76 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in New Orleans - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in New Orleans

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

Museum of Death

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

New Orleans, Louisiana

Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1

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

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 76 Things to Do in New Orleans See All 76 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in New Orleans

Louisiana Russian Cake

Recycling comes to dessert, with delicious outcomes.

Café Brûlot

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

Yakamein

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

King Cake

The Carnival cake comes with a hidden baby Jesus inside.

See all 15 things to eat in New Orleans See all 15 things to eat in New Orleans

Atlas Obscura Trips

Shifting Tides: Art in New Orleans

Get to know the art, history, and dynamic culture of New Orleans—and the people who bring it to life.

Jeremy Tauriac

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Stories
About New Orleans

The Wonderful World of Selling Your Haunted House

Depending on the ghosts, it might fetch a premium.

by Dan Nosowitz

October 30, 2019

One of Carla Jenkins’s towboats, the “Bettye M. Jenkins,” sits at her dock in Vidalia, Louisiana on Oct. 6, 2019. Jenkins’s father, who built the boat, named it after Jenkins’s mother.

The Triumphs and Tribulations of Towboats on the Mississippi River

“You ride the river and just hope you’re in the right spot when you need to be.”

by Kerry Graning

October 14, 2019

Jennie Wilde designed the “I Came, I Saw, I Conquered" float for the the 1911 "Familiar Quotations"-themed Mardi Gras parade.

The Forgotten Female Artist Whose Mardi Gras Fantasias Warped Reality

If only Jennie Wilde could have transformed society too.

October 11, 2019

Many sno-balls. Many colors.

The Family Dynasty That Pursues Perfection in Shaved Ice

For three generations, the Hansens have made summer sno-ball season in New Orleans.

by R. Blakeslee Gilpin

August 21, 2019

James Boudreaux under his mirliton trellis.

After Hurricane Katrina, Home Gardeners Saved New Orleans' Iconic Squash

The Louisiana mirliton has survived revolution, industrial competition, and floods.

by Reina Gattuso

While most frozen Charlottes were fairly small, some were more than a foot long.

The Haunting History of 'Frozen Charlotte' Dolls

They were baked into cakes and dropped into baths.

Early 20th-century postcard of the "Sunset Express" train passing through Yuma, Arizona.

How the 'Sunset Route' Railroad Helped Diversify California

The connection between New Orleans to Los Angeles can still be felt today.

by Evan Nicole Brown

February 14, 2019

A glimpse inside the largest collection of preserved fish in the world.

A Pair of WWII Bunkers in New Orleans Contains 7 Million Fish

Meet the Royal D. Suttkus Collection.

September 12, 2018

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