Ghost stories in New Orleans: Haunted houses, bars, cemeteries, and more

Perhaps the most infamous haunted house in New Orleans, this elegant French Quarter mansion hides a gruesome past. Madame Delphine LaLaurie, a wealthy socialite, was discovered to have tortured enslaved people in her attic before fleeing the city in 1834.

Locals and visitors have since reported eerie screams, shadowy figures, and cold spots near the mansion’s windows, said to be the restless spirits of her victims.

This beautiful red-brick residence on Royal Street was once the scene of a horrifying massacre. In the 1800s, a mysterious “Sultan” supposedly lived here, hosting wild parties until one night, the entire household was found slaughtered, and the Sultan was buried alive in the courtyard.

Guests still claim to hear faint music and footsteps echoing from inside the locked building.

Home to the tomb of Marie Laveau, the legendary Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, this historic cemetery is steeped in supernatural tales.

Visitors claim to see Marie’s apparition in her signature turban, especially near her tomb, often accompanied by the scent of incense or whispers in Creole. Many leave offerings in hopes of earning her favor or avoiding her wrath.

Built on the site of a boys’ boarding school that burned down in the 1700s, this Royal Street inn is said to host the spirits of young boys who perished in the fire.

Guests have claimed to hear laughter, running footsteps, and even found their belongings mysteriously moved, playful pranks from the afterlife.

This elegant restaurant was once the home of Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, who tragically took his own life after losing his home in a poker game.

Today, staff set a table for him daily in the séance lounge, where glasses clink on their own and shadows dance on the walls, a respectful gesture to keep their eternal guest content.

Legend has it that when the French nuns arrived, they brought with them a group of young women known as the Casket Girls. Locals soon whispered that the locked chests they carried didn’t contain clothes, but vampires.

To this day, people claim the convent’s third-floor shutters remain sealed to keep something, or someone, inside.