I had seen this museum mentioned (on the New Orleans Tripadvisor forum) and knew generally that it tells the story of leprosy in the United States. I was not sure whether I had time to find it and stop - I knew it was near the Gonzales LA exit on I-10 between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. So I stopped... More

Seven residents remain in this strange but cool place now occupied by the military. Spending the afternoon with Mr. Pete, 83, who has lived with Hansen's disease since he was 5, was the highlight of my Louisiana vacation. For people who like to see behind the curtain of history, this is your location. At times forcibly housing up to 500... More

This is a fascinating place that even locals don't usually know about. As the previous reviewer said, there were only two "leper colonies" in the US: if you're in the area, this is a part of our history never see. The museum is small, but packed with material. The grounds are beautiful, in a Southern Gothic sort of way: it's... More

I went on a lark last month, and I am very glad I did. It's a little under 30 mins from LSU, but easy to find with directions. Background: This was the only sanitorium for patients suffering from Leprosy in the contiguous U.S. (There was also one on Hawaii). It held up to 400 patients, and the research done there... More