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden sits beside the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, and is one of the city's most appealing free attractions. The garden opened in 2003 and was greatly expanded in 2019, and today it covers about five acres of landscaped paths, lagoons, footbridges and live oaks draped in Spanish moss. More than ninety sculptures by internationally known artists are placed along winding walkways, including works by Henry Moore, Louise Bourgeois, Antoine Bourdelle, Jean Arp, Barbara Hepworth, George Rickey and Kenny Scharf, among others. Pieces are arranged so that visitors discover them around bends, across water and under oak branches, which gives the garden a relaxed rather than formal feel. Admission is free, though donations are welcome. Most visitors spend one to two hours, either as a stand-alone outing or after touring NOMA, and the garden pairs naturally with a walk through the adjacent City Park lagoons and the Botanical Garden. The garden is open daily, with seasonal hours that run later in summer, and it may close in severe weather or for events. Crowds are usually light, with busier periods on weekends, spring weekends and during special events. For photographers, late afternoon gives soft, warm light on the sculptures and the oak canopy, and reflections in the lagoons add composition options. A few sculptures are best seen from the bridges, and the central lagoon view toward the museum is a favorite vantage point. Visitors are asked to look but not climb or touch the artworks, and to stay on the paved paths. Shade is plentiful under the oaks, though summer humidity is high, and light rain can make the paths slippery. Access from the French Quarter is by the Canal Streetcar City Park line, followed by a short walk from the terminus.