Spooky Things To Do In New Orleans: Must-See Top 5
New Orleans consistently ranks as one of the most haunted places in the United States if not the MOST haunted city, and that’s for good reason. From Voodoo, to ghosts, vampires and pirates, the city’s history and troubled past is the reason for all of the hauntings. After visiting NOLA for Halloween season multiple times as someone who is very interested in the paranormal, I’ve compiled a list of the top five spooky things to do in New Orleans. The best part is, you can do these things all year round, whether you’re visiting for Mardi Gras or any time of year.
As an added bonus, while you’re exploring the city make sure to take plenty of photos and look over your shoulder! Ghost sightings are very frequent and they tend to show up in photos days and weeks after your trip. And make sure to pay attention to what the stray cats are looking at. 👻
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- Cemetery Tour: St Louis Cemetery No 3 Self-Guided Tour
- New Orleans Ghost Tours At Night
- The Apothecary New Orleans
- Most Haunted Hotel In New Orleans
- New Orleans Pharmacy Museum Tour
St Louis Cemetery No 3 Self-Guided Tour
New Orleans is full of cemeteries, which are nicknamed “cities of the dead” because all of the tombs are above ground. St Louis Cemetery No 3 is my vote for one of the best spooky things to do in New Orleans because you can do this cemetery tour all by yourself, as opposed to in a group tour, making it that much scarier and of course more budget-travel friendly! Sometimes there’s even a local nearby that will be selling drinks and food – but don’t count on it. In the hot New Orleans sun, you’ll want to have extra water on you to be safe!
Since this will be a self-guided tour I’ll give you some of the creepy details. Dead bodies (sometimes multiple) are put into these tombs, which then slowly decompose in the heat – sort of like a slow cremation. Talk about ghosts!!!
St Louis Cemetery No 1
St Louis Cemetery No 1 is the famous home of the Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau’s, tomb, along with a tomb for Nicholas Cage and many many others. For this one you’ll have to take a tour through Cemetery Tours NOLA, which did take away from the creepiness a bit for us, but it was also great to hear all the spooky facts. Buddy was the absolute best tour guide! I recommend purchasing water bottles in the lobby once you get there and bringing an umbrella if the weather will be very sunny, as it often is in New Orleans, or if rain is in the forecast.
New Orleans Ghost Tours At Night
You can’t visit one of the most haunted cities without doing a New Orleans ghost tour at night. There are tons to choose from that combine different aspects of the city’s history like vampires, ghosts, Voodoo, serial killers and more. I recommend doing a combined tour if you can, or choosing one about the subject you know the least about, and preferably to take the tour on a week night for the highest chance to experience something paranormal!
New Orleans Ghost Adventure Tours was our favorite and our tour guide gave us tons of spooky stories along the way. They took us from spooky place to spooky place along creepy back streets in the French Quarter eventually ending on Bourbon Street for some live music to liven our spirits. 👻
A few other great tour companies in the area are Haunted History Tours, Ghost City Tours and Witches Brew Tours. It’s great that there are so many options so you can choose the time that works best for your itinerary and budget.
They even have tours that take you around to different haunted bars, where you can carry your drinks around with you throughout the tour since there are no open container laws in New Orleans. In one of the bars we stopped into my husband and I found this super creepy little Voodoo doll on the ledge when we put down our drinks, and we both started feeling nauseous until we put it down. Eek!!!!
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option, walk around Jackson Square or the un-crowded streets of the French Quarter at night (with a buddy) and take some photos to see if you can spot anything weird on your own!
The Apothecary New Orleans
The Apothecary New Orleans is an incredibly unique bar and restaurant, and one of my favorite spooky things to do in New Orleans. It’s vampire themed and has beautiful, spooky decor that really creates a unique atmosphere. The whole place feels very immersive. The Apothecary is right in the middle of the French Quarter, so you can stop in after your cemetery or ghost tour for a refresher or spooky dinner.
Everything we tried was very high quality, from the color-changing cocktails to the appetizers and our short rib entrees. Make sure to try the Alchemist’s Elixir cocktail or the absinthe, which is unique to the area.
The Apothecary is one of the best things to do in the city for couples. For more ideas, read my blog about the top 6 things to do in New Orleans for couples. Cheers!
Secret Vampire Speakeasy New Orleans
We don’t want to give too many secrets away, but there’s a vampire speakeasy owned by The Apothecary New Orleans somewhere in the French Quarter. It’s harder to get in than your average speakeasy, but it’s well worth the effort and that’s what makes it fun! Think spooky wall projections, vampire-esk music and more unique cocktails. I’ve never been to a speakeasy that was actually rewarding to find and get into so this was super cool!
Hint: Visit the Boutique du Vampyre and one of the vampire staff will give you the password and location.
Most Haunted Hotel In New Orleans
If you’re brave enough, book at stay at the most haunted hotel in New Orleans: The Andrew Jackson hotel. There are tons of ghost sightings and activity in the rooms here, most of which are of children because it’s an old orphanage which was burned down in a fire. At least the ghosts will be playful?! For the most intense experience try to stay in room #208.
For the scaredy cats out there or for a budget-friendly option, just walking in or around the building will suffice. Make sure to take photos to see what might turn up! And while you’re there, make sure to check out the LaLaurie Mansion which is right next door and has a terrifying back story which you can read about here.
A close second is Hotel Monteleone, also known as the hotel with the Carousel Bar. Reports are of friendly spirits that mean no harm, including the spirit of a mischievous young boy. For a haunted stay request the 14th Floor, which is actually the 13th Floor because they were too suspicious to name it correctly, where many people report paranormal activity.
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum Tour
Last up on the list of spooky things to do in New Orleans is the Pharmacy Museum in the French Quarter. It’s a piece of history, as the first ever pharmacy and historic home to the first licensed pharmacist in the United States, Louis J. Dulfilho, Jr. The pharmacy was then sold to a man named Dr. Dupas, who reportedly performed grusome experiments on pregnant slaves. That’s where the ghosts come in!
It’s very budget-friendly and entry for adults is only $10. While there are reported hauntings, this museum also informs you about the beginnings of medicine – which had a very creepy start in a lot of cases. There are tons of historic emblems and medical devices on display, like the leech jar and countless weird surgical instruments. The museum can get crowded, so try to visit during a week day morning to avoid the crowds and plan to spend about 45 minutes or so.
If you’re interested in finding more info on New Orleans, visit my guide to New Orleans for digital nomads blog! Or for itinerary help, I’ve written a guide for how to spend 2 days in New Orleans. Enjoy!
Lauren Kessel
Lauren Kessel is the author of this blog post and the creator of the Inspired Backpacker travel blog. She is a passionate digital nomad, with the mission to make slow travel a more accessible way of life for everyone. Lauren believes travel is an important means of education and more importantly, a way for people of different cultures to come together and understand each other better. She has a BS in Tourism and has planned countless domestic and international trips for herself, her family and friends, having visited over 12 countries and 30 states so far.
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Have you ever had a paranormal experience in New Orleans, and if so, what was it like? Share your spooky encounters and stories with us!”,
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