A spooky guide to New Orleans covering all things haunted, gothic, obscure, and quirky, including the museum of death, the AHS Coven house, haunted places to stay, the most historic cemetery in Louisiana, the location of Anne Riceโs previous homes, and so much more.
Hi! (If youโre new here, Iโm Taylor, just your average blonde who likes spooky things).
New Orleans has been on my bucket list for the LONGEST time, so you already know it was an automatic YES when my friends said they were going and asked if I wanted to join. I literally booked the flight and hotel within an hour of getting the text. SO EXCITING, but hereโs the kicker: the trip was the week of Mardi Gras, and it was only a month away. Iโm โtype Aโ af when it comes to vacations, so my travel anxiety was kicked into high gear.
With only a couple weeks to plan, I had to crunch down and do my homework so I could have the perfect itinerary. After hours of researching and visiting website after website, I ended up having a โto doโ list longer than a Led Zeppelin song. Since we had limited time and a huge list, I asked a couple locals to help me narrow it down to only the โbest of the bestโ (all opinions, of course).
Long story short, we ended up going to New Orleans for six days during the hustle and bustle of Mardi Gras Week 2022. Even with all the hecticness, I still had the most amazing time, and I cannot wait to go back!! To save you the hassle that I went through, I decided to create a list of my favorite things that we did while we were there. I also included some things that we didnโt get to do but are on our list for next time! Anyway, letโs get to it.
Hotels
Letโs start with places to stay. I personally prefer historic inns or bed and breakfasts over large chain hotels. To me, where I sleep is a huge part of the overall “experience,” so I like staying at places that have that special charm and a cozy/homey feel. We ended up splitting our trip between two different airbnbs, the Fleur de Lis Mansion and Persimmon Hall.
Fleur De Lis Mansion
1216 Annunciation St, New Orleans, LA
Our first stay was in the “Red Room” at the Fleur De Lis Mansion, a charming bed and breakfast located only 8 blocks from the French Quarter. The mansion was built in 1824 on the grounds seized from a plantation in 1763. Rumor has it that the mansion served as a brothel in the early 1900s (no written proof, though). In 1919, the mansion was purchased by a couple, who turned it into a multifamily home until the loss of their son in 1985. The mansion then became “vacant” for the next 25 years, occasionally serving as a place of refuge for the homeless population looking for a warm place to stay. In 2010, the mansion was purchased by its current owners, who have since turned it into the incredible bed and breakfast that it is today.
If youโre into ghost stories, there is also a history of hauntings and reports of paranormal experiences on the grounds. (Especially in the red room, where a spirit apparently likes to prank both staff and guests by moving items around.)
Our stay at the Fleur de Lis was great, and I definitely recommend anyone to stay in the โRed Room!โ We were in close proximity to the Garden District and Magazine Street, but we did end up using Uber to get into the FQ as it was a quicker and safer option.
Persimmon Hall
In the Irish Channel, New Orleans, LA
Our second stay was at Persimmon Hall, a bracketed Victorian home built in the 1880s.
This place was the perfect getaway! It was so spacious, clean, and beautifully decorated. Itโs within walking distance of the Garden District and Magazine Street, an area great for shopping, eating, and exploring the areaโs amazing architecture. However, I wouldnโt say itโs within walking distance of the French Quarter (roughly a 15-minute drive or so).
In an attempt to make things easier for you, Iโm going to organize my favorites first by their location and then by their “activity type.” The two regions Iโm going to focus on are the French Quarter and the Garden District, as these are the areas I spent the majority of my time in.
~The French Quarter~
Food
The Court of Two Sisters Jazz Brunch
613 Royal St, New Orleans, LA
Ok, so Iโll admit, this place is pricy. I think we paid $90 or so for breakfast for 2 people after the tip (we only had coffee for drinks). However, it is so worth it, especially if you can eat a good amount. The restaurant serves “brunch” foods buffet style, with a live jazz band playing right there. (Itโs also where characters in Anne Riceโs The Witching Hour ate.) Other than the typical eggs, bacon, and hash browns, it also has all of the New Orleans “staples” you can think of: jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish, turtle soup, grits, king cake, bananaโs fosters, etc. You need to try the garlic mashed potatoes, glazed sweet potatoes, jambalaya, and rice and red beans. Thank me later.
