The museum focuses on the contribution made by the United States to Allied victory in World War II.

Ambrose also wrote a book entitled D-Day in 1994, which describes the planning and execution of Operation Neptune, which was launched on June 6, 1944.

Within the large atrium of the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion several aircraft are on display, including a Supermarine Spitfire and a Douglas C-47 Skytrain suspended from the ceiling.

The third floor of the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion includes an observation deck for closer viewing of the hanging aircraft.

[8] In December 2014, the museum opened the Road to Berlin portion of the Campaigns of Courage pavilion, focusing on the European theater of war.

[10] In June 2017, a new exhibit, The Arsenal of Democracy, opened in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, dealing the experience on the Home Front.

Its goal would is to explore the "joys, costs, and meaning of liberation and freedom," as well as how the legacy of World War II affects us today.

An award-winning 4-D film, Beyond All Boundaries, is shown in the Solomon Victory Theater and gives the visitor an overview of the war on every front.

The museum also hosts a World War II-themed quiz bowl tournament, which is televised on Cox 4 New Orleans.

The museum closed for three months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans on August 29, 2005, re-opening on December 3 of that year.

As of 2015, the museum is in the midst of a $400 million capital expansion campaign[17] called The Road to Victory: A Vision for Future Generations.

[18] The Solomon Victory Theater, Stage Door Canteen, and American Sector restaurant opened in November 2009.

Initially, the intended date of completion of the expansion project was 2015, but has since been pushed back due to a series of delays causing it to be set to finish in 2022.