Education Resources

Destination: New Orleans! This city has long been on many lists of top travel destinations. Soon, the list of things to do and see in the Big Easy will get bigger and easier. The Museum of Trade, Finance, and the Fed is opening soon at the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Whether you're an educator or history buff, the new museum has something for everyone. Exciting exhibits, some of them interactive, will allow you to

• Trace the origins of New Orleans as a major port and financial center.
• Learn about the institutions that arose from financial necessity as a result of trade.
• Explore the evolution of money used in the region—from fur pelts, Spanish silver coins, and French playing card money to the Federal Reserve notes we carry in our wallets today.
• Create your own electronic banknote with your own photograph, and then e-mail this banknote to yourself.
• Test your knowledge of the history and purpose of the Federal Reserve and its role in New Orleans financial history.

The Museum of Trade, Finance and the Fed will be free and open to the public but reservations will be required for group visits. Educators will find the exhibit an excellent addition to field trip options for the area. As a bonus, visitors will receive directions for a self-guided walking tour of 13 nearby buildings and points of interest of historical significance to trade and finance.

Whether you're planning a field trip or a fun trip, be sure to stop in at the New Orleans Branch of the Atlanta Fed to explore a bit of New Orleans history through the lens of trade and finance!

By Claire A. Loup, economic and financial education specialist, New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

January 30, 2013