These days, as a paranormal professional with five years of experience in the spooky community, I look back on my first ghost tour with great fondness. New Orleans is one of the only places in the nation, perhaps even the world, where you can interact with spirits in a personal and authentic manner. Skeptics are often made into believers here. Something I quickly learned leading ghost tours through the French Quarter for three years.
There is something special about the Crescent City that has always attracted a devilish, unusual and supernatural crowd. Maybe it's the city’s elevation, or lack thereof, being mostly situated below sea level. Some theories state that it's the water surrounding and flowing in and around the sub-tropical metropolis. Water, a life giving force, is said to attract spirits and there is plenty of it in New Orleans.
Maybe too much, or maybe just enough to negate the effects of all the alcohol floating around.
My first ghost tour in New Orleans came about in a happenstance sort of way, much like my trip to New Orleans itself. Lost and confused, I made a pit stop in the Big easy that led me down an unbelievable path. I never would have believed that it would lead me to my current position, as a content writer for US Ghost Adventures, nor that it would allow me to live in New Orleans for eight years while working as a professional musician. But that’s a story for another time.
Cheap Accomodations In New Orleans
I was staying at the India House Hostel when it all began. My intention was to stay for just one night, but it blossomed into an eight-year journey that changed my life forever. Albeit, in true New Orleans fashion, a fairly intoxicated and messy one at times.
If any readers are looking for cheap, bohemian-style accommodations in New Orleans, complete with a pool, then look no further. This 189-bed, five-building complex, stretches the whole block of N. Lopez in the world-reknowned Mid City neighborhood (voted one of the ten coolest neighborhoods in the world by TimeOut).
Rates start at $25 a night for a bunk bed in a dormitory and go to $120 a night for two-person private rooms. Prices can sometimes be cheaper, especially for dorm rooms, during certain times of the year. Breakfast and dinner is served up daily for $5-$10 and often includes Louisiana specialties like Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice, and Fried Chicken. It is an ideal place to stay for Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras!
My first few days at the hostel were a blur; I saw world-class musician Jon Clearly just down the street at the renowned club, Chickie Wah Wah, and drank with guests from all around the world late into the night in the hostel’s groovy and free wheeling courtyard.
One hazy and hungover morning, as I was talking to one of the hostel’s many friendly front desk attendants—later to be a co-worker of mine for the better portion of a year while I worked and lived there— the idea of taking a ghost tour was proposed. New Orleans is a city infamous for its spooky tourism, and up until that point, I knew little of it.
Within a few minutes, I was signed up on a tour with NOLA Ghosts for the cheap price of $25 dollars.
Transportation In New Orleans and What To Bring On A Ghost Tour
I gathered my things for the evening's journey and hopped onto the Canal Street car. Located just outside the hostel, it takes you right to the French Quarter. My tour was for 6 PM and the streetcar got me downtown in just fifteen minutes.
If you find yourself looking to ride the streetcar you can purchase an all day ticket for just three dollars, right on the street car. Just make sure to bring cash and exact change! There is also an app, provided by RTA , that you can download on your phone to pre-purchase a pass and buy up to a months worth of passes.
Once purchased you have the ability to ride on any street car or bus in New Orleans with a single ticket. You can look at schedules and track streetcars, all in live time.
If you are interested in taking a ghost tour, or a tour of the French Quarter of any kind, here are some thoughts and a few things I recommend bringing with you.
Things To Consider When Going On A Ghost Tour
- Wear good walking shoes—Walking tours can last an hour to two hours and cover anywhere from 1 to 2 miles. High heels are not recommend even if you are planning to party later.
- Bring water—New Orleans can be stifling and the humidity is oppressive. Be sure to stay hydrated.
- Use the bathroom before you go—Pub Crawls and certain tours will stop in bars to allow guests to get a drink and use the bathroom. Public restrooms can be hard to come by in the French Quarter.
- Avoid taking a tour in the middle of the day or during the summer—It's too hot! Luckily most ghost tours are in the evening.
The Chaotic Beauty of Jackson Square
After a brisk walk, under half a mile, from the streetcar stop on Royal and Canal Street to Jackson Square, I arrived at our meeting point. The well lit, and very safe, square was alive with tourists, buskers, musicians, artists, and numerous drunks. All of it was being solemnly watched over by the majestic and sobering St. Louis Cathedral, one of the oldest active Catholic Churches in the United States.
