New Orleans: Yellow Fever Ghost Tour & Haunted Mansions

4.88

(1272 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest — I didn’t expect to jump when that streetcar clanged past us on Royal Street, but my nerves were already on edge. We’d only just started our Yellow Fever Ghost Tour in New Orleans, outside the old Pharmacy Museum, and our guide (Marcus, born-and-raised here) was already spinning stories about doctors with leeches and “cures” that sounded more like torture. The air smelled faintly of rain and something sweet — maybe jasmine? Or maybe just the city itself. I kept glancing over my shoulder. Silly, but you get caught up in it.

We wandered down Pirates Alley where Marcus pointed out dueling scars still etched in the bricks. Someone in our group tried to joke about ghosts being afraid of tourists; Marcus just grinned and told us about yellow fever burials happening right under our feet. It’s weird how a place can feel so alive at night, even when you’re talking about so much death. The LaLaurie Mansion looked almost ordinary until he described what happened inside — I swear the windows felt darker after that. And then there was Marie Laveau’s house, with candles flickering by the gate. Li laughed when I tried to say her name right in French Creole — probably butchered it.

I still think about how quiet it got sometimes between stops, except for a distant saxophone or someone calling out from a balcony. Seven haunted places in one night sounds like a lot, but honestly it went by fast — not rushed though, just… full. If you’re into true crime or ghost stories (or both), this day trip through New Orleans’ haunted corners is kind of perfect. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, you’ll leave with goosebumps anyway.