New Orleans Spirits & Spells: Witchcraft, Voodoo, and Ghost Tour

New Orleans keeps its secrets after dark. This two-hour French Quarter walk brings together witchcraft, Voodoo, ghosts, and local history, with stops at famous haunted addresses and a final group spell in a real witchcraft temple. I like the mix of storytelling and participation, especially the chance to see a working ritual space rather than only hear spooky tales. The main drawback is that the tour leans more heavily toward ghosts and grisly stories than some people expect from its title.

You begin and end at Hex New Orleans on Decatur Street, so the route is easy to manage without arranging a second pickup. I also like the relaxed pace and small maximum group of 26 people. Still, you should expect to spend most of the evening outdoors, and several sites are viewed from the street rather than entered.

Five things to know before you book

• The spellcasting ritual is the tour’s most unusual feature: You return to Hex for a group ritual in a real Witches’ temple and a brick courtyard with a magical fountain.
• Ghost stories lead the evening: The route includes Muriel’s Jackson Square and the notorious Lalaurie Mansion, along with darker tales from 735 Ursulines Avenue.
• The walking is manageable but real: The tour lasts about two hours, and comfortable shoes matter.
• The history is led by personality: Guides such as Jamie, Carrie, and Kerry have earned especially warm praise for humor, energy, and storytelling.
• The tone is for ages 13 and up: Some stories involve murder, cruelty, malevolent spirits, and disturbing historical material.
• The price is modest for a two-hour experience: At $29, you are paying mainly for the guide, route, and private ritual access, not museum admission.

Starting at Hex on Decatur Street

The tour starts at Hex New Orleans, 1219 Decatur Street, in the French Quarter. This is not just a meeting point. It is also the place where the evening ends, and where the group spell takes place.

That arrangement gives the tour a pleasing shape. You start with an introduction to witchcraft and the shop’s setting, walk through the French Quarter as the stories grow darker, then return to the temple for the ritual. I prefer this sort of circular route to a tour that simply drops you at the final stop and leaves you to find your way home.

Your guide sets the mood from the start. The best guides on this experience, including Jamie and Carrie or Kerry, have been praised for humor, warmth, and a strong command of New Orleans history. Their style matters here. Ghost tours rise or fall on the guide’s timing, voice, and ability to separate documented history from supernatural legend.

The group can include up to 26 people. That is not an intimate private walk, but it is small enough to keep the guide connected to the group if everyone stays close. One practical concern is sound. A few people have found it hard to hear when the guide faced away from the group, especially in a busy street setting. Stay near the guide and speak up if you miss part of a story.

Old Ursuline Convent and the power of women

The first major historical stop is the Old Ursuline Convent Museum. You view the building from the route and hear about the women who worked there, with special attention to cooperation, healing, and the power women could build together.

This is an important change of tone from the usual haunted walk. The story is not only about apparitions or curses. It also looks at women as healers, organizers, and protectors in a city where formal power was often held by men. I like this part because it gives the evening a wider subject than spooky entertainment.

Do not expect a full museum visit during the tour. The stop lasts about 15 minutes, and the experience generally explains the site from outside. If you want to study the convent’s interior or collection, plan a separate visit. That limitation is worth knowing before you book, since the tour’s descriptions can sound as if you will enter more historic buildings than you actually do.

Chartres Street and Mary Oneida Toups

On Chartres Street, the guide tells the story of Mary Oneida Toups and her Coven of Witches. The group became part of New Orleans folklore and helped inspire the coven portrayed in American Horror Story: Coven.

For fans of the television series, this is likely one of the most appealing stops. For everyone else, the story still works as a look at how modern witchcraft, local reputation, popular culture, and New Orleans legend overlap.

The stop itself is brief, about 10 minutes. That means you get a focused account rather than a long lecture. The quality depends heavily on the guide’s storytelling, and this is where the stronger guides make the route feel alive. Jamie, in particular, has been praised for turning historical details into stories that hold the attention of teenagers and adults alike.

Keep your expectations measured. This is not a formal lesson in the practice of witchcraft, and the group does not become a coven in any literal sense. It is a story stop that links a real figure and a local tradition to a widely known television image.

Muriel’s Jackson Square and a resident ghost

Muriel’s Jackson Square provides one of the tour’s most accessible ghost stories. The restaurant is said to pay nightly respect to its resident ghost, and your guide explains the tradition and the story behind it.

