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All United States Louisiana New Orleans

The Atlas Obscura Guide To New Orleans

100 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in New Orleans, Louisiana

Updated May 11, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in New Orleans

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 was abandoned, and now proves irresistible to trespassing explorers.
Entrance to the Museum of Death

New Orleans, Louisiana

Museum of Death

A collection of oddities including Dr. Kevorkian's suicide device, the Thanatron.
Marie Laveau's tomb in 2005

New Orleans, Louisiana

Marie Laveau's Tomb

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

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.
Inside

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.
The Singing Tree.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Singing Oak

This New Orleans tree is filled with hidden chimes that produce a carefully tuned melody.
Cemetery in 2015

New Orleans, Louisiana

Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1

The oldest cemetery in New Orleans, resting peacefully for over 200 years now.
See All 100 Things To Do in New Orleans

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in New Orleans

The bar still stands.

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.
Carousel Bar in 1968.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Carousel Bar

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

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.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

New Orleans, Louisiana

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

The second oldest continuously operating bar in Louisiana.
See all 10 Places to Eat in New Orleans
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

From sinister murder tours to Cajun and Creole cooking classes.

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

All Points South

Whatever hand the U.S. had in shaping world music, it had its feet planted firmly in the South. From New Orleans, where a confluence of West Africans laid the groundwork for the musical improvisation we call jazz; to Mississippi, where work-songs birthed the blues before the blues birthed rock ‘n’ roll; to Tennessee, where rock intersected with Appalachian folk songs to create country rock, this distinct artistic heritage was forged uphill, from the humblest of origins. Nonetheless, the musical legacy of unsung field hands, farmers, and blue collar workers coming up from the South would go on to change the world, and in no quiet way.

View Itinerary

Explore New Orleans, Louisiana

Shops 12
Cemeteries 11
Museums And Collections 10
Unique Restaurants & Bars 9
Collections 9
History 9
Art 8
Catacombs And Crypts 8
Architectural Oddities 6
Plants 6
Homes 5
Graveyards 5

New Orleans Leaderboard

Places Added

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Recent New Orleans Activity

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    wants to go to New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

Stories About New Orleans

Bolo-rei often comes with a coin—signifying good fortune—and a bean—signifying who buys the next cake—inside.

7 Weird and Wonderful King Cakes From Around the World

From slips of Bulgarian fortunes to copulating French figurines, international king cakes hide many surprises.
by Matt Haines
February 20, 2023
The first house float in the Krewe of Red Beans' Hire a Mardi Artist program is "The Night Tripper."

With No Parade This Year, New Orleans Is Festooned With Mardi Gras 'House Floats'

They’re uplifting spirits and local artists alike.
by Victoria Stapley-Brown
January 27, 2021
The Alaska box often includes indigenous food, ingredients, and art.

These 7 Local Food Boxes Offer a Taste of Travel

Get New Orleans pralines, Jersey Shore sea salt, and other iconic treats delivered to your door.
by Laura Kiniry
June 11, 2020
Common foods on St. Joseph altars include cucidati, or fig cookies, and pignolata, or "honey ball" cookies.

How New Orleans Made a Medieval Sicilian Tradition Its Own

St. Joseph protects communities during times of sickness and famine.
by Reina Gattuso
March 18, 2020

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.
by Laura Doan
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

Lists Featuring New Orleans

Marie Laveau's tomb in 2005
Cemetery in 2015
Nicolas Cage's Pyramid Tomb

Strange Tombs and Cemeteries in New Orleans

The most unusual final resting places in the Big Easy's "Cities of the Dead."

7

Including Marie Laveau's Tomb, Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1, and Metairie Cemetery

Marie Laveau's tomb in 2005
Nicolas Cage's Pyramid Tomb
Homemade gravesites
Cemetery in 2015

Famous Cemeteries in New Orleans

Unique tombs and graveyards to visit in the Big Easy.

8

Including Marie Laveau's Tomb, Nicolas Cage's Pyramid Tomb, and Holt Cemetery

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