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

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

Come for the 14-foot-long taxidermy alligator. Stay for the mini costumed gators shooting pool.

Inside this art and oddity-filled shop, a small room filled with secrets.

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

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

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.

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

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

Parts of the civil rights movement unfolded in this historic eatery, helmed by the "Queen of Creole Cuisine."

This unique shop is full of memento mori art, antique medical equipment, secret society paraphernalia, and historical relics.

This abandoned Civil War fortress is slowly being swallowed by the waters of Lake Borgne.

Once defending the city of New Orleans from invasion by sea, this fort faces an uncertain future.

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

The oldest family-run restaurant in the United States is a living museum of New Orleans dining history.

This macabre shop, filled with art, oddities, and taxidermy is hidden in the heart of the French Quarter.

This bar named after the world's first mixed cocktail was home to one of New Orleans' most notorious politicians.

A 200-year-old building in the French Quarter that was to be Napoleon's home in the New World.

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

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

The second oldest continuously operating bar in Louisiana.

According to one local tradition, the entrance to the Voodoo underworld can be found in New Orleans through seven gates scattered throughout the city's French Quarter.

This knobby, drooping New Orleans oak is a favorite place both for climbing and for meeting giraffes.

The only rotating bar in New Orleans has been slowly spinning since 1949.