Just north of New Orleans, in Abita Springs, Louisiana, the Abita Mystery House is a museum of sorts, a jumbled and fascinating collection of dusty southern folk art, scattered about a compound that is fronted by a vintage gas station. It is the creation of artist John Preble. Here is where you’ll find the “live” “32 foot alligator,” a spaceship and a robot, miniature cityscapes of sordid old New Orleans, dysfunctional arcade games and a friendly cat, Nyla, who accompanied me as I wandered from building to building. Perhaps most fascinating were the dioramas: One depicted a tornado ripping through a trailer park. Another portrayed the death of the dinosaurs. A third features dancing skeletons. (Instagram) (Instagram)