New Orleans: Ghosts, Vampires & Gangsters Night Walking Tour

5.00

(147 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You ever notice how the air’s heavier here?” That’s what Edward said as we gathered outside the Pharmacy Museum, and honestly, he wasn’t wrong. The night felt thick—like it was holding its breath—and even the streetlights seemed to flicker a little more than usual. Edward’s got this way of talking that makes you lean in; he doesn’t rush, just lets the stories settle around you. We started our ghost tour right there, and I caught a whiff of something sharp and old—maybe medicine or just old wood—drifting out from behind those doors. Someone in our group laughed nervously when he mentioned plague doctors experimenting inside. I kind of shivered (not sure if it was the story or just the humidity).

We wandered through the French Quarter, stopping at places I’d walked past earlier in daylight without really seeing them. Gallatin Street looked harmless enough now, but with Edward’s lantern swinging and his voice dropping low about vanished sailors and perfume masking blood, it suddenly felt like anything could be lurking in those shadows. At one point, someone asked if he believed any of it—Edward just smiled and said, “Belief isn’t required for things to haunt you.” That stuck with me longer than I expected.

The LaLaurie Mansion was probably the hardest stop. The ironwork glinted under streetlamps while Edward talked about Madame LaLaurie’s cruelty—I swear even people passing by seemed to walk a little faster right there. There was a moment where nobody spoke; even Bourbon Street noise faded out for a second. It’s not all heavy though—at Jackson Square he joked about ghosts preferring jazz over justice these days, which made us all exhale again. By the end of this adults-only night walking tour, my feet were tired but my head was spinning with half-whispered stories and that weird feeling you get when history feels too close for comfort.