This stop works well because the setting is easy to picture. You are not hearing about an anonymous haunted house in a distant neighborhood. You are standing beside a well-known French Quarter restaurant, where the supernatural story is tied to an active place with a public identity.

The stop lasts about 15 minutes. You should not assume that the tour includes a meal or a special restaurant seating area. The value here is the story and the view of the location. If Muriel’s appeals to you as a restaurant, make a separate reservation rather than expecting the walking tour to cover that part.

Voodoo Authentica and a more direct look at Voodoo

Voodoo Authentica is the clearest Voodoo-focused stop on the route. The guide covers the history of Voodoo in New Orleans, and the 4 p.m. tour includes entry into a real Voodoo supply shop.

That timing matters. The 4 p.m. departure is not simply an earlier version of the evening walk. It may offer access to the shop, while other departure times might not. Confirm the exact departure time when you book if entering the shop is important to you.

This section may be the biggest question mark for people drawn mainly by the words witchcraft and Voodoo. The tour includes Voodoo history, but the full route gives equal or greater weight to ghost lore, haunted homes, murder stories, and supernatural legends. One person could find the balance satisfying. Someone looking for a detailed study of Voodoo traditions may find the treatment too short.

I appreciate that the route includes a real shop rather than presenting Voodoo as a vague spooky theme. Still, the stop lasts about 10 minutes, so think of it as an introduction, not a stand-alone cultural course.

735 Ursulines Avenue and the darker turn

At 735 Ursulines Avenue, the stories become more disturbing. The guide discusses malevolent spirits, ritual murder, and the idea that some forces should not be called up unless you know how to put them down.

This is where the age limit makes sense. The experience is not designed for young children, and it is not a light family ghost walk with harmless jokes at every turn. The tone can be theatrical, but the material includes brutality and death.

The stop lasts about 15 minutes. You remain on the public route and hear the history and legends from outside. If you want to enter haunted sites, this tour may disappoint you. Local rules, private ownership, and the nature of the buildings mean that much of the experience happens on the pavement, with the guide supplying the context.

The practical advice is simple: stay with the group and watch your footing. The French Quarter walk is leisurely, but you are still moving through city streets rather than a controlled attraction.

Lalaurie Mansion and the real story behind the legend

The Lalaurie Mansion is the route’s most famous haunted address. Here you hear about Madame Delphine Lalaurie, whose abuse of enslaved people made her name part of one of New Orleans’ most infamous historical stories.

This stop needs care. The mansion’s reputation is often presented through sensational ghost-tour language, but the underlying human suffering was real. A good guide should keep the horror connected to history rather than treating cruelty as a cheap scare effect.

The tour also includes advice on repelling negativity. That leads naturally into the final ritual, though it remains part of the tour’s theatrical and spiritual framing rather than a promise of supernatural results.

You view the mansion from outside. That is a key point for anyone booking this experience. You will not tour the interior, and the route does not turn the building into a conventional haunted attraction. The strength of this stop comes from the setting, the guide’s explanation, and the uneasy contrast between the elegant facade and the story attached to it.

Returning to Hex for the group spell

After the street stops, you return to Hex. This is the part that separates Spirits and Spells from a standard French Quarter ghost walk.

The group enters a real Witches’ temple and takes part in a ritual and group spell. The experience ends in a hidden brick courtyard with a magical fountain. The setting gives the evening a physical conclusion. Instead of simply hearing one last story and dispersing on a corner, you take part in a shared activity.

I would book this tour for the ritual, but I would not book it expecting a private ceremony or a serious instructional course in witchcraft. The spell is a group experience, and its appeal depends on your comfort with theatrical participation. Some people will find it memorable and playful. Others may prefer to observe rather than join in.

The final stop also explains why the tour description emphasizes exclusive access. You are not just passing a shop window. You are entering a space that most ordinary French Quarter walks do not include.

What the $29 price really buys

At $29 per person, this is reasonably priced for a two-hour guided walk with a special end point and ritual access. You are not paying for admission to several museums, transportation, food, or a long indoor program. You are paying for the guide’s preparation, the route, the storytelling, and entry to the temple.

The value is strongest if you want a themed introduction to several sides of New Orleans. In one evening, you get women’s religious history, modern witchcraft, Voodoo lore, restaurant ghost stories, notorious crime, and haunted-house legends.

