New Orleans: Cocktail Pub Crawl & Ghost Stories Night Tour

4.95

(139 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the sticky sweet smell of something—maybe spilled rum?—as we ducked into our first bar on Royal Street. Our guide, Chris, already seemed to know everyone behind the counter. He slid us a Sazerac (I’d never had one before, honestly) and started in on a story about a gambler who supposedly still haunts the place. The drink burned in that good way, and I caught myself glancing over my shoulder once or twice. Not sure if it was the story or the whiskey talking.

Between stops, we wandered through narrow alleys where the bricks felt cool under my hand. Chris didn’t rush; he let us linger outside an old townhouse while he described how its shutters were closed for mourning after some long-ago tragedy. There was this moment when the street went quiet except for distant jazz—felt like time folded in on itself for a second. Someone asked about voodoo, and Chris just grinned and said, “You’ll see.” And then we did—he pointed out these little markings carved into doorways that I’d never have noticed alone.

I liked that this wasn’t one of those party-crawls where you lose track of your group after two drinks. We actually talked to each other—one guy from Boston tried to pronounce ‘Chartres’ Street and got roasted (all in good fun). By the time we reached Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, I realized I’d stopped checking my phone. It’s weird how fast you start to feel like you’re part of some secret club when you’re swapping ghost stories over cocktails with strangers. The night air smelled like rain but it held off until we were almost done—lucky break.