New Orleans: Voodoo, Mystery and Paranormal Tour

The French Quarter has a darker side. This two-hour walk mixes documented crimes, voodoo lore, vampire tales, haunted buildings, and local history, with an EMF meter or paranormal detector in your hand. I like the way the tour treats the French Quarter as both a real historic neighborhood and a stage for its stranger stories. I also like the optional drink stops, which make the evening feel relaxed rather than rigid.

The main tradeoff is that you stay outside the buildings. You will see places such as the LaLaurie Mansion, the Sultan’s Palace, and the Old Ursuline Convent from the street, but you should not expect access to private interiors or a formal ghost investigation. The old streets can also be uneven, and the tour does not allow audio or video recording.

Quick take: what makes this walk worthwhile

• More than 15 French Quarter locations: The route includes Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, The Cabildo, The Presbytère, St. Anthony’s Garden, and other landmarks.
• Paranormal equipment included: You receive an EMF meter or similar detector, adding a hands-on element to the storytelling.
• Coty and Ashli are memorable guides: Both have been praised for humor, local knowledge, and lively storytelling, though the guide for your departure may vary.
• History comes before the ghost story: Unsolved murders, suicides, burial customs, colonial buildings, and local personalities give the legends some useful context.
• Optional drink stops: You can buy drinks to go along the way, but drinks cost extra and some bars do not admit children.
• Good value at $23: For two hours of guiding, storytelling, equipment, and many central sights, the price is lower than many specialty tours.

Meeting at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop

The tour begins outside Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar at 941 Bourbon Street. You meet on the sidewalk by the gate to the courtyard attached to the bar, not inside the building.

That distinction matters. The bar staff are not connected with the tour and do not handle check-in or answer tour questions. Arrive at the exterior meeting point, look for your guide, and avoid wasting time asking inside.

Bourbon Street is easy to find, but it can be loud and crowded. Give yourself enough time to locate the correct gate, especially if you are arriving after dark. The tour provider asks you to arrive on time, and late arrival does not qualify for a refund.

At the start, your guide supplies an EMF meter or another ghost-detection device. The equipment is part of the fun, but you are responsible for it. Lost or damaged equipment carries a $250 fee, so keep track of it during stops and crowded street crossings.

A two-hour walk through New Orleans after dark

The route covers more than 15 places in and around the French Quarter. The exact order may change, and the two-hour length is approximate, but the walk is designed to keep moving while pausing for stories.

That balance is important. A paranormal tour can become a string of spooky claims with little sense of place. Here, the strongest parts connect the supernatural tales to actual buildings, documented deaths, colonial government, burial customs, and the changing character of New Orleans.

You will spend the entire tour outdoors. Wear comfortable shoes and expect old, uneven streets. The route is listed as wheelchair accessible, though uneven paving can still affect comfort and pace.

Your guide may pause for questions, and this is one of the tour’s best features. Coty, in particular, has been praised for answering questions, adding local facts, and keeping the walk moving with stories. Ashli, also known by the nickname TRashli, has been praised for comedy and dramatic storytelling. The guide assigned to your group can vary, so treat those names as examples rather than a promise.

St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, and the colonial center

St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square give the tour its visual anchor. The cathedral faces the square, while nearby historic buildings help explain how New Orleans developed under French and Spanish rule.

This portion works best if you want more than ghost stories. The guide places supernatural claims beside the city’s political and religious past, giving you a reason to notice the architecture instead of simply waiting for the next scare.

The Cabildo, once the seat of colonial government, adds another layer. It is not just a haunted-looking old building. Its role in civic life helps show why the French Quarter contains so many stories about power, punishment, death, and religious belief.

The nearby Presbytère is another architectural highlight. You will see one of the city’s best examples of colonial Spanish design while hearing about the people and events tied to the area. Since the tour stays outside, the value here comes from the guide’s explanation and the view of the buildings themselves.

St. Anthony’s Garden and old New Orleans burial customs

St. Anthony’s Garden brings the tour into the quieter side of the Quarter. Stops like this help break up the noise and crowds of Bourbon Street, while the stories turn toward death, burial, and local spiritual traditions.

New Orleans burial practices are especially useful context for a paranormal tour. The city’s above-ground tombs and distinctive funeral customs have helped shape its supernatural reputation, but they also reflect practical responses to local conditions and long-standing religious traditions.

The guide also discusses reputed vampire reports and places where vampires supposedly held victims. These stories belong to the city’s mythology rather than the same category as documented events. A good guide keeps the difference clear, and the fun comes from hearing how fact, folklore, rumor, and popular culture overlap.

I like this combination because you do not need to believe every legend to enjoy the stop. You can listen for the historical setting, the way the story has changed, and the reason it still attracts attention.

The Sultan’s Palace and stories of violent deaths

The Sultan’s Palace is one of the tour’s more dramatic stops. Local legend says a mass murder took place there, giving the building a grim reputation and making it a natural setting for a story about crime, wealth, and fear.

This is also a good example of the tour’s limits. You see the exterior and hear the account, but you are not entering a crime scene or conducting a private investigation. The atmosphere comes from the street, the building, the guide’s delivery, and your own imagination.

The route includes locations associated with unsolved murders and suicides. Those stories may be unsettling, particularly for younger children or anyone who prefers light sightseeing. The tone is generally described as entertaining and approachable, but the subject matter remains serious.

If you want a tour built only around verified historical facts, this may feel too loose. If you enjoy hearing how real events developed into local legends, the mix is more rewarding.

