The beauty of urban decay, hiding some dark secrets.

Tour the sci-fi-esque reality of governmental disease management.

A decaying building marks the site associated with Emmett Till's brutal 1955 murder, which helped sparking the civil rights movement.

One of the few existing, fully functional Showbiz Pizza animatronic shows.

This Mississippi seminary was the first in America to train Black Catholic priests.

In the mid-20th century, a tamale-slinging juke joint attracted a diverse clientele in the Mississippi Delta.

Tucked away on a hilltop in the backwoods of Mississippi lies the remains of a blues legend.

Florence’s mother built a stairway down to her daughter’s coffin so she could comfort her during storms.

William Faulkner kept his beloved estate wild and untamed.

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

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

This 19th-century sugarcane plantation is one of the most well-preserved estates of its kind, including its original quarters for enslaved laborers.

The above-ground crypts at this Catholic cemetery face north-south instead of the usual east-west.

This museum chronicles the history of a leprosy quarantine hospital that then became a refuge.

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

All that remains of this small town is its mass grave and a myth of a voodoo priestess who predicted its demise.

The crumbling ruins of this southern American fort have survived storms, war, and cults.

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

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

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

The crumbling remains of a 19th century fortess.

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

The restaurant keeps a hidden séance room on the second floor and reserves a table for the spirit of the former owner each night.

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