For at least a few hundred years, Cajun communities in Louisiana have gathered to light huge bonfires near the levees that line the Mississippi River on Christmas Eve. No one is exactly sure how this tradition started, but most historians speculate that Catholics lit bonfires so they could find their way to Midnight Mass on…
In the 1800s, New Orleans, Louisiana was home to a revered Voodoo priestess named Marie Laveau who used herbs, charms, and magic rituals to heal the sick, sway the courts during high stakes legal battles, and help heartbroken clients rekindle old flames or attract new love. Voodoo is a Caribbean religion that fuses African spiritualism…
The gorgeous city of New Orleans is home to countless stately live oak trees. A sprawling live oak in Audubon Park, with branches so long that they touch the ground, has captured the hearts of residents and visitors alike in the Big Easy. Known as the Tree of Life, this majestic tree, draped in Spanish…
Louisiana has the unfortunate distinction of consistently having the highest percentage of incarcerated individuals per capita in the world. The Louisiana Prison Museum and Cultural Center—which is located on the campus of Angola Prison in West Feliciana Parish—explores Angola’s fraught history and what life is like for inmates in one of America’s most notorious prisons….
The abandoned Six Flags Jazzland Amusement Park in New Orleans East is one of the most haunting theme parks on Earth. Since the park was lashed by Katrina and inundated with storm surge in 2005, intrepid photographers have risked trespassing tickets and alligator attacks to document rows of rusted rides, decaying pavilions, and a giant…
Virtually everyone is familiar with the lively party scene in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans is home to free-flowing booze, delectable food, and music galore. Most people are unaware that the residents of virtually every city in South Louisiana love to party until they drop. One of the liveliest cities outside of New Orleans is…
Every year on Mardi Gras day, New Orleans, Louisiana throws the world’s biggest free party. Most people are unaware that Mardi Gras is so much more than just one day. Mardi Gras is an entire carnival season which starts on January 6th, and ends at the stroke of midnight on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is…
New Orleans is home to countless legendary bars. One of the most celebrated and enduring watering holes in the Big Easy is without a doubt Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House. The Old Absinthe House is located in an ornate white building on Bourbon Street, which was once a bustling neighborhood grocery store. In the early…
