The New Orleans Jazz Museum is strategically located in the Old U.S. Mint–built in 1838–at the juncture of the French Quarter and Frenchmen Streets where Esplanade Avenue meets the river, an epicenter of live music in the city. The Museum celebrates the origins, evolution, and continuing relevance of New Orleans Jazz.

The 3rd Floor Performing Arts Center of the New Orleans Jazz Museum incorporates production, recording, and web broadcasting of live music and theatrical performances, lectures, symposia, oral histories, video interviews, and curatorial panels. The Performing Arts Center provides the opportunity to link the artifacts and exhibits with the living musical and cultural traditions of the region through a variety of avenues, including live musical and theatrical performances, web streaming, lectures, symposia, conferences, and curatorial presentations.