I met my tour guide at about fifteen minutes before six o'clock. She was wearing a US Ghost Adventures t-shirt and holding a lantern to guide our way into the unknown world of the paranormal. As our group slowly gathered the sun began to lower, and I saw the iconic gas lamps of the Quarter begin to flicker in the darkness. I knew I was in for a good time.
The tour began as soon as the rest of the group showed up. Our guide briefed us on the fascinating three-hundred-year history of the city and informed us that the square is populated with a countless number of spirits. Executions, natural disasters, and changes in colonial governments all played their part in creating this vast spiritual world centered around former President Andrew Jackson’s statue.
She even explained to us why, thanks to an incredibly high water table, all the tombs in New Orleans are located above ground. The dead do not stay below ground for very long otherwise!
The twilight cast an unsettling yet captivating hue over the old-world beauty of the French Quarter and as the gas lamps danced in unison above our heads, we wandered off into the night for more thrilling and spooky fun.
My First Ghost Tour In New Orleans
Our first stop was Pirate’s Alley, directly to the left of the Cathedral. We learned about the pirates who once roamed this alleway that doubled as a marketplace of stolen goods and their restless spirits. There is a little girl who haunts the balcony above Faulkner House Books. To my disbelief, I learned that William Faulkner once lived in this building that now shares his name.
Right next door was Pirate’s Alley Cafe, a bar that serves up multiple kinds of Absinthe! Our tour guide explained that there are many misconceptions about Absinthe and it's quite legal.
You won’t hallucinate while drinking it—I hope that’s not too disappointing for some of you— but you will get a good buzz. I tried some after the tour had ended and despite the black licorice taste, it was still a unique buzz. Similar to inhaling a good joint, it is something still I greatly enjoy to this day.
From there we headed to a number of places! It seemed like you could throw a rock in the French Quarter and hit a haunted building. Along the way our tour guide gave us recommendations on the best places to eat, drink, and party in the French Quarter. Here a few places off the beaten that became favorites of mine throughout the years.
French Quarter Recommendations:
- Erin Rose- One of the best bars in the Quarter, a place where locals and tourists mingle, famous for their Irish Iced Coffee.
- Voodoo Authentica- A stop on NOLA Ghosts Voodoo and Vampire True Crime Tour, full of handmade goods, imported items, Voodoo shrines, and a great place to get your fortune told.
- The Hideout- Live music and a quiet courtyard, a hard thing to find on Bourbon Street!
- Verti Marte- Late night deli serving up poboys, muffalettas, hot plates, and cold drinks. Famous for their “All That Jazz” sandwich. One of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite New Orleans establishments.
Haunted Places in the French Quarter
Our journey through the streets of the Vieux Carré (Old Square in French) lasted two hours. I was fascinated by the accuracy of the historical facts and how well they flowed with the ghost stories we heard.
We visited about ten locations over the course of an hour and a half, but I took their extended tour to learn everything I could.
While every stop left me engaged and wanting more there were a few stops that stood out to me and haven’t left my mind since.
The Ursuline Nun Convent- The oldest building in the Mississippi delta was once home to the Ursuline Nuns, who educated the first women in New Orleanians. Many of whom were “ladies of the night” brought here in the early 1700s. Legends state that some among them were vampires and are still inhabiting the building today! The convent is home to the first legend of vampires in North America.
Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop- Formerly the hideout for the famous pirate Jean Lafitte, they claim to be the oldest bar in America. Ghastly apparitions of a pirate’s face are said to appear in their fireplace and many guests have reported seeing Jean Lafitte himself perusing the woman’s bathroom. I loved their Voodoo Daiquiris, something I discovered late at night long after the tour. One of the most fascinating things I learned was that Jean Lafitte and his pirates helped fight the British in the War of 1812.
The LaLaurie Mansion- A place I had a vague knowledge of that has terrified me ever since. The infamous Madame LaLaurie murdered and tortured dozens of her slaves in this French Quarter mansion on Royal Street before fleeing the city in 1834. A must see stop for anyone interested in the darker side of New Orleans history!
Should You Take A Ghost Tour In New Orleans?
The short answer is yes. You’ll learn things about New Orleans that may have never crossed your mind and hear gruesome stories that will leave you shaking in fear. All while getting great recommendations on where to eat, drink, and stay in New Orleans.
This tour forever changed my life. I went on to spend eight years in New Orleans, three of which were spent as a tour guide. I met my fiance, life-long friends and had some of the best times of my life.
Like I said, you never know what might happen when you spend just one night in the Big Easy.
Book with NOLA Ghosts for the best ghost tours in New Orleans!
