When it involves the spooky, the otherworldly, and the weird, there are few states within the US that may maintain a candle to Louisiana. This fascinating and intriguing southern state is most well-known for New Orleans, the jazz and voodoo capital of the nation, however there are many uncommon and off-the-beaten-track points of interest throughout the size and breadth of the state.

Full of strange and different locations to go to and issues to see, nearly in all places in Louisiana has a macabre story to inform. The house of Atakapa, Caddo, Chitimacha, Choctaw, Houma, Natchez, and Tunica tribes for hundreds of years, the world was colonized by the French in 1682.

It has had a troubled previous, with quite a few wars being fought over its territory and management being handed round between the French, Spanish, and British empires, and it turned the 18th state of the Union in 1812 with the Louisiana Purchase.

Part of the explanation Louisiana is so stuffed with the bizarre and the macabre is its lengthy historical past of slavery. From the primary French arrivals to the Civil War, slavery performed an enormous half within the story of Louisiana. This has contributed to the give attention to loss of life and voodoo that the state is notorious for and performs a big half in most of the myths and legends related to locations and occasions all throughout Louisiana.

From roadside points of interest and voodoo museums to haunted plantations and mysterious cemeteries, Louisiana is bursting with the peculiar and the unnatural and is the right vacation spot for adventurous vacationers in search of different experiences.

Here are a number of the greatest, weirdest, and creepiest points of interest to find in Louisiana.

New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

A go to to New Orleans wouldn’t be full with out studying a bit concerning the metropolis’s darkish previous and its associations with voodoo. If you’re cruising from New Orleans and wish to discover the macabre facet of town, the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, which is devoted to the historical past and beliefs of this fascinating faith, is the right place to start out.

Located within the coronary heart of the historic and exquisite French Quarter, the museum was as soon as the house of the (in)well-known voodoo priestess, Marie Laveau. It at the moment homes a shocking and sometimes spine-tingling assortment of artifacts, books, and different paraphernalia related to voodoo.

Regular excursions are provided of the home and the museum, and there are even workshops and lessons on the deeper mysteries of voodoo, for the bravest of tourists!

Abandoned Jazzland

Jazzland was as soon as a thriving theme park in New Orleans, constructed on the positioning of the previous Six Flags park and opened in 2000. The park was devoted to the pulsating, vibrant historical past of jazz that makes the Big Easy such an thrilling metropolis to go to.

However, the park was badly broken throughout Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and by no means reopened.

These days it’s nearly completely underwater, with rides and buildings poking out of the brackish swamp, and is a tremendously eerie and atmospheric place. Visits may be difficult, however it’s a tremendous place for city exploration and trendy spoil images.

Marie Laveau’s Tomb

The historical past of New Orleans is intertwined with the historical past of voodoo, and there’s no determine within the historical past of voodoo extra outstanding or extra vital than Marie Laveau. This highly effective, well-known, but finally mysterious girl exerts a robust affect on the notion of New Orleans, and stays revered and nearly worshipped to at the present time.

Not lots is thought for sure about her life or her loss of life, however her ultimate resting place is a must-visit for vacationers, beginner occultists, and anybody inquisitive about voodoo. Her tomb lies in St. Louis Cemetery No.1, and though some students have forged doubt on whether or not her physique is genuinely contained in the atmospheric mausoleum, it’s a excellent place to go to.

Believers nonetheless go to the grave and mark it with an X, within the hope that Marie’s affect extends past the veil and she is going to grant them a want, though this observe doesn’t appear to conflate with any identified voodoo observe.

Even if this macabre and intriguing tomb holds no curiosity, New Orleans’ beautiful cemeteries are a unbelievable attraction all by themselves, because of the intricate centuries-old tombstones and attribute above-ground internment.

The Singing Oak

For an altogether totally different expertise, head to New Orleans City Park to find the Singing Oak, one of the crucial charming and stress-free auditory artwork installations you’re more likely to uncover wherever. This 300-year-old reside oak tree is fastidiously hung with wind chimes, which implies the tree ‘sings’ at totally different tones at totally different occasions of the day.

The delicate, magical sound creates a splendidly stress-free ambiance and makes sitting underneath the branches of the tree an beautiful approach to get away from the sooner tempo of metropolis life.

As with so many locations in New Orleans, the tree was as soon as used for voodoo ceremonies, however today it’s pure peace and tranquility.

Honey Island Swamp

Journeying past town limits of New Orleans opens up an entire vary of various, but no much less wonderful and strange experiences for the adventurous traveler.

The first port of name for explorers must be Honey Island Swamp, a 40-mile-long stretch of wetlands simply exterior of town, which is a haven for alligators, water moccasins, all method of birdlife, and nutrias.

However, probably the most fascinating side of Honey Island Swamp is considered one of its extra fantastical purported residences. Legend says that the swamp is house to a mysterious, ape-like creature with grey fur and shiny yellow eyes.

Some tellings of the parable declare that it’s the offspring of an unnatural coupling between an area alligator and a chimpanzee that escaped from a close-by zoo! No confirmed sightings have ever been reported, even by probably the most devoted cryptozoologists, however quite a few wild animals have been discovered mangled and mutilated, supposedly victims of this otherworldly creature.

Regardless of your emotions about US monster lore, a tour by way of the swamp is a pleasant expertise. It can also be an excellent probability to grasp a bit extra concerning the Cajun lifestyle, as nearly all the native tour guides grew up in communities subsequent to the bayou and are more than pleased to regale you with tales of their upbringing, traditions, and tradition.

