Despite the ever pressing encroachment of urban sprawl this grand New Orleans manse still stands.

This Birdsill Holly fire hydrant is the remnant of a very different type of hydration innovation.

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

This strange example of the Egyptian Revival architecture trend now holds Mardi Gras floats.

A house of courtship where the Jazz Age's most storied lovers got their start.

This historic "City of the Dead" lies prominently in the center of New Orleans' famous Garden District.

An abandoned warehouse turned art sanctuary in New Orleans.

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

A typical "Old South" manor, once owned by author Anne Rice, served as the setting for several of her witchcraft sagas.

This Garden District mansion was built to be bigger and grander than its original owner's former partner turned rival.

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

Site of a former hidden treehouse in New Orleans.

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

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

This relatively recently abandoned brewery is a tragic reminder of the continuing effects of Hurricane Katrina.

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

This symbolic piece of New Orleans architecture is also home to a few ghastly stories.

The second oldest continuously operating bar in Louisiana.

One of the oldest continuously-operated gay bars in the United States is allegedly haunted by Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams.

This "second" cemetery represents New Orleans' attempt to keep cholera at bay.

A museum and shop on Bourbon Street located in the French Quarter.

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

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

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.