New Orleans has more ghost walks than any other American city, and its haunted places earn the traffic: the Old Absinthe House, drinking haunt of the pirate Jean Lafitte since 1806; the Ursuline Convent, oldest building in the city and home of the Casket Girls legend; and a French Quarter so dense with haunted bars and hotels that no single list holds them. Here are the places that anchor the city's ghost stories, and how to drink, walk, and sleep among them.
Haunted Places in New Orleans
Old Absinthe House: A favorite haunt of the outlaw pirate Jean Lafitte, this iconic white building dates back to 1806. It was built by a couple from Barcelona to house their import company, but by 1815 the ground floor was converted to a saloon. “The Absinthe Room” was born when mixologist Cayetano Ferrer created the Absinthe House Frappe in 1874. Many of the celebrities who frequented this bar on Bourban Street drop in, including President Andrew Jackson, Mark Twain, Frank Sinatra and Jean Lafite himself. Ursuline Convent: Finished in 1751, the Ursuline Convent is actually a series of buildings built at the request of Govenor Perier for the Ursuline nuns. Influenced by French neoclassical architecture, the austere convents were used as hospitals, schools, dormatories and an orphanage. Not only is the structure the oldest standing in New Orleans, the convents were home to the mysterious Casket Girls of 1728. These young women spawned tales both romantic and terrifying of vampire magic, and they haunt the convent to this day.
French Quarters Ghosts: This historic slice of riverfront New Orleans is so full of haunted hotels and bars that it's impossible to detail them in a paragraph. Fortunately, the French Quarters also hosts plenty of ghostwalks and tours, so you can pick three or four that suit your interests. You’ll want to stop in at The Morgue, known today as Flanagan’s Pub, to sip a drink with spirits of the deceased once stored in its rooms. The Mahogany Jazz Hall is haunted by those who suffered mysterious deaths when the building was a boarding house. Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shoppe is a great place to have a drink and people watch, and you may just see an apparition of the outlaw pirate himself. You can walk the streets yourself or book one of the many spooktacular tours. Bloody Mary’s Haunted Museum: This 200-year old haunted house has it all. Owned by Voodoo Queen Bloody Mary, this two-story house is both a museum of the paranormal and showcase of the macabre. A Victorian seance parlor located downstairs is still used by mediums at night and ghost hunts are conducted regularly in the house. People say the upstairs is the creepiest with one room devoted to dolls and another with the furnishings from a real murder house.
Questions people ask
What is the oldest haunted site in New Orleans?
The Ursuline Convent, finished in 1751 and the oldest standing structure in the city. It served as hospital, school, and orphanage, and it carries the legend of the Casket Girls of 1728, young women whose story spawned tales of vampires that persist today.
Which French Quarter bars are haunted?
The Old Absinthe House, where Jean Lafitte, Mark Twain, and Frank Sinatra all drank and some are said to linger; Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, where the pirate's apparition is reported; and Flanagan's Pub, which once served as a morgue.
What is Bloody Mary's Haunted Museum?
A roughly 200-year-old house owned by voodoo queen Bloody Mary, part paranormal museum and part showcase of the macabre. A Victorian seance parlor downstairs is still used by mediums at night, and ghost hunts run in the house regularly.