The LaLaurie Mansion and the Mistress of Death

The LaLaurie Mansion is the headline stop for many people. It is often described as the most haunted house in New Orleans, and the tour connects the building with Madame Delphine LaLaurie, known in the stories as the Mistress of Death.

The subject is not simple ghost entertainment. The LaLaurie story involves cruelty, abuse, social status, and the disturbing gap between public respectability and private violence. Your guide explains the reputation of the house and the events linked to it from the street.

This stop can be intense. You should expect a dark tale rather than a playful haunted-house routine. The guide’s style matters here, and the strongest guides use humor around the broader walk without making light of suffering.

Again, there is no interior visit included. If your main goal is to go inside famous haunted properties, this tour may disappoint. If you want the building placed within New Orleans folklore and urban history, it earns its place on the route.

Voodoo, vampires, and the French Quarter’s mythology

Voodoo is part of the tour’s title and one of its central themes. You will hear about local spiritual traditions, public figures, legends, and the way New Orleans has been presented in popular culture.

The best way to approach this section is with curiosity and care. Voodoo is not simply a collection of curses and spooky props. A short walking tour cannot explain every religious or cultural detail, but a good guide can show how spiritual practice, rumor, tourism, and storytelling have become intertwined in the city.

The vampire stories work in a similar way. They add theatrical fun, but they are presented alongside tales of real people and documented reports. That mixture is what gives the tour its distinctive tone. You can enjoy the mystery without treating every claim as proven fact.

Guides are encouraged to answer questions, so this is a good point to speak up if you want more context. Past groups have especially valued guides who could move from celebrity stories to voodoo, ghosts, and local history without losing the thread.

Optional drinks and a more relaxed pace

The tour includes stops where you can buy drinks to go. The cost is not included, and buying anything is optional. You can skip the stops and continue listening, or use them for a brief pause and a change of pace.

This feature suits adults who want a social evening rather than a silent, tightly controlled walk. Several past groups appreciated being able to grab a drink, ask questions, and use restroom breaks without feeling rushed.

There are practical limits. Some bars permit children and some do not, so families should not assume every stop will work for every member of the group. The provider can refuse service to anyone who appears intoxicated, with no refund if that person is asked to leave.

I would treat the drinks as an extra, not the reason to book. The core value is the guide and the route. The optional stops simply make it easier to shape the evening around your group.

Is $23 a fair price?

At $23 per person, this is a strong budget choice for a two-hour guided walk in the French Quarter. You receive a licensed guide, a paranormal detector, more than 15 stops, and a blend of sightseeing and storytelling.

The value is best if you want several themes in one outing: ghosts, murder stories, vampires, voodoo, burial customs, architecture, and colonial history. You would pay more for a private group, but a private option is available if you want a more personal format.

The price does not cover drinks, and there is no promise of interior access. Those are the main additions to budget for. You are paying for interpretation and entertainment, not admission tickets or a museum visit.

Compared with more expensive specialty walks, the tour offers a lot in a short time. The tradeoff is that the route can feel packed, and a two-hour tour cannot explore every story in depth.

Who should book this tour?

I would recommend it to adults, couples, families with older children, and first-time visitors who want an easy introduction to the French Quarter after dark. It suits people who enjoy a good story but also want landmarks and historical context.

Families should consider the murder, suicide, abuse, and vampire material before booking. The tour is listed as wheelchair accessible, but old, uneven streets may still be tiring or difficult for some participants.

You will probably enjoy it if you like:

• Local legends mixed with factual history
• Guides who joke, answer questions, and tell stories with personality
• A walking route with frequent points of interest
• Optional drink stops
• Hands-on paranormal equipment
• A low-cost evening activity

You may want another experience if you require verified facts only, want to tour haunted interiors, or dislike crowds, uneven pavement, or dark subject matter.

Practical details before you go

The experience is conducted in English with a live guide. Private groups are available, and the tour is wheelchair accessible, though the streets can be uneven.

You can cancel up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and reserve now while paying later. The provider may cancel if too few people book. In that case, you should be contacted by phone, text, or email within the hour before departure and offered another tour or a full refund.

Weather-related cancellations do not receive a refund, according to the stated terms. The tour also does not allow audio or video recording, so plan to listen and take mental notes rather than document the stories on your phone.

Final verdict: book it for stories, not haunted interiors

Book this tour if you want an affordable, entertaining walk that treats New Orleans as a place of real events and powerful legends. The strongest reason to go is the guide. Coty and Ashli have both been praised for warm, funny delivery, and the tour works best when the person leading it brings the buildings and stories to life.

Skip it if you are expecting access inside every haunted property or a controlled paranormal investigation. At $23, though, the combination of landmarks, dark history, voodoo, vampires, optional drinks, and ghost equipment offers excellent value for a relaxed evening in the French Quarter.

FAQ

Where does the tour meet?

The tour meets on the sidewalk in front of Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar at 941 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116. Meet at the gate to the attached courtyard, not inside the bar.

How long does the tour last?

The stated duration is two hours. The provider notes that the exact duration is approximate.

What does the tour include?

It includes a licensed guide, a paranormal-themed walking tour, and an EMF meter or similar paranormal detector for use during the experience.

Are drinks included?

No. The tour includes stops where you can optionally buy drinks to go, but you pay for those drinks separately.

Can children join the tour?

Children may be able to join, but some bars on the route do not allow children inside. Check the drink-stop arrangements if you are bringing a family.

Can I record the tour?

No. Audio and video recording are not allowed during any portion of the tour.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible. You may still encounter old, uneven streets along the route.

What happens if I lose the paranormal equipment?

A $250 fee applies to lost or damaged paranormal equipment. Keep the device secure throughout the walk.