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

World's largest precision optical instrument used to detect Einstein's elusive gravity waves.

Installed as a beacon of hope for a hurricane-racked island, the statue had to be moved multiple times due to the eroding coast.

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

An old-timey wax exhibition campily depicting New Orleans legends and scandals.

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

This colorful New Orleans bookstore features rare and used titles, with a specialty in Cajun fare.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The oldest operational cathedral in the U.S. has one shell of a way of projecting speakers' voices.

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

"If she'd leave us alone, we would have a happy home, sent from down below."

An abandoned warehouse turned art sanctuary in New Orleans.

A haunting, yet lovingly hand-hewn potters' field full of graves that flood with each heavy rain.

The world-record holder for the longest bridge stretching continuously over water.

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

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

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