Places rubysage Wants to Go

Site of a former hidden treehouse in New Orleans.

Crawfish hand pies, Natchitoches meat pies, and all manner of other sweet or savory, flaky-crusted pastries abound here.

First opened in 1939, this legendary performance venue was a haven for Black musicians including Ray Charles and Little Richard.

A museum within a former train depot tells the true story of a distinctly French-Louisiana musical genre.

This dollhouse-sized art museum features creations from local artists.

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

This museum tells a lively, personal, and wide-ranging history of jazz music.

In 1810, free people of color made up more of New Orleans's population than any other Southern city.

Every year, a Louisiana town remembers a brief Civil War truce inspired by Masonic brotherhood.

After the oysters have been shucked, and the restaurant's been shuttered, the terrazzo sidewalk from the 1940s is all that remains.

This 19th-century benevolent society and jazz hall was rescued from abandonment to again host live music.

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

In a city famous for its cemeteries, it's no wonder these are easy to overlook—they clock in at just a few inches tall.

Striking images of New Orleans history, including colonizers, soldiers, Klansmen, scientists, sharecroppers, and more, are depicted in frescoes that line the walls of this transportation hub.

One of the last remaining venues on the Old Chitlin’ Circuit is a kaleidoscopic music hall at the end of a dirt road.

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

A private museum dedicated to preserving the heritage of Mardi Gras' most beloved underdog parades, open by appointment.

This New Orleans boutique and nursery specializes in rare flora, with a focus on carnivorous plants.

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

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

An abandoned warehouse turned art sanctuary in New Orleans.

Professional and amateur dioramas, taxidermy, and oddities all located in an attic above a gallery.

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

It's clear this abandoned Art Deco gem was no ordinary cleaners.