This Las Vegas casino boasts one of only three spiral escalators in the United States—an engineering wonder.

Las Vegas's very own 40-foot-tall fire-spewing praying mantis.

A striking lighthouse with views of the Gulf of Mexico and of a military air show.

This historic New Orleans cemetery is the final resting place of members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

The crumbling remains of a 19th century fortess.

The neighborhood surrounding the memorial was the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in Louisiana.

In 1857, the Mardi Gras parade tradition began at this intersection.

A unique post-modern public space in the middle of the Warehouse District in New Orleans.

An architectural experiment in the Lower Ninth Ward, this row house is capable of floating as high as the Katrina floodwaters.

This city block-long devotional site, a replica of a famous site in France, is dedicated to the patron saint of grandmothers, mothers, and educators.

Inside this art and oddity-filled shop, a small room filled with secrets.

Colorful, cheeky signs spill out of legendary New Orleans folk artist Dr. Bob's Bywater studio warning you to "Be Nice—Or Leave."

The South's nickname was supposedly born at a former bank in New Orleans' French Quarter.

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

The tallest monument in a historic New Orleans cemetery was prompted by romance and dash of pettiness.

An abandoned underground bunker not far from downtown New Orleans.

The beautiful, fruit-covered facade hints at this building's former life.

This New Orleans statue of a portly figure in a goofy hat pays homage to a classic of satirical literature.

This cathedral dedicated to Louis IX, sainted King of France, holds many secrets.

Anne Rice, one of the most influential writers in gothic literature, is buried alongside her husband in a New Orleans cemetery.

This Art Deco airport was once deemed “the air hub of the Americas.”

Once the site of a Native American harvest festival, this humble clearing later played an invaluable role in the birth of jazz.

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

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