New Orleans French Quarter: Adults-Only Uncensored Ghost & Voodoo Tour

Summary

French Quarter ghost stories voodoo legends bar break & haunted streets

You’ll wander New Orleans’ French Quarter after dark with a small group and a local guide who doesn’t hold back on the city’s wildest ghost tales and voodoo legends. Expect gritty history outside infamous spots like Lalaurie Mansion, an adults-only vibe (with bar stop!), plus real guest-taken ghost photos that might make your skin crawl.

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to start the night with a joke about casket girls and end up squinting at someone’s blurry ghost photo outside the Lalaurie Mansion, but that’s New Orleans for you. Our guide, Marcus (he wore this faded Saints cap and had that raspy local laugh), met us near Jackson Square just as the streetlights flickered on. The air was thick — not hot, exactly, just heavy, like it was holding its breath. Someone in our group tried to pronounce “Vieux Carré” and got a few polite giggles from a couple walking past with plastic cups of something neon. I liked that nobody pretended this city was tidy or predictable.

We wound through the French Quarter, stopping at places I’d only seen in tourist books — Pirates Alley, Muriel’s (smelled faintly like old wood and fried shrimp), those voodoo shops with candles burning even though it wasn’t dark yet. Marcus told us about Marie Laveau and real vampires (not the sparkly kind), and he didn’t sugarcoat anything. At one point he paused in front of Ursuline Convent and said, “If you feel cold here, don’t blame me.” I swear I felt something brush my arm — probably just the breeze off the river, but still. We weren’t allowed inside any of these old buildings (makes sense; they’re people’s homes), but honestly, standing outside in that sticky dusk felt right for ghost stories.

The bar stop was more relief than spectacle — my shirt stuck to my back by then. Some folks grabbed hurricanes; I went for a cheap beer. There was this moment where Marcus pulled out his phone and showed us guest photos of what looked like faces in windows or weird streaks of light. Maybe it’s all tricks of shadow and suggestion, but after hearing about murder at Lalaurie Mansion or witchcraft rituals around Hands of Fate, you start to wonder what’s hiding in plain sight here. Li from our group tried to say “gris-gris” in her best attempt at French-Creole and we all cracked up — even Marcus lost it for a second.

I left feeling like I’d seen another side of New Orleans — not just spooky stories for tourists but something rawer, more tangled up with real people who live here. It rained for five minutes near the end; nobody cared much. My shoes are still drying out on the hotel heater as I write this, thinking about how sometimes you need a little darkness to see what makes a place glow.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — French Quarter haunted walking tour

• Walk through French Quarter streets
• Stop at Hands of Fate church
• Visit Voodoo shops
• See Muriel's Restaurant and Jackson Square
• Hear stories at Pirates Alley
• Learn history at Ursuline Convent
• Visit haunted hotels
• Stop at Lalaurie Mansion
• Take bar break for drinks

Top questions

Is this New Orleans ghost tour really adults-only?

Yes, this is strictly an adults-only tour unless you book privately.

Does the tour go inside haunted buildings?

No, all stops are outside since these are privately owned homes or businesses.

How long does the French Quarter ghost tour last?

The tour lasts about two hours as you walk through key sites in the French Quarter.

Are drinks included on this tour?

No drinks are included but there is a scheduled bar stop where you can buy your own drink.

Is there hotel pickup for this tour?

No hotel pickup is included; you meet your guide near Jackson Square.

Can I bring my pet on this walking tour?

No pets are allowed except trained service animals due to allergies among guests.

Will we see real photos of ghosts during the tour?

Yes, your guide will share guest-taken photos from previous tours that aren’t shown elsewhere.

Is the walking route wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the route is wheelchair accessible throughout the French Quarter streets.

What’s included

Your evening includes two hours wandering through New Orleans’ French Quarter with a small group led by a local guide who shares uncensored tales of ghosts, vampires, voodoo legends and infamous events—plus there’s time for a bar break along the way and you’ll get to see actual guest-captured ghost photos before heading back into the night.