New Orleans Cocktails, History, Voodoo & Paranormal Tour

Dark stories taste better with a drink nearby. This two-hour walking tour mixes New Orleans true crime, folklore, haunted places, and French Quarter history with stops around some of the city’s oldest streets. I like the focus on professional storytellers and the use of a real EMF meter for paranormal fun. I also like that the route connects famous landmarks with lesser-known crimes involving pirates, felons, murderers, and the city’s underworld.

The $23 price is fair for a guided two-hour walk, especially if you want an entertaining introduction to the French Quarter. The main caution is that drinks cost extra, and the actual route may feel lighter than the description suggests. One account praised the bars and spooky sites, while another found only a single house stop and one main murder story.

Key points to know before you go

• The tour meets at 941 Bourbon Street, on the sidewalk by the courtyard gate beside Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, not inside the bar.
• True crime is the main thread, with stories tied to the French Quarter’s pirates, prostitutes, felons, murders, and unsolved crimes.
• The advertised route includes major landmarks, such as Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, the Presbytère, St. Anthony’s Garden, the Ursuline Convent, and the LaLaurie Mansion.
• Drinks are not included, so bring money or a card for any cocktail or bar stop.
• An EMF meter adds a playful paranormal element, but this is entertainment rather than a scientific investigation.
• Guide quality matters, and Cody, also spelled Coty in one account, earned especially warm praise for making the walk lively and informative.

Starting beside Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop

The meeting point is easy to find, but the instructions matter. You meet on the sidewalk in front of Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar at 941 Bourbon Street, specifically near the gate to the attached courtyard. You do not check in inside the bar, and the bar’s staff do not operate this tour or provide tour information.

Arrive a few minutes early. Check-in ends when the group leaves, and there are no refunds for arriving late. This is useful advice in the French Quarter, where crowded sidewalks, street performers, and confusing entrances can quickly cost you several minutes.

The tour is conducted in English and lasts about two hours. It is a walking experience through old streets, so wear shoes that can handle uneven paving. The operator accepts no responsibility for injuries caused by old or uneven streets, and personal items are your responsibility as well.

The meeting point also sets the mood. Bourbon Street gives you noise, neon, old buildings, bars, and a steady flow of people. From there, the tour moves into the French Quarter’s darker side, where real crimes and exaggerated legends often sit close together.

The French Quarter as a crime scene

The strongest idea here is simple: New Orleans history is not presented only through grand buildings and famous food. You also hear about the people who made the city dangerous, strange, and hard to control.

The stories reach back to the early days of New Orleans, with references to pirates, convicted felons, prostitutes, and other figures from the city’s rougher past. That gives the walk a different angle from a standard architecture tour. You are not simply looking at old balconies. You are asking who lived behind them, what happened there, and why certain places became part of local legend.

The tour also connects past and present true crime. That can make the stories feel more immediate, but it also means the tone is not always light. You hear about murder, suicide, mass killing, and cruelty. If you want a gentle introduction to the French Quarter, choose a food or architecture walk instead.

For me, the value comes from the combination of place and story. A crime account carries more weight when you are standing near the building or street connected with it. The setting gives the tale shape, even when you are not allowed inside a particular property.

Jackson Square and the landmarks around it

The route is scheduled to include Jackson Square, one of the best places in the French Quarter to understand New Orleans in a single glance. The square is associated with St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, the Presbytère, and St. Anthony’s Garden.

Each landmark adds a different layer to the walk. St. Louis Cathedral provides the grand religious image many people connect with New Orleans. The Cabildo and Presbytère help place the city’s political and civic story beside its more sensational legends. St. Anthony’s Garden offers a quieter setting for stories about belief, death, and local tradition.

The guide’s role is important here. A building-by-building explanation can become dry, but an experienced storyteller can use the landmarks as scenery for human stories. Cody received particularly strong praise for being friendly and informative, and another account described the guide as making the tour dynamic and full of useful local details.

Do not assume that every landmark means an interior visit. The experience is a walking tour, and the advertised locations may be viewed from outside. One account felt the group did not visit enough places and stopped outside only one house. If entering buildings is important to you, ask the operator before booking.

LaLaurie Mansion and the darker stories

The LaLaurie Mansion is presented as one of the most haunted houses in New Orleans. Its reputation comes from stories of abuse and suffering connected to the LaLaurie family, and it has become one of the French Quarter’s most famous sites for dark-history tours.

Here, the building itself does much of the work. You are looking at an imposing old mansion while hearing why it remains tied to horror, ghosts, and local legend. The guide’s storytelling matters because the subject can easily become sensational. A good guide should give you the known story, separate folklore from fact when possible, and avoid treating real suffering as a cheap scare.

The experience also refers to Cajun superstitions, Louisiana folklore, ghosts, and vampires. These stories help explain why New Orleans has such a strong supernatural reputation. They are part of the city’s popular culture, but the tour does not present them as proven facts.

An EMF meter is used during the walk. It gives the group a physical object to watch while exploring paranormal claims. I would treat it as a bit of theater and a conversation starter, not proof of a ghost. The operator charges $250 for lost or damaged paranormal equipment, so handle it carefully and return it to the staff.

The Sultan’s Palace and an unsolved mass murder

Another advertised stop is the Sultan’s Palace, a large mansion linked to what is described as the largest mass murder in New Orleans. The crime remains unsolved, which gives the story a particularly unsettling quality.

This is the kind of stop that suits true-crime fans. An unsolved case leaves questions hanging, and the building becomes a fixed point for those questions. You may hear about the crime, the people connected with it, and why the case remains part of the French Quarter’s darker identity.

The name can also create confusion. You are not visiting a royal palace. It is a grand residential building with a notorious association. The appeal lies in the story and the setting, not in a formal museum visit.

