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

For 150 years one family has been producing the iconic hot sauce on a bayou island made of salt.

A 19th-century Gothic, castle-like statehouse by the Mississippi River.

The LSU mascot lived on the college campus in one of the most impressive tiger habitats in the country.

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

After the parade, students throw their beads on the tree hoping for good luck on exams.

The first patented shaved-ice machine heralded a snowy wonderland of iced treats at a favorite New Orleans summer shack.

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

A hurricane-stricken oak tree has been reborn as a beautiful chainsaw artwork.

Formerly known as National D-Day Museum, this collection commemorates the battles of Normandy and WWII.

This colorful New Orleans bookstore features rare and used titles, with a specialty in Cajun fare.

Imagine playing a version of Legends of the Hidden Temple, but with a distinctly Southern Gothic flare.

This bar named after the world's first mixed cocktail was home to one of New Orleans' most notorious politicians.

An artist weaves "wooden quilts" with scraps salvaged from his Katrina-damaged home in Tremé.

This distinctive Crescent City tradition dates back to the days of horse-drawn carriages.

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

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

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

This macabre shop, filled with art, oddities, and taxidermy is hidden in the heart of the French Quarter.

An otherworldly musical haven in The Big Easy.

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.

Just a few miles from downtown Atlanta is a trail covered in a crazy collection of outsider art.

Religion and personal struggle gave birth to this collection of concrete angels.

Like Mars, but much closer.