New Orleans: French Quarter Ghost Tour & LaLaurie Mansion

4.72

(695 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the way the streetlights hit the old bricks in the French Quarter—kind of yellow and soft, like candlelight. Our guide, Marcus (he wore a Saints cap and had that easy New Orleans drawl), gathered us near Jackson Square. He pointed out a balcony where someone swore they saw a ghost once—honestly, I half-expected to see one myself with the way the wind made the Spanish moss move. There was this faint smell of sweet pralines in the air from somewhere nearby, mixing with something musty and old—like rain-soaked wood.

We wandered down narrow streets while Marcus told us about murders and hauntings—some stories made me laugh nervously, others made my skin prickle. At LaLaurie Mansion he lowered his voice and I caught myself holding my breath as he described what happened there. I’d read about it before but hearing it right outside those iron gates felt different. A couple walking their dog stopped to listen for a minute too—guess even locals can’t resist these tales. It’s strange how you start looking over your shoulder after dark here.

I tried to repeat one of the ghost names Marcus mentioned but butchered it; he grinned and said even locals get it wrong sometimes. The group felt relaxed by then, people swapping their own weird stories or just quietly taking in the shadows along Royal Street. By the end I realized I’d barely checked my phone—there’s something about being told these stories where they actually happened that makes you forget everything else for a while. Still think about that chill at LaLaurie’s gate.