The Atlas Obscura Guide To

New Orleans

61 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in New Orleans, Louisiana

Unusual
Attractions
in New Orleans

Li Grand Zombi

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans' Historic Voodoo Museum

A snapshot of the "real" history of New Orleans.

29.9598, -90.0639

Added by NathanRisinger

New Orleans, Louisiana

Abandoned Jazzland

A theme park that suffered massive flooding during Katrina, abandoned and proving irresistible to trespassing explorers.

30.0531, -89.9340

Added by Laetitia Barbier

Marie Laveau's tomb in 2005

New Orleans, Louisiana

Marie Laveau's Tomb

The final resting place of New Orleans' most famous voodoo priestess.

29.9591, -90.0714

The building stands almost exactly as it did 200 years ago, inside and out, with expansions for an upstairs cafe and restaurant

New Orleans, Louisiana

Jean Lafitte's Old Absinthe House

A 200-year-old bar in the historic French Quarter refuses to give up its place in history, nor its role in securing ours.

29.9554, -90.0684

Added by Mark Casey

Cemetery in 2015

New Orleans, Louisiana

Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1

The oldest cemetery in New Orleans, resting peacefully for over 200 years now.

29.9594, -90.0714

Added by Annetta Black

Sitting beneath the Singing Oak.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Singing Oak

This New Orleans tree is filled with hidden chimes that produce a carefully tuned melody.

29.9859, -90.0902

Added by hopecorrigan1

New Orleans, Louisiana

LaLaurie Mansion

A symbolic piece of New Orleans architecture—and a ghostly legend.

29.9618, -90.0612

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans Pharmacy Museum

The curiosities and wonders of pharmacy in a delightful historic building.

29.9559, -90.0651

Added by Walter

See All 61 Things to Do in New Orleans See All 61 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in New Orleans

King Cake

Gastro Obscura

King Cake

The Carnival cake comes with a hidden baby Jesus inside.

Gastro Obscura

Added by rachelrummel

Grasshopper

Gastro Obscura

Grasshopper

This bright green cocktail doubles as dessert.

Gastro Obscura

Added by rachelrummel

Ramos Gin Fizz

Gastro Obscura

Ramos Gin Fizz

Turning this cocktail into a fluffy cloud is easy—just hire someone to shake it for 12 minutes straight.

Gastro Obscura

Added by rachelrummel

Café Brûlot

Gastro Obscura

Café Brûlot

The New Orleans cocktail is part pick-me-up, part pyrotechnics show.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Sam OBrien

See all 6 things to try in New Orleans See all 6 things to try in New Orleans

Explore New Orleans, Louisiana

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Places Added

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Recent New Orleans Activity

travelerjojo wants to go to General Laundry Building

travelerjojo wants to go to Metairie Cemetery

MooMooBooBoo wants to go to Metairie Cemetery

alexaharrison has been to Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo

alexaharrison wants to go to LaLaurie Mansion

Stories
About New Orleans

Crabs being collected in Louisiana in the 1930s.

In New Orleans, Crawfish Boils Can Be a Jewish Tradition Too

Even if it's not exactly kosher.

Mr. Okra in 2012.

Saying Farewell to Mr. Okra, New Orleans's Musical Produce Seller

His chant and truck were symbols of the Crescent City.

February 19, 2018

King Cake, replete with a baby in the middle. (Usually, the baby is inside the cake, though.)

Once a Year, a Nightmarish King Cake Baby Roams New Orleans

The Mardi Gras mascot incites more jitters than good fortune.

February 14, 2018

Live frogs, readied for shipment.

The Giant Frog Farms of the 1930s Were a Giant Failure

The get-rich-quick scheme couldn't fill the world's appetite for frogs' legs.

by Sarah Laskow

October 25, 2017

Albert Baldwin Wood is at center during the dedication of his pumps in 1915.

New Orleans Has Been Using the Same Technology to Drain the City Since the 1910s

The Wood screw pumps are mechanical marvels, but the turbines that power them are another story.

by Sarah Laskow

October 06, 2017

The balconies of the LeBranche House feature a popular oak leaf and acorn design.

The Storytelling Ironwork of New Orleans

Discover the hidden histories told by the French Quarter's balconies.

by Morgan Randall

August 24, 2017

The Lost Lesbian Bars of New Orleans

Bygone centers for activism, secret love, and glittery drag shows are being revived through story.

by Natalie Zarrelli

September 14, 2016

Places You Can No Longer Go: UpStairs Lounge

An arson at a New Orleans gay bar is one of the worst LGBT mass murders in American history.

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