Mona Lisa Restaurant
1212 Royal St, New Orleans, LA
Bomb-ass Italian restaurant with a funky interior; the walls are covered with Mona Lisa portraits of all different mediums and styles. Tapenade, stuffed shells, pizza, and linguini with clams You’ve got to go!
Murielโs Jackson Square
801 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA
Okay, so this place was probably the highlight of my trip. Between the food, the aesthetic, the staffing, and the overall experience, this restaurant is a must-do.
Letโs start with the experience. Murielโs has a long history, dating all the way back to 1718. However, for my more morbid friends, Murielโs also has a dark, twisted history, including a fire that essentially burned down the entire building as well as a suicide that took place on the second floor. Murielโs has quickly become a hotspot for paranormal investigations, especially their upstairs lounge, known as โThe Sรฉance Room,โ which is located on the *ding ding ding* second floor.
The ghost of Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan is said to roam around the building and tends to linger around the seance lounge where he tragically died. Every single night, restaurant staff set a dinner table for him, even pouring him a glass of red wine to enjoy. This seemingly empty table has been dubbed “the ghost table.”
Now this is where it gets fun: for an additional $50, you can reserve the ghost table for a dinner party with up to four guests. The table is separated from the rest of the restaurant by a heavy, private door that appears to be for employees only. Once youโre let through the doorway, you are greeted by dim lighting and the echoes of a Gregorian chant. Alone at the bottom of the stairs sits the ghost table, just waiting for you to join.
Vampire Cafรฉ
801 Royal St, New Orleans, LA
Okay, so Iโll be completely honest; I wasnโt super impressed with my meal, but this cafe is worth checking out for the hype and aesthetic lol. The fried deviled eggs were good! (But I donโt eat fish, so I got them without the salmon or caviar.) Their drinks are probably the coolest thing there! Theyโre all named after different blood types (A+, O-, AB+, etc.), and they even have cocktails that come in an actual blood bag!
(The vampire cafe also owns a speakeasy called Potions)
Things to Do/Visit
The Sรฉance Lounge
801 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA
An aesthetic DREAM. Make sure you stop by after eating at Murielโs. Bring a cocktail and just lounge with the ghostsโa spirit with the spirits, if you will.
The Museum of Death
227 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA
Need I say more? Anyway, admission is $17 per person. Plan on staying at least an hour and doing lots of reading. And just a heads up: no photos allowed.
The LaLaurie Mansion
1138 Royal St, New Orleans, LA
Oof. This place is dark and said to be the most haunted spot in all of New Orleans. This is where Madame Delphine LaLaurie, a notorious slave owner, lived. She is infamously known for the torture and inhumane treatment she inflicted upon her slaves. In 1834, there was a fire in the mansion, where authorities found the cook chained to the oven and seven slaves bound and locked in the attic, who all had atrocious mutilations and signs of prolonged abuse. Funeral registries show that 12 deaths of enslaved people occurred at the LaLaurie mansion, although no cause of death is mentioned. One of her victims, an 8-year-old girl, fell to her death while trying to escape LaLaurie, who was chasing her with a whip. So many more monstrosities occurred in this place. It is said to now be haunted by dark entities thought to be enraged slaves searching for vengeance. I donโt blame them.
St. Louis Cathedral
Hottest Hellโs โWalking the Devilโs Empireโ Tour
I recommend doing a dark history tour with the hottest hell tours. They walk around the FQ and share lots of dark secrets, true crimes, voodoo tales, etc. PS: Adults only! The tour meets in Louis Armstrong Park.
Shops
Unique NOLA
815 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA
Unique Nola is a tour company; however, they have a growing oddity selection in their tour shop! Iโm excited to see them continue to expand!
Marie Laveauโs House of Voodoo
628 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA
No photos are allowed inside the shop; however, make sure when you visit that you look up at the ceiling!
Dark Matter Oddities & Artisan Collective
822 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA
Getchya oddities here! Coffin shelves, books, skulls, wet specimens, memento mori, candles, and more.
