A self-guided ghost walk through the French Quarter
New Orleans is full of spooky spots just waiting to be explored in and around the French Quarter. Why not grab a go-cup and take a stroll? Here are 16 of the most haunted places in New Orleans.
The Seance Room - Muriel's Jackson Square
Why New Orleans is Considered America’s Most Haunted City
As famous as New Orleans is for its food and music, so too is it known for its haunted history. That storied history, along with centuries-old buildings, above-ground cemeteries, and countless stories of paranormal activity has given New Orleans the title of America's most haunted city. Come and see it for yourself in Pere Antoine’s Alley, the Old Ursuline Convent, and the haunted places mentioned below.
A stay at Hotel Monteleone comes with a dose of haunted history. Legend has it, the 14th floor (actually the 13th floor) of Hotel Monteleone is home to some paranormal activity. Guests have reported hearing the footsteps of Maurice Begere, the young ghost child who haunts the hotel.
The ghosts at the Andrew Jackson Hotel are some of the more interactive specters encountered in the city. Back during the building’s tenure as a boys’ boarding school, five students died in a fire, but they have spent their afterlives playing and causing a bit of childlike mischief, and their laughter and footsteps are often heard throughout the hotel and courtyard. The spirits of the boys, along with one believed to be a former housekeeper, will move personal items and furniture around guests’ rooms – the boys hiding items as a joke and the housekeeper fluffing pillows and straightening towels.
The Bourbon Orleans was home to the famous Quadroon Balls. Today a lonely ghost can be seen dancing beneath a crystal chandelier. The hotel is also home to a ghost nun who slapped a man working on a stairwell for swearing.
It’s said that Antoine Alciator, the founder of this famous family-owned restaurant, returns to check up on his ancestors. Other spirits in 19th century clothing peer from mirrors in the washrooms.
This now-eatery and bar has had a few different roles during since it was built around 1800, which has led to a variety of different specters haunting the site. Because it served as a hospital during the Civil War, the ghost of a Confederate soldier can be spotted walking the second-floor balcony. Other common ghostly phenomena are from the 20th century – the figure of a little old lady sweeping the balcony and the mysterious reappearance of glasses on the bar once everything has been cleaned and put away for the night.
This 200-year-old bar is haunted by famous customers who used to imbibe there. You might pull up a stool next to General Andrew Jackson, voodoo queen Marie Laveau, or the pirate Jean Lafitte. Doors open and close on their own while bottles, glasses, and chairs have been seen moving around the bar.
After losing this house in a poker game, Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan committed suicide upstairs in 1814. His ghost doesn't appear human, but as a glimmer of sparkly light. There’s even a séance room that guests can visit that honors Jourdan’s spirit.
Built in 1831 for prosperous Creoles, this house is said to be alive with pleasant, friendly Southern ghosts who scatter scented rose and lavender around the rooms and light the fireplaces to make it cozy.
Marie Laveau's House
Voodoo queen Marie Laveau lived on this site (now 1020 St. Ann St.) between 1839 and 1895. Her spirit is said to still conduct wild voodoo ceremonies here.
Sultan’s Palace
The Gardette-LePretre House, also known as the Sultan’s Palace, was leased by a brother of the Turkish Sultan in the late 1790s. One stormy night, assassins brutally murdered everyone they found in the house. Ghostly forms have been seen there for many years.
St. Louis Cathedral is believed to be haunted by Pere Dagobert, pastor of St. Louis Cathedral in the mid-1700s. After worship, people have seen Dagobert’s spirit walking with his head lowered through the aisles.
In the 1700s, the Catholic Diocese sent young girls from the French convents to New Orleans to find husbands. They carried their belongings in coffin-shaped chests and became known as “the Casket Girls.” Some say the caskets really held vampires from the old country.
Pere Antoine was a beloved priest who worked tirelessly for the poor. Visitors to the alley that runs alongside St. Louis Cathedral say you can see Pere Antoine’s ghost in the early morning hours, clad in Capuchin black and sandals. He’s also been seen inside the Cathedral.
William Faulkner wrote his first novel while staying in this house in the 1920s. People swear they’ve seen his ghost sitting at the writing desk inside and say you can smell his pipe.
Here you might bump into an actress from the 1930s named Caroline who accidentally tumbled over the railing to her death in the courtyard below, dressed in a white wedding gown for the play that night. You might also run into the captain who watches plays from his balcony seat, hoping for a glimpse of an actress he was sweet on.
Site of the Old French Opera House
This site is said to be haunted by Marguerite, the ghost of an aging Storyville madam. Spurned by her young lover, she committed suicide more than 100 years ago after leaving a note that read, “I will return, and kill those that have hurt me!” The site of the Old French Opera House is located on the corner of Bourbon and Toulouse Streets. The Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter currently occupies the building.
Guided Ghost Tours in New Orleans
New Orleans has over 300 years of history...and mystery. Explore the haunted side of New Orleans on a ghost tour through the French Quarter and beyond.
According to legend, Hotel Monteleone is the most frequently cited haunted place in New Orleans that the public can actually enter, with reports centered on the 14th floor, which is really the 13th. The Old Ursuline Convent and the Old Absinthe House are close behind, and all three sit within a few blocks of each other in the French Quarter.
Why is New Orleans considered the most haunted city in America?
Yellow fever epidemics, the fires that leveled the city in 1788 and 1794, and above-ground cemeteries that keep the dead in plain sight have given New Orleans an unusually long memory. Creole Catholic ritual and Voodoo spiritual traditions kept that memory present rather than tucked away.
Can you visit haunted places in New Orleans for free?
Yes, most of them. St. Louis Cathedral, Pere Antoine's Alley, and the exteriors of Sultan's Palace and Marie Laveau's former home on St. Ann Street are all free to see on a self-guided walk. Haunted bars and restaurants like the Old Absinthe House, Napoleon House, and Muriel's cost only what you order.
Which haunted places in New Orleans can you go inside?
Most of them. The Hotel Monteleone, Andrew Jackson Hotel, and Bourbon Orleans are operating hotels, and the Old Absinthe House, Napoleon House, Muriel's, and Antoine's are all open to the public. The Hermann-Grima House and Old Ursuline Convent operate as museums with set hours. Sultan's Palace and the Marie Laveau site are private and can only be viewed from the street.
Which New Orleans hotels are haunted?
The Hotel Monteleone, the Andrew Jackson Hotel, and the Bourbon Orleans Hotel are the three best-known haunted hotels in the French Quarter. All three are operating hotels that welcome guests who want the story along with the stay. See the full list on our haunted hotels guide.
Yes. All 16 sites on this list sit within the French Quarter, a roughly one-mile-square neighborhood, which makes a self-guided haunted walk easy to cover in an afternoon or evening without a car.
When is the best time to visit haunted New Orleans?
October is the peak season, when Halloween events and the Krewe of Boo parade fill the calendar, though the crowds are heaviest then too. For the sites themselves, early evening offers the best atmosphere and the fewest people. The haunted bars, restaurants, and hotels are open year-round.
Some are. Several operators run kid-friendly tours that trade gore for history and folklore, while others are 21-and-over and include bar stops. Check the age guidance on each tour before booking, since the subject matter varies sharply between them. For kid-friendly ghost tours, check out French Quartour Kids.