As with LaLaurie Mansion, expect an exterior stop unless the operator confirms otherwise. The description names many places, but a two-hour walk cannot spend equal time at each one. Ask how the route is operating on your date if the Sultan’s Palace is a must-see for you.

The Zach and Addie story

The tour includes the story of Zach and Addie, described as one of the most infamous murder stories in New Orleans. It is framed as a tale of heartbreak as well as crime, which suggests a more personal angle than the usual list of victims, dates, and suspects.

That human focus can be one of the walk’s better qualities. True crime is not only about strange houses and gruesome details. It is also about relationships, fear, loss, and the way a community remembers a tragedy.

The tour also covers a 2006 murder-suicide in the French Quarter. Together, these stories bring the walk into the more recent past. You are not hearing only about pirates and old legends. You are also confronting crimes that happened within living memory.

This content is not suitable for children or anyone who prefers to avoid graphic or upsetting subjects. The description promises intense material, and that is a fair warning. A cocktail may make the conversation feel less heavy, but alcohol does not make difficult stories disappear.

Where cocktails fit into the experience

The tour’s title promises cocktails, but drinks are not included in the $23 price. That distinction is important. The fee covers the licensed guide and storytelling, while you pay separately for any beverage.

The route may include bars or drink stops. One account particularly enjoyed being taken to cool bars as well as landmarks and spooky sites. Still, you should not expect a fixed number of cocktails or a set tasting menu unless the operator confirms one.

I like the idea of pairing a drink with local history, but it works best when you control your pace. You do not need to drink at every opportunity, and you should avoid arriving intoxicated. The operator can refuse service to anyone who is extremely drunk, disruptive, or disrespectful.

Because the tour includes walking, uneven streets, and serious subject matter, moderation is wise. Think of the drink as part of the atmosphere, not the main product. If you are mainly looking for a bar crawl, this may feel too history-focused. If you want a history walk with the option of a cocktail, the format makes more sense.

What the $23 price really buys

At $23 per person, the tour is priced below many specialized city experiences. You receive two hours with a licensed guide and a professional storyteller, and the guides have more than a decade of hosting experience.

The value depends on what you want from the route. If the guide delivers a strong performance, the price is attractive. You get local context, true-crime stories, folklore, famous buildings, and a paranormal prop without paying for a formal museum ticket or a long excursion.

The value drops if you expect multiple interior visits, a large number of bar stops, or a structured cocktail tasting. Drinks cost extra, and one account found the route too limited. That makes the guide’s performance the deciding factor.

The overall rating is 3.8 out of 5 from nine ratings. Several high scores praised the guide’s local history, friendliness, and ability to keep the walk moving. One serious complaint described a guide who never appeared and gave no notice. That is not a normal part of the experience, but it is worth keeping in mind because the cancellation policy is strict and the activity is non-refundable.

The operator can also cancel if too few people book, in which case you receive a full refund. Weather can lead to rescheduling, but a weather cancellation does not come with a refund under the stated policy. Read those terms carefully before treating this as the fixed centerpiece of your evening.

Who will enjoy this tour most

I would recommend it most strongly to adults who enjoy:

• New Orleans crime stories and local legends
• Ghosts, voodoo folklore, vampires, and paranormal themes
• Walking through the French Quarter at a relaxed pace
• Informal storytelling rather than a formal lecture
• Having the option to buy a cocktail during the experience
• Seeing famous buildings while hearing the darker stories behind them

It is also a good choice if you have already seen the French Quarter’s main sights and want a new way to look at them. The tour can add context to streets you might otherwise pass without a second thought.

You may want another experience if you need guaranteed entry into several buildings, a fixed cocktail package, or a tightly structured route with many stops. The word voodoo is part of the title, but one account specifically found that the subject received little or no attention. Go in expecting true crime and paranormal folklore first, with voodoo coverage dependent on the guide and the route.

Practical advice for a smoother evening

Meet outside Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, not inside. Arrive early enough to find the courtyard gate and check in before departure.

Wear comfortable shoes. The operator warns about old, uneven streets, and the walk may involve standing outside at several locations.

Budget separately for drinks. Nothing alcoholic is included in the $23 price, and the tour does not promise a set number of beverages.

Do not record audio or video. The tour does not allow either. Keep personal belongings secure, and do not take the paranormal meter away from the staff.

The tour is non-refundable, and late arrivals receive no refund. It can also be rescheduled because of bad weather or cancelled if too few people sign up. The supplier promises a full refund for a low-participant cancellation, but not for every other change of plan.

Should you book the New Orleans dark-history walk?

Book it if you want an affordable, adult-focused French Quarter walk built around true crime, haunted places, folklore, and a possible drink stop. The best part is the storytelling. Guides such as Cody or Coty have been praised for warmth, energy, and useful local detail, and a strong guide can make the $23 fee worthwhile.

Skip it if you want a formal voodoo lesson, a guaranteed cocktail tasting, or extensive access to buildings. The route may cover many famous locations, but the amount of time spent at each place can vary. Go for the stories and atmosphere, not a promise of a long list of interior visits.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts two hours.

How much does the tour cost?

The listed price is $23 per person.

Are drinks included?

No. Drinks are not included in the tour price.

Where does the tour meet?

The tour meets on the sidewalk at 941 Bourbon Street, in front of Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar. Meet by the gate to the attached courtyard, not inside the bar.

What language is the tour conducted in?

The live tour is conducted in English.

Is the tour refundable?

The activity is non-refundable. No refund is issued for cancellation due to weather or for arriving late. If the supplier cancels because there are not enough participants, a full refund is issued.

Can I record the tour?

No. Audio recording and video recording are not allowed.