The value is weaker if you want detailed access to historic interiors. Most stops are viewed from the street, and only the 4 p.m. version specifically includes entry to the Voodoo supply shop. You should also remember that parking is not included. The meeting point is near public transportation, so driving and parking may add cost and hassle.

The tour is recommended by 93 percent of people who rated it, with an overall score of 4.8 from 329 ratings. That points to a consistently strong experience, but the lower scores reveal the main risks: cancellations, hard-to-hear guiding, sensationalized material, and a gap between the promise of ritual access and what happened on a particular departure.

Guides, pace, and group comfort

The guide is the deciding factor. Jamie receives repeated praise for humor, historical detail, kindness, and the ability to keep different ages involved. Carrie, also spelled Kerry in some feedback, is praised for energy, warmth, and a fun delivery. These names tell you what to hope for, but you cannot assume a specific guide will lead your departure.

The walking pace is described as leisurely, though one person found it tiring enough to stress comfortable shoes. Wear footwear you can use for two hours on French Quarter streets. Bring water, especially in warm weather, and stay aware of the group if the guide is speaking near traffic or other tour groups.

One guide handled an overheated participant by getting the group indoors and adjusting the route. That suggests a good level of care when conditions change, but the tour still depends on weather. Severe weather can lead to cancellation, with a different date or full refund offered.

The tour requires a minimum number of people. If that minimum is not met, the operator may offer another date or experience, or a full refund. There have also been cancellations close to the start time, including one reported about an hour before departure. Check your messages on the day of the tour so you do not wait around unnecessarily.

Who should book this French Quarter walk?

I would choose this tour if you want:

• A ghost tour with more historical material than simple jump scares
• A route centered on witchcraft, Voodoo, and women’s spiritual traditions
• A group ritual and access to a witchcraft temple
• A manageable two-hour evening activity
• Stories connected to famous French Quarter places
• A tour suitable for older teenagers and adults

I would look elsewhere if you want a serious academic study of Voodoo, extensive indoor access, or a child-friendly activity. The route is also a poor fit if you dislike graphic stories about murder, cruelty, and haunted homes.

At 13, a teenager may be allowed to participate, but age alone does not guarantee comfort. The stories can be grim, and the ritual may feel strange to someone expecting only a history walk.

Practical details before you go

The experience is offered in English and uses a mobile ticket. Confirmation is provided when you book. It begins and ends at Hex New Orleans, 1219 Decatur Street, and public transportation is nearby.

Most people can participate, but the walk requires enough mobility for a two-hour route through city streets. Parking fees are not included. The tour is not suitable for children under 13.

Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Inside that window, changes are not accepted and the amount paid is not refunded. Weather or minimum-group cancellations are exceptions, with another date or a full refund offered.

Should you book Spirits and Spells?

Book it if you want a lively New Orleans night walk where ghosts are only part of the story. The strongest reasons are the skilled guides, the links between famous French Quarter sites, and the return to Hex for a group spell in a real temple.

Go in with the right expectations. You will spend much of the tour outside, you will not enter most haunted buildings, and the ghost material may outweigh the Voodoo and witchcraft history. At $29, that is still a fair deal for a well-led two-hour experience, especially if the ritual appeals to you.

I would choose the 4 p.m. departure if entering the Voodoo supply shop matters. For everyone else, pick a time that fits your evening, wear comfortable shoes, and stay close enough to hear the guide. If Jamie, Carrie, or Kerry is leading, expect a warm, witty storyteller who can make the city’s darker corners feel both memorable and surprisingly human.

FAQ

How long does the Spirits and Spells tour last?

The tour lasts approximately two hours.

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts at Hex New Orleans, 1219 Decatur Street, New Orleans, and ends back at the same meeting point.

What language is the tour offered in?

The tour is offered in English.

Is the tour suitable for children?

No. The experience is not suitable for children under 13. The stories include ghosts, murder, cruelty, and disturbing historical material.

Does the tour include entry to haunted buildings?

Most historic and haunted locations are viewed from outside. The tour does include access to a witchcraft temple at Hex, and the 4 p.m. version includes entry to a real Voodoo supply shop.

Is the group spell included?

Yes. The tour includes access to a witch coven’s temple and participation in a group ritual and spell.

Is parking included in the price?

No. Parking fees are not included. The meeting point is near public transportation.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel at least 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made within 24 hours are not refunded. If the operator cancels because of poor weather or an insufficient minimum group, you are offered another date or a full refund.