In terms of 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 sights throughout the size and breadth of the state.
Full of strange and various locations to go to and issues to see, nearly all over the place 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 Buy.
A part of the rationale Louisiana is so filled with the bizarre and the macabre is its lengthy historical past of slavery. From the primary French arrivals to the Civil Warfare, slavery performed an enormous half within the story of Louisiana. This has contributed to the deal with dying and voodoo that the state is notorious for and performs a big half in lots of the myths and legends related to locations and occasions all throughout Louisiana.
From roadside sights and voodoo museums to haunted plantations and mysterious cemeteries, Louisiana is bursting with the peculiar and the unnatural and is the proper vacation spot for adventurous vacationers in search of various experiences.
Listed below are among the greatest, weirdest, and creepiest sights to find in Louisiana.
New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum
A go to to New Orleans wouldn’t be full with out studying somewhat in regards to the metropolis’s darkish previous and its associations with voodoo. If you’re cruising from New Orleans and wish to discover the macabre aspect of the town, the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, which is devoted to the historical past and beliefs of this fascinating faith, is the proper place to begin.
Positioned within the coronary heart of the historic and delightful 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 infrequently spine-tingling assortment of artifacts, books, and different paraphernalia related to voodoo.
Common excursions are provided of the home and the museum, and there are even workshops and courses on the deeper mysteries of voodoo, for the bravest of tourists!
Deserted 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 Massive Straightforward such an thrilling metropolis to go to.
Nevertheless, the park was badly broken throughout Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and by no means reopened.
Lately 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 an incredible place for city exploration and fashionable 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 distinguished or extra necessary than Marie Laveau. This highly effective, well-known, but finally mysterious lady exerts a robust affect on the notion of New Orleans, and stays revered and nearly worshipped to today.
Not loads is thought for sure about her life or her dying, however her last resting place is a must-visit for vacationers, beginner occultists, and anybody excited 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 great spot 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 follow doesn’t appear to conflate with any identified voodoo follow.
Even when this macabre and intriguing tomb holds no curiosity, New Orleans’ beautiful cemeteries are a improbable attraction all by themselves, due to the intricate centuries-old tombstones and attribute above-ground internment.
The Singing Oak
For an altogether completely different expertise, head to New Orleans Metropolis Park to find the Singing Oak, one of the crucial charming and stress-free auditory artwork installations you’re prone to uncover anyplace. This 300-year-old dwell oak tree is fastidiously hung with wind chimes, which implies the tree ‘sings’ at completely different tones at completely different instances of the day.
The delicate, magical sound creates a splendidly stress-free ambiance and makes sitting underneath the branches of the tree an beautiful technique 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 as of late it’s pure peace and tranquility.
Honey Island Swamp
Journeying past the town limits of New Orleans opens up an entire vary of various, but no much less wonderful and weird experiences for the adventurous traveler.
The primary port of name for explorers must be Honey Island Swamp, a 40-mile-long stretch of wetlands simply outdoors of the town, which is a haven for alligators, water moccasins, all method of birdlife, and nutrias.
Nevertheless, essentially the most fascinating facet of Honey Island Swamp is one in all its extra fantastical purported residences. Legend says that the swamp is residence 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 a neighborhood alligator and a chimpanzee that escaped from a close-by zoo! No confirmed sightings have ever been reported, even by essentially the most devoted cryptozoologists, however quite a few wild animals have been discovered mangled and mutilated, supposedly victims of this otherworldly creature.
No matter your emotions about US monster lore, a tour via the swamp is a pleasant expertise. It’s also an excellent probability to know somewhat extra in regards to the Cajun lifestyle, as nearly all the native tour guides grew up in communities subsequent to the bayou and are very happy to regale you with tales of their upbringing, traditions, and tradition.
Fort Proctor
Fort Proctor may seem like some type of Arthurian spoil, however it’s truly a Nineteenth-century fortification designed to guard the Louisiana shoreline and New Orleans from maritime assaults.
Regardless of its ruined look, crumbling into the swamp on the sting of Lake Pontchartrain, it by no means truly noticed motion in both the Warfare of 1812 or the Civil Warfare. It was accomplished too late to play an element within the former, and hurricane harm noticed it deserted simply earlier than the latter started.
Lately guests can take a kayak tour and paddle across the fortifications, which is a superb technique to rise up shut and private with the historical past of the place.
Abita Thriller Home
Standing like some type of monument to American roadside kitsch, the Abita Thriller Home in Abita Springs is likely one of the most eccentric sights that Louisiana has to supply. It’s basically a life-size cupboard of curiosities, crammed with all types of oddities and bizarre artifacts, from two-headed calves to shrunken heads.
Initially constructed by John Preeble, a Louisiana artist, as someplace to retailer his increasing assortment of outlandish objects after it outgrew his personal residing quarters. Lately 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 attention-grabbing and barely uncommon area within the collective creativeness of American folklore. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, two of essentially 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 via 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 in all probability by no means heard of a Louisiana swamp backyard! Jungle Gardens, positioned 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 hen sanctuary.
The gardens have been initially constructed by Edward McIllhenny, the son of the inventor of Tabasco sauce, as a personal wildlife protect on his personal land, and have been opened to the broader public in 1935. The gardens are residence to egrets, herons, and ibises amongst different hen 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 aspect of life!
Rayne Frog Pageant
The title of Frog Capital of the World may not be essentially the most extremely contested accolade round, however it’s one which the residents of Rayne, Louisiana are mighty happy with. Yearly in April, the town of Rayne performs host to the Rayne Frog Pageant, an eccentric however extremely thrilling occasion devoted to the consumption of frogs.
The Pageant encompasses a frog legs consuming competitors, in addition to a frog-themed parade, and a very good carnival filled with rides, all of that are, you guessed it, frog-themed.
Touchstone Wildlife & Artwork Museum
One of many least-known sights in the entire of Louisiana, this fascinating museum positioned simply outdoors Shreveport is an actual secret jewel. Devoted to the ‘preservation’ of wildlife as artwork, it encompasses 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. That is most starkly demonstrated by the various historic plantations scattered across the state, most of that are architecturally gorgeous if tragic in ambiance.
Most of the former plantations provide excursions, however Myrtles Plantation is exclusive, as it’s reputed to be one of the crucial haunted locations in the USA. 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 the vital notorious ghosts that hang-out the grounds is Chloe, a slave woman who was murdered by her house owners after she was caught eavesdropping on their conversations. Sightings of Chloe have even been caught on digital camera 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 completely obligatory. The native festive traditions of this Cajun neighborhood are really mindblowing, a month-long preparation culminating in an explosive denouement on the night time earlier than Christmas.
All through December, residents of the parish construct bonfires alongside the levee, historically within the form of a pyramid, however extra just lately in a wide range of styles and sizes that replicate present affairs or popular culture.
Certainly one of these bonfires is lit each night time till Christmas Eve, when they’re all filled with fireworks and set on fireplace, abruptly. This explosion of fireplace, lights, and noise illuminates the night time 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 take into account New Orleans and its predominant sights. And the Massive Straightforward is undoubtedly an unbelievable place to go to. However sticking to the primary vacationer path and avoiding the extra uncommon sights and experiences, each within the metropolis and additional afield, misses the purpose of this improbable state.
Louisiana is bursting with bizarre sights, weird traditions, and engaging, 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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