110 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Louisiana - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

A snapshot of the city's voodoo culture.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Abandoned Jazzland

A theme park that suffered massive flooding during Katrina, abandoned and proving irresistible to trespassing explorers.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Marie Laveau's Tomb

The final resting place of New Orleans' most famous voodoo priestess.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Jean Lafitte's Old Absinthe House

A 200-year-old bar in the historic French Quarter refuses to give up its place in history, nor its role in securing ours.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1

The oldest cemetery in New Orleans, resting peacefully for over 200 years now.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Museum of Death

A collection of oddities including Dr. Kevorkian's suicide device, the Thanatron.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Singing Oak

This New Orleans tree is filled with hidden chimes that produce a carefully tuned melody.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo

A museum and shop on Bourbon Street located in the former home of the second Voodoo Queen of New Orleans.

See All 110 Things to Do in Louisiana See All 110 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in Louisiana

Louisiana Russian Cake

Recycling comes to dessert, with delicious outcomes.

Café Brûlot

The New Orleans cocktail is part pick-me-up, part pyrotechnics show.

King Cake

The Carnival cake comes with a hidden baby Jesus inside.

Yakamein

Mixing soy sauce, Creole spices, and spaghetti, this hybrid soup is the embodiment of New Orleans' melting pot.

See all 21 things to eat in Louisiana See all 21 things to eat in Louisiana

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Hidden French Quarter

It may be famous for Mardi Gras, but New Orleans has subtle, surprising wonders on tap all year long—even in the touristy French Quarter. Around every cobblestoned corner, you’ll find historic ephemera, bits of Creole culture, environmentalism, and no shortage of spooky stories, whenever you happen to visit.

Musical instruments in the courtyard of SecondLine Arts and Antiques in New Orleans' French Quarter.

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Hidden French Quarter

It may be famous for Mardi Gras, but New Orleans has subtle, surprising wonders on tap all year long—even in the touristy French Quarter. Around every cobblestoned corner, you’ll find historic ephemera, bits of Creole culture, environmentalism, and no shortage of spooky stories, whenever you happen to visit.

View this Itinerary

Musical instruments in the courtyard of SecondLine Arts and Antiques in New Orleans' French Quarter. Nick Pedersen/Getty Images

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Nashville Music Shops — seeking recommendations	10 September 12, 2019	358	September 12, 2019
Fort Mountain 'Ancient Wall'	9 August 26, 2019	1137	August 26, 2019
Salvador Dalí Museum	3 September 13, 2019	760	September 13, 2019
Vintage Sewing Center and Museum	1 September 26, 2019	342	September 26, 2019
The Mother Vine	7 August 17, 2019	635	August 17, 2019

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Stories
About Louisiana

A sickly, oil-spattered crab.

A Decade Later, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Has Left an Abyssal Wasteland

A nightmare at 6,000 feet.

by Sabrina Imbler

September 18, 2019

Floodwaters from the Mississippi River churn through the Bonnet Carre Spillway.

Come for the Controlled Flooding, Stay for the Gumbo

As waters rise in Morganza, Louisiana, so does disaster tourism.

by Michael Patrick Welch

A female <em>Habropoda laboriosa</em>, better known as the southeastern blueberry bee.

The Key to Bodacious Blueberries Is a Bumper Crop of Bees

To attract them, though, it helps to have forest nearby.

by Jonathan Carey

Giant isopods descend on a reptilian banquet.

Scientists Dropped Dead Gators to the Seafloor to See What Bites

It takes a lot to go from the bayou to the deep sea.

by Sabrina Imbler

Here's hoping this one made it across safely.

Roadkill Is Sad and Gross—And Can Be Useful for Scientists

It can help researchers track diet, reconstruct food webs, and identify threats to wildlife.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

Squirrel hunting in Ville Platte, Louisiana.

The Cajun Town That Shuts Down for 'Squirrel Day'

Hunting season starts with a mass migration to the woods.

by Jordan LaHaye

Philippe Parola with a large Asian carp.

The Chef Cooking Up Invasive Species

Asian carp are a problem, but they're also dinner.

The canoe.

Boaters Discover a Very Old Dugout Canoe Near a River in Louisiana

It was probably built by American Indians.

by Erik Shilling