Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, walking through a graveyard can be a little spooky - especially in autumn as the trees lose their leaves, flowers wither away and light fades in the late afternoon. But cemeteries can make fascinating destinations. Sometimes a few words on a tombstone can suggest a whole life story; sometimes you can find a famous name, a beautiful work of art, or landscaping worthy of a botanical garden.

President Barack Obama defended himself Thursday against critics in New Orleans and across the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast who feel recovery help has not come soon enough from his administration.

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, and New Orleans became American. Yet even as Americans poured into the port city, New Orleans was not really of the United States. New Orleans was always different, a little on the outside. The Creole-Caribbean heritage, the racial fluidity, and the languidness of weather and residents alike created a place unlike any other. New Orleanians boasted of their city’s uniqueness and attendant quirks: exceptional food, corrupt officials, why-work-so-hard? approach to life. By choice, they identified themselves as outside the American mainstream.

There’s so much to do in New Orleans that a tourist might be forgiven for overlooking attractions just outside the city. But whether you’re here for a festival or a convention, or just to party on Bourbon Street, consider adding a tour of a historic plantation or a swamp teeming with alligators to your itinerary. Several of these attractions are well within an hour’s drive of New Orleans. Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours, Laura Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation, among many others, are served by tour companies that offer pick-up and drop-off at French Quarter hotels. There’s no need to rent a car, and you can do the tour in a half-day if you’re squeezing it in between meetings, concerts or the eating and drinking that ordinarily takes up much of a tourist’s time in New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS Roll out the king cakes, plastic beads and Mardi Gras masks. Carnival season is under way in New Orleans. Jan. 6, the 12th night on the Biblical calendar, marked the beginning of the 153rd annual pre-Lenten celebration. and before it wraps up Feb. 24, almost 100 parades will have rolled in the area and thousands of riders will have thrown tons of glitzy gee-gaws to what organizers hope will be huge crowds.

Residents of Atlanta aren’t accustomed to snowy winters. But now anybody in the area who wants a day of snow play can head to Stone Mountain Park, which has opened its first “Snow Mountain Park,“ with three football fields of snow, a 400-foot hill with 11 tubing runs, and a 30,000-square-foot play area. The snow park opened Dec. 31 and is scheduled to remain open weekends through March 1.

Chances are that one day this winter, while much of the country is hunkered down inside to stay warm, author and artist Kit Wohl will grab her laptop for a patio work session under the sun.

NEW ORLEANS The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2009 with performances by Aretha Franklin, Dave Matthews Band, James Taylor and dozens of other acts, the event’s organizers announced Tuesday. “We’ve got a great party,“ Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis said as tickets for the 2009 festival went on sale. “We want the world to come.“

NEW ORLEANS—Bernard Berrian ran the wrong route at the right time. The result was a game-tying, 33-yard touchdown pass from Gus Frerotte intended for another receiver. When Frerotte did throw the ball Berrian’s way a little later, the Vikings’ big-play receiver didn’t even have to catch it to set up the winning score. A pass interference call on a deep throw into double coverage set up Ryan Longwell’s 30-yard field goal with 13 seconds left, allowing the Minnesota Vikings to escape with a 30-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.