The Pope’s secret escape route.

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.

The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4,000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises."

Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.

The peaceful space is adorned by paintings by the famed abstract artist Mark Rothko.

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

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.

This mysterious structure by the Washington Monument is a flood barrier designed to protect the White House against rising waters.

Giant novelty guitars now mark the spot where Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil.

A Muppet museum in small-town Mississippi honors the roots of Jim Henson's most beloved creation.

The highest point in Louisiana, Driskill Mountain at 535 feet above sea level.

Built following the War of 1812, this fort has withstood hurricanes for centuries.

This iron and wood Civil War city-ship was the first vessel to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo.

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

Storyville was New Orleans' historic red light district and hotbed of jazz music, sometimes referred to simply as "The District."

One of the longest water bridges in the world was built over a supposedly haunted swamp in Louisiana.

A small town museum honors local WWII veterans and the queen of pop who put it on the map.

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

This racially troublesome eatery thought a new coat of paint could erase its offensive connotations.

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

A Rodeo for Prisoners.

A small park on Bourbon Street features life-size bronze statues of New Orleans musicians.

The stone labyrinth in this New Orleans city park was laid to symbolize healing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.