NEW ORLEANS — For one weekend only, the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans will open the doors to private historic homes in Esplanade Ridge for its annual Spring Home Tour, offering visitors a rare chance to step inside New Orleans architecture that is usually only seen from the street.

The tour takes place Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tour headquarters and will call will be located at Le Musée de f.p.c. — the Free People of Color Museum — at 2336 Esplanade Ave.

In Esplanade Ridge, the Free People of Color Museum is a historic house museum dedicated to preserving and sharing the story, material culture and legacy of free people of color in New Orleans. The museum remains open to the public through scheduled tours and will serve as the starting point for this year’s Spring Home Tour.

This year’s tour features six private homes in Esplanade Ridge, one of New Orleans’ most architecturally and culturally rich neighborhoods. The event also includes a Bayou Road Corridor bonus, encouraging tour-goers to explore one of the city’s oldest corridors of commerce, culture and community.

“People come to New Orleans because this city still feels like itself,” said Kristin Gisleson Palmer, Executive Director of the Preservation Resource Center. “That doesn’t happen by accident. Spring Home Tour is a chance to step inside private historic homes and see how preservation keeps the beauty, character and culture of New Orleans alive in everyday life.”

The Spring Home Tour is self-guided, allowing guests to visit homes at their own pace and in the order they choose. Tour-goers receive a copy of Preservation in Print with a map and information about the featured homes, and docents will be stationed throughout the tour to answer questions.

The tour raises funds for the Preservation Resource Center’s work to protect New Orleans’ historic architecture, neighborhoods and cultural identity through advocacy, education, outreach and preservation programs.

Event Details

What: Preservation Resource Center’s Spring Home Tour
When: Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tour Headquarters / Will Call: Le Musée de f.p.c. — the Free People of Color Museum — 2336 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans
Tickets: $30 for PRC members, $35 for nonmembers and $25 group tickets for groups of 10 or more

The event is rain or shine. Tickets are nonrefundable.