Fort Proctor

Fort Proctor would possibly appear like some form of Arthurian spoil, however it’s truly a Nineteenth-century fortification designed to guard the Louisiana shoreline and New Orleans from maritime assaults.

Despite its ruined look, crumbling into the swamp on the sting of Lake Pontchartrain, it by no means truly noticed motion in both the War of 1812 or the Civil War. It was accomplished too late to play an element within the former, and hurricane injury noticed it deserted simply earlier than the latter started.

These days guests can take a kayak tour and paddle across the fortifications, which is an excellent approach to stand up shut and private with the historical past of the place.

Abita Mystery House

Standing like some form of monument to American roadside kitsch, the Abita Mystery House in Abita Springs is likely one of the most eccentric points of interest that Louisiana has to supply. It is actually a life-size cupboard of curiosities, crammed with all types of oddities and bizarre artifacts, from two-headed calves to shrunken heads.

Originally constructed by John Preeble, a Louisiana artist, as someplace to retailer his increasing assortment of outlandish objects after it outgrew his personal residing quarters. These days guests can discover the home and the gathering for an interesting perception into the thoughts of a collector.

Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum

Rogues, rascals, and even straight-up villains occupy an fascinating and barely uncommon house within the collective creativeness of American folklore. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, two of probably the most well-known and most beloved outlaws ever to have run riot within the US, met their destiny in an ambush in Gibsland, Louisiana, and this museum is devoted to them.

Telling their story by way of a group of artifacts associated to Bonnie and Clyde (together with the automobile they have been killed in and Bonnie’s crimson hat), it is a uniquely American attraction, and properly price a go to.

Jungle Gardens

English nation gardens are well-known the world over, however you’ve most likely by no means heard of a Louisiana swamp backyard! Jungle Gardens, situated on Avery Island subsequent to the Tabasco manufacturing unit, are the one instance of their form on the earth, a surprisingly stunning and punctiliously curated bayou backyard, and chicken sanctuary.

The gardens have been initially constructed by Edward McIllhenny, the son of the inventor of Tabasco sauce, as a non-public wildlife protect on his personal land, and have been opened to the broader public in 1935. The gardens are house to egrets, herons, and ibises amongst different chicken species, in addition to alligators and turtles. A self-guided tour takes you thru the charming pure magnificence, previous a 9-century-old statue of Buddha, and a butterfly home.

The Tabasco manufacturing unit subsequent door can also be open to the general public and is properly price a go to in case your tastes run to the warmer facet of life!

Rayne Frog Festival

The title of Frog Capital of the World may not be probably the most extremely contested accolade round, however it’s one which the residents of Rayne, Louisiana are mighty happy with. Every 12 months in April, town of Rayne performs host to the Rayne Frog Festival, an eccentric however extremely thrilling occasion devoted to the consumption of frogs.

The Festival includes a frog legs consuming competitors, in addition to a frog-themed parade, and a very good carnival stuffed with rides, all of that are, you guessed it, frog-themed.

Touchstone Wildlife & Art Museum

One of the least-known points of interest in the entire of Louisiana, this fascinating museum situated simply exterior Shreveport is an actual secret jewel. Dedicated to the ‘preservation’ of wildlife as artwork, it includes a assortment of over 1,000 taxidermied animals, in addition to a pleasant gallery of artworks by native artists.

Myrtles Plantation

As talked about earlier, slavery is unfortunately a big a part of the historical past and heritage of Louisiana. This is most starkly demonstrated by the various historic plantations scattered across the state, most of that are architecturally beautiful if tragic in ambiance.

Many of the previous plantations provide excursions, however Myrtles Plantation is exclusive, as it’s reputed to be one of the crucial haunted locations within the United States. A go to to this website is a should for anybody with an curiosity within the supernatural, and ghost hunters, occultists, and informal guests alike have all reported spooky sightings.

One of probably the most notorious ghosts that hang-out the grounds is Chloe, a slave lady who was murdered by her house owners after she was caught eavesdropping on their conversations. Sightings of Chloe have even been caught on digicam on varied events.

Bonfires on the Levee

If you’re fortunate sufficient to be spending the vacation season in Louisiana then a go to to St. James Parish for Christmas Eve is totally obligatory. The native festive traditions of this Cajun group are really mindblowing, a month-long preparation culminating in an explosive denouement on the evening earlier than Christmas.

Throughout December, residents of the parish construct bonfires alongside the levee, historically within the form of a pyramid, however extra lately in quite a lot of styles and sizes that replicate present affairs or popular culture.

One of those bonfires is lit each evening till Christmas Eve, when they’re all full of fireworks and set on fireplace, unexpectedly. This explosion of fireplace, lights, and noise illuminates the evening sky for miles round and makes for a very outstanding and considerably pagan backdrop for the arrival of Papa Noel, the Cajun Father Christmas, on his sleigh pulled by alligators. This marks the start of Christmas and is a very distinctive expertise.

All too usually when vacationers consider Louisiana they solely contemplate New Orleans and its essential points of interest. And the Big Easy is undoubtedly an unimaginable place to go to. But sticking to the principle vacationer path and avoiding the extra uncommon sights and experiences, each within the metropolis and additional afield, misses the purpose of this unbelievable state.

Louisiana is bursting with bizarre points of interest, weird traditions, and interesting, distinctive cultural experiences, and it’s properly price going past the conventional to search out what really makes this state particular.

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