rig museum

The first MODU (Mobil Offshore Drilling Unit) in the world is moored here. It is still used for training purposes as well as being a museum. A very interesting look into the not so distant past.

The history and the well explained tour made this visit more then just another museum for us. Virgil took time to meet us show us around and tall about the history and current operations of the rig. Though old the rig still has purpose and us used as a training platform. While there BSEE was there training while we were touring it. In other days crane operators or roustabouts may be around working and learning how a rig operates before going offshore. Definitely a wonderful exciting learning experience, Virgil one again made it that much better for us.

My only warning, this is not for physically handicapped people, there are multiple narrow and steep stairs. This was awesome! It's a real rig used to train workers before sending them out to sea. There are almost always some workers working, you just tour right around them. Very interesting tour & knowledgeable guide. I learned a lot!

Tour guide and President Virgil gave us a tour on this authentic transportable and submersible oil rig. The rig is still in use as a rig to train people what life and work is on an oil rig. We were lucky to be the only ones on the tour and we could ask all we wanted to know about oil rigging. And Virgil patiently and effectively answered all our questions. We were educated and entertained big time ! There were students present during our tour, learning how to operated on a kind of unmanned submarine. The derrick (tower) and pipes on the deck with the big tools are very impressive, the employee quarters interesting and the whole experience unforgettable ! This is a must see for all, even if you have to take a huge detour for it !

We never planned on making Morgan City a stop during our return trip from the Grand Canyon, but...we found a deal on a hotel package only good for Morgan City so we went south instead of New Orleans, what a pleasant surprise. This was the highlight of our trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of local oil industry info. This is a working platform used as a classroom, they make the guys stay cooped up in there for weeks at a time to see if they can hack life out on a platform in the Gulf. I would recommend this tour highly and the price can't be beat. Not for those who are wheelchair bound, this is a real platform with lots of stairs.

This is a tour of the first portable drilling platform, now used as a training center and for public tours. The tour gave an overview of the work of getting oil out from under the gulf and into the many LA refineries. We learned about the many jobs involved, and how the wells are drilled and maintained. We saw a robot used to work where the gulf is too deep for humans. Well worth a trip out from New Orleans - tours at 10 and 2. A small charge is collected after the tour, it was $10 for 2 seniors. I don't think this is handicap accessible - stairs but no elevators and raised door sills.

This was one of the best tours we took on our trip to the US. Loved hearing all the stories and getting to know what living on an oil rig is like. Highly recommended for anyone visiting the area.

This was the highlight of our trip to the Louisiana Coast. Since we knew nothing about offshore oil rigs, it's easy to say we learned a lot. Virgil was an outstanding guide -- his knowledge and stories are REAL ..... he was there! There was a class of roughnecks-in-training there at the time and we learned how valuable the rig is for training men to work offshore. Fascinating. I can't say enough about the "Mr. Charlie."

Virgil was a great tour guide. He was informative and knew his business. The oil rig is the original. Virgil will tell you the story of how it came to be built. It was worth the tie and money spent.

This should be a 1 hour tour from an oil industry loyalist. The guide seems to know about drilling, but his flights of fancy ranging from German submariners refueling and resupplying in Morgan City during World War 2 ("people just thought they had funny boats") to the Deep Water Horizon "hoax" to "dolphin sized" lanternfish makes everything else he says questionable. It could be interesting as a 1 hour tour about off-shore drilling. Instead, the guide seemed to be a caricature of Louisiana---which has its own odd entertainment value, of course.

This guy spent almost 1 hour before the tour started, explaining how the BP spill didn't really happen. It was the insurance companies along with Obama that "rigged" the mishap. We were exhausted after 2 1/2 hours of listening to this wind bag.

First of all, you will need incredible directions...a 4 wheeler...and a sense of risk to endure this tour. There were no signs to lead you to believe you were even in the right place...let alone crossing into a "do not enter" zone. Then, you wander up a ramp...hoping you are in the right place...only to enter a large trailer...WITH NO CHAIRS....and listen to a lonely elderly man ramble off historic "facts" for more than 30 minutes while he waits for more people to arrive. (Bring your discerning ears....the bizarre storytelling has just begun.) While the "guide" has an in-depth knowledge of oil drilling...on the water....the tour group of 12 people became suspicious when he told us that the Germans, with their U-boats...were able to come all of the way up to Morgan City and get fuel/gas/other during the World War. We became even MORE leery of our guide when he ranted and raved for 20+ minutes about the total conspiracy of the U.S. and the fictitious BP Oil Spill...and how all of that was made up in Hollywood. We were all looking for a way out amid the cold rainy weather and the hour tour that turned into 2 and a half hours. Someone needs to check out the tour guide's mental state and either improve this unique experience....or close it down.

Mr Charlie is described as a museum, but it's more than that. Mr Charlie is the first offshore drilling rig. It is still used as a classroom for a variety of training programs. The rig is primitive compared to today's behemouths, but your tour guide will provide plenty of information about the evolution of the offshore drilling industry and the drilling process. The tour lasted over 2 hours, and questions are welcomed. One cautionary note - Mr Charlie is an actual drilling rig. It is not handicap friendly. There are several stairways to be negotiated.

We had a fantastic tour guide, Virgil, who took over 2 hours to tell us, not only about the drilling rig we came to visit, but the oil and exploration industry as well. He is a civil engineer so that helped with his explanations. We asked LOTS of questions and he answered them fully with many examples. The tour gave us an inside look at the oil industry that we had not seen before, especially one that the media has painted for the public. I would highly recommend the tour. One thing to note: the signage to find the place is not that well placed. Just look for the only big rig along the river with lots of cars in front. That's the place. Then wait until the guide shows up. Oh, it was only $5 and he asked for the money at the end of the tour. Kinda informal.

Great tour and it was very interesting! If you want to understand and learn about offshore drilling this is a must do. Tours are twice a day (10:00am and 2:00pm) weather permitting (a lot of the tour is outdoors). The tour really explains how an oil rig works and what the people do on the oil rig. The gentlemen that gave the tour really enjoys giving the tour and cares about the industry he is showing you during the tour.