New Orleans Witches Coven Walking Tour: Witchcraft History

Real witches of the Garden District, told by their descendants

The Witches Coven Walking Tour traces ancestral witchcraft through New Orleans' Garden District, where you walk past the grand homes and burial grounds of real practitioners who shaped the city's oldest Uptown families. A licensed guide descended from hundreds of years of New Orleanians leads the two-hour route through Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and the neighborhood's opulent architecture, separating documented craft history from the fictional accounts that dominate the city's supernatural reputation. The tour runs rain or shine and suits all fitness levels, though uneven terrain makes it unsuitable for those with mobility concerns.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Garden District30m
2. Lafayette Cemetery No. 115m

Explore New Orleans Garden District

• Walk through Garden District mansions
• Visit American Horror Story Coven house
• Explore Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
• See former Anne Rice home
• Stop at nearby shopping center

The experience

The Garden District holds the mansions of New Orleans' elite, but this tour reveals what most visitors miss: the homes and burial grounds of the city's ancestral witches. You'll walk past the grand architecture while your guide (a descendant of hundreds of years of New Orleanians) shares the real stories of practitioners who healed, cast, and shaped lives within these families. The route passes the 18,000-square-foot home known from American Horror Story: Coven, but the guide explains the actual craft history inside, not the fictional version.

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 anchors the second half of the walk. Here you'll learn about the funeral and burial procedures of New Orleans witches and hear personal stories of the guide's own relatives entombed there. The cemetery holds the physical record of ancestral practice in the city, and the guide connects the graves to the families and homes you've already seen in the District. A nearby shopping center marks a place where witches and their families felt protected for nearly a century, grounding the tour's narrative in the geography itself.

The two-hour walk covers the neighborhood's architecture, the practices and castings that shaped New Orleans' oldest families, and the boundary between documented history and the supernatural legends the city is famous for. Rain doesn't stop the tour, and the route works for most fitness levels. Just expect uneven terrain underfoot.

What’s included

• History of New Orleans Uptown witchcraft and the practices of ancestral practitioners.
• a professional licensed guide descended from the families discussed.
• insights into the castings and healing work that shaped the city's oldest families.
• architecture of the Garden District mansions.
• access to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and the burial grounds of real witches.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:30 and 13:00

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (6 and older) · Infant (under 6)

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by DuPont and Company

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English and is a descendant of the witches and families whose stories shape the tour, so the commentary flows from lived family history rather than research alone. This works best for travelers who want the real accounts behind New Orleans' supernatural reputation, not the fictional versions.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 6).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the real history of witchcraft in New Orleans' Garden District?

The Garden District was home to ancestral witches among the city's oldest Uptown families who practiced healing and casting within these elite households. Unlike the fictional Mayfair Witches from books and TV, the tour focuses on documented practitioners whose descendants still live in the city and whose graves are in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.

Who leads the Witches Coven Walking Tour?

A professional licensed guide descended from hundreds of years of New Orleanians leads the tour in English. Because the guide is a descendant of the families and practitioners discussed, the commentary draws on personal family history alongside the neighborhood's documented craft heritage.

What happens at Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 during the tour?

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is where many of the real witches of New Orleans are entombed. The guide shares the funeral and burial procedures of ancestral practitioners and tells personal stories about their own relatives buried there, connecting the graves to the families and homes you've seen in the District.

How long does the Witches Coven Walking Tour take?

The tour runs for two hours and covers the Garden District's mansions, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and the sites connected to ancestral witchcraft practice in the neighborhood.

Is the Garden District walking tour suitable for people with mobility challenges?

The tour suits all fitness levels, but uneven terrain throughout the neighborhood makes it not recommended for those with mobility impairments. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and service animals are allowed.