Places alessandralee Wants to Go

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

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

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

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

The world-record holder for the longest bridge stretching continuously over water.

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

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

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

An otherworldly musical haven in The Big Easy.

Legend says a primate-like cryptid prowls this otherworldy sliver of the Louisiana bayou.

An impressive collection of dollhouses and an homage to the frog-leg canning industry.

A little piece of Paris in the sultry south of the U.S.

Tiny historical streetcars wind through a small scale version of Crescent City in this whimsical train garden.

The greatest collection of New Orleans masking and processional traditions covering everything from Baby Dolls to Skull and Bone gangs.

A pink cottage covered in hearts served as a haven and a resting place for LGBTQ activists.

A museum of unusual collections, mini-towns, and a half-dog, half-alligator.

A treasure trove of rare and exquisitely detailed antiques

This abandoned Civil War fortress is slowly being swallowed by the waters of Lake Borgne.

This float factory takes the mask off of Mardi Gras and lets visitors see where the magic happens.

Made of giant chains and hung with shackles, this iron cross honors those unknowns who perished under American slavery.

A 19th-century shrine covered with prosthetic body parts as votive offerings.

By day this New Orleans square is for pedestrians, but by night it is a kingdom of kittens.

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

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