With New Orleans being the most haunted city in America, it doesn’t take much for this city to get in the Halloween spirit. With an array of things to do from ghost and graveyard tours to the Voodoo Music Festival, there are plenty of places to feel those late night chills. Here are some of my favorite spooky and potentially haunted sites to check out this month.
1. St. Louis Cemetery
St. Louis Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in New Orleans. The Voodoo queen Marie Laveau and slave owner Delphine Lalaurie are buried here, and are said to haunt the grounds. Situated right behind the French Quarter, it is a resting place to over 100,000 people, including spirits of the dead that come out at night.
2. State Street Mansion
The house on the corner of State Street and St. Charles Avenue is an instant Instagram attraction for any passerby. The front lawn is covered in standing skeletons creating a sea of the dead. Most of the skeletons have comical signs with popular culture puns, making it a perfect pit stop for some comic relief in this spooky Halloween season.
3. New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
Nothing like going back a few hundred years in time! This Pharmacy Museum in the French Quarter was the first pharmacy in New Orleans in 1823. It is said to be haunted by its previous owner, Dr. Dupas, whose spirit moves things and even sets off the alarms in the dead of night. Besides being haunted, you can also get a chill exploring all the old medicine and questionable medicine practices.
4. LaLaurie Mansion
The LaLaurie Mansion—which most people now know from “American Horror Story”— is said to be one of the most cursed mansions in all of New Orleans. Delphine LaLaurie was suspected of torturing her slaves and performing cruel acts on them. In 1834, a fire broke out that burned the house, revealing the horror of slaves chained together in the attic. The house is said to still be cursed by Madame LaLaurie, who taunts and scares the guests that dare to step foot inside.
5. The Mortuary
The Mortuary was a private home in the late 1800’s that was later converted into a private funeral home in the 1930’s. After Hurricane Katrina, it was rebuilt into a haunted house, open to any and all guests. During Halloween season, it is known as the Mystere Mansion, scaring anyone who dares to enter with animatronics and over-the-top special effects. It is hailed as one of the most realistic haunted attractions in the world.
No matter if you decide you want to pay for a guided tour or just explore the city on your own, there’s no doubt that New Orleans’ haunted history is intertwined throughout the city. So go out and don’t be afraid to be scared—you may learn a little something along the way!
COVER PHOTO: Ghost City Tours