Boutique du Vampyre
709 St Ann St, New Orleans, LA
Spooky little vampire shop selling books, fangs, pins, candles, voodoo dolls, journals, and other curiosities.
Esoterica
541 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA
Occult goods and witchcraft supplies. Weird vibe in there but check it out.
Omen and Hex
Omen: 1205 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA
Hex: 1219 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA
(Two different stores, but they’re near each other.) If youโre into metaphysical stuff, these stores are great. Occult books, tarot cards, crystals, incense, spell kits, and other divination tools. Both shops also have a second location in Salem, MA.
Roadkill
903 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA
Another shop that doesnโt allow photos, but they sell eccentric, quirky clothing with a gothic touch, Dr. Martens, Demonia Shoes, Corsets, Stage Wear, and more.
Cemeteries
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
425 Basin St, New Orleans, LA
St. Louis No. 1 is only accessible via guided tours. Famous graves include Voodoo Queen Marie Laveauโs, Homer Plessyโs (Plessy vs. Ferguson), and Nicholas Cageโs future tomb, yes, future tomb.
Canal Street Cemeteries
If you have time, take a streetcar from the French Quarter to the end of Canal Street, where there is a cluster of cemeteries. The street car has multiple pick-up locations along the middle of Canal Street; just look for the covered benches or bus stop shelters. The cost is $1.25 (youโll need exact change).
The cemeteries back there include the Metairie (which is listed in Loren Rhoadโs book, 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die), Greenwood, St. Patrick No. 1, 2, & 3, Gates of Prayer, St. John, the Hurricane Katrina Memorial, Cypress Grove, Odd Fellows, Holt, Masonic, and St. Louis No. 3 (although this one is a little further east).
Bars
The Carousel Bar and Lounge
214 Royal St, New Orleans, LA
A rotating bar that is literally an old carousel, located inside the Monteleone Hotel. ๐
Bourbon Street
One word: ratchet ๐คข (it’s worth going for 5 minutes to see what itโs all about, but watch your purse, wallet, and pockets, follow the buddy system, and wash your shoes when you get home). Itโs a lot better during the day, though.
Things I didnโt get to do
Bottom of the tea cup: A cool spot to have your fortune read
The goat and the dungeon: Goth nightclubs/bars
Napoleon House: Po boys and muffuletta.
Pharmacy Museum: Museum about early medicines, including nontraditional ones. Still looks how it did in the 1800โs.
Potions: A speakeasy owned by the vampire cafe, located above fritzels jazz club. You just need to tell the bartender (a vampire sent me, or absinthe upstairs?) and theyโll let you in. Thereโs a $10 cover.
WW2 Museum: EVERY single local recommended this place, however they also said you need at least 5 hours to spend in there and we just didnโt have that kind of time ๐ฆ
~The Garden District (& surrounding areas lol)~
Anne Rice Houses
1239 First St (Anneโs home until 2004; also used in โThe Witching Hourโ)
Buckner Mansion AKA Miss Robicheaux’s Academy from โCoven,โ the 3rd season of American Horror Story
1410 Jackson Ave, New Orleans, LA
Magazine Street
Just take a stroll down Magazine Street; there are lots of restaurants, shops, art galleries, and coffee shops. My favorite shops were the antique mall, PJ’s coffee, Orleans Shoe Co., and Miette, which was suggested by Witchvoid. There was also a Free People store, which got me in trouble (definitely pricy but good quality).
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 & 2
1427 and 2110 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA
Lafayette No. 1 is where Interview with the Vampire was filmed, as well as the Originals. However, at the time of this blog post, it was temporarily closed due to vandalism. Check their website to see if theyโre open when you visit. Lafayette No. 2 was open and is absolutely stunning; it was my favorite cemetery that we visited.
St. Joseph Cemetery
(Technically in Central City, not the Garden District) 2220 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA
Anyway, thatโs all for now! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my guide! I hope you have an amazing trip to New Orleans! P.S. Make sure you get some beignets from Cafe du Monde. If you enjoyed this guide and like spooky things, make sure you subscribe down below for email updates.
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