A Cajun-style Christmas on the river also involves sky-high pyres and explosives.

Once the site of a Native American harvest festival, this humble clearing later played an invaluable role in the birth of jazz.

This strange example of the Egyptian Revival architecture trend now holds Mardi Gras floats.

This New Orleans statue of a portly figure in a goofy hat pays homage to a classic of satirical literature.

This strange, small castle on the bayou has withstood the test of time and weather.

One of the oldest continuously-operated gay bars in the United States is allegedly haunted by Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams.

All that remains of this small town is its mass grave and a myth of a voodoo priestess who predicted its demise.

The oldest operational cathedral in the U.S. has one shell of a way of projecting speakers' voices.

Before becoming a public park, this spot was a shell midden, a fort, and an amusement park.

The crumbling ruins of this southern American fort have survived storms, war, and cults.

"If she'd leave us alone, we would have a happy home, sent from down below."

A swamp and garden tour featuring local wildlife and exotic botanical specimens from around the world.

A calm and comfortable place to hang out with cats and kittens up for adoption.

For 150 years one family has been producing the iconic hot sauce on a bayou island made of salt.

This Birdsill Holly fire hydrant is the remnant of a very different type of hydration innovation.

A hurricane-stricken oak tree has been reborn as a beautiful chainsaw artwork.

A private museum dedicated to preserving the heritage of Mardi Gras' most beloved underdog parades, open by appointment.

A small park on Bourbon Street features life-size bronze statues of New Orleans musicians.

Parts of the civil rights movement unfolded in this historic eatery, helmed by the "Queen of Creole Cuisine."

The state's oldest continuously operating museum houses more than 5,000 Civil War artifacts.

It's clear this abandoned Art Deco gem was no ordinary cleaners.

This unique shop is full of memento mori art, antique medical equipment, secret society paraphernalia, and historical relics.

Shop for books in the New Orleans house where William Faulkner once lived.

The oldest family-run restaurant in the United States is a living museum of New Orleans dining history.