147 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 fascinating 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

Museum of Death

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

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

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.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1

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

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Louisiana

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

Carousel Bar

The only rotating bar in New Orleans has been slowly spinning since 1949.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Séance Room at Muriel's Jackson Square

The restaurant keeps a hidden séance room on the second floor and reserves a table for the spirit of the former owner each night.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

The second oldest continuously operating bar in Louisiana.

See all 13 places to eat in Louisiana See all 13 places to eat in Louisiana

Atlas Obscura Trips

New Orleans: Roots of a Creole Kitchen

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What would you do on a time crunch in DC?	19 December 9, 2019	3057	December 9, 2019
Carolina House with a Natural Cavern underneath	12 April 1, 2020	5478	April 1, 2020
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Stories About Louisiana

The creative costumes might be made of assortments of household or farm trash such as old feed bags, lampshades, bottle caps, and spent shotgun shells.

A Short Drive From New Orleans, Cajun Mardi Gras Is a Different Animal

Colorful costumes and alcohol, sure, but also chasing chickens.

by Fletcher Moore

Manila Village, built well after St. Malo was established, included a fishing platform and general store near the town of Jean Lafitte, south of New Orleans.

The Challenges of Reclaiming Filipino Louisiana's Centuries-Old History

Members of what is perhaps the oldest Asian community in the United States are committed to preserving—and sharing—their story.

by Ethan Sandweiss

September 10, 2021

Eyewitnesses believe that GIs were killed in the Lee Street Riot, as it came to be known, contradicting the official record.

Were Black GIs Killed in a World War II–Era Race Riot?

Louisiana locals and historians are both commemorating and investigating the mystery-shrouded incident.

by Benoît Morenne

Traditional makers still forage for sassafras leaves to make filé.

The Native-American Origins of Gumbo

While credit for the dish is widely shared, here’s how to choose ingredients that celebrate its Indigenous roots.

by Morgan Randall

Giant isopods descend on a reptilian banquet.

The Curious Case of the Deep-Sea Bone Worms and the Vanishing Underwater Gator

Scientists dropped three alligators to the bottom of the ocean. One of them was never seen again.

by Sabrina Imbler

January 29, 2020

Once upon a time there was a cemetery here, in Tangier, Virginia.

From Indonesia to Ingonish, Some Bones Won't Stay Buried

As seas and storms erode coastlines, cemeteries are giving up their dead.

by Jennifer S. Holland

October 28, 2019

A crab crusted in parasites.

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

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