The Secret Ghosts of New Orleans

Anyone who has visited New Orleans knows that we are a city full of ghosts.

Most days, it seems like you cannot walk a single block without seeing a poster or advertisement for a New Orleans Ghost Tour. And, if you take one of those ghost tours--hopefully ours!--you’ll hear the ghost stories about some of New Orleans' most famous ghosts and our haunted houses.

The LaLaurie Mansion, the Sultan’s Palace, and Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop are all famous haunts of New Orleans, and you’re sure to hear about them while on a tour. However, there are an untold number of ghost stories that you’ll never hear on a ghost tour.

One of the unique aspects of living in New Orleans, for someone who has a deep interest in ghosts and hauntings, is the willingness of people to share their ghost stories with you.

And, believe me, everyone in New Orleans has a ghost story.

Your bartender, waitress, the person cleaning your room at your hotel--they all have ghost stories, should you care to ask them about it. I guarantee it.

If you have enough courage, next time you go into a bar in the French Quarter, ask your bartender if they know if their bar is haunted. Fifty bucks they'll tell you all about the paranormal happenings in their bar at night.

Many Southern cities and the people who live in them tend to be a little more on the conservative side, not talking about or even admitting that they have had a run in with a ghost. Don’t expect that attitude in New Orleans. Everyone in the Cresent City loves their ghosts and are more than happy to talk about them.

My Ghosts

I am currently residing in the Marigny, a neighborhood just to the downriver side of the French Quarter. I can walk out of my door and be in the French Quarter in a matter of minutes. It is a great location to live when you own a company that does ghost tours in the French Quarter. It is also one of the most haunted places I have ever lived. On any given night, I might be awoken by something being thrown into my bed, I might run into one of the shadow people who roam my halls, or sometimes I even hear my name being whispered into my ear when nobody else is around.

The ghosts who live in my house are not terribly bothersome. Sometimes it is apparent that they are seeking my attention with their noises, phantom footsteps and by moving things around. Sometimes I may go a week or more without hearing from them. But they are always here, I have no doubt. While my house is on no ghost tour route, it easily could be. The stories I could tell from my own experiences, in this house, are enough to send chills down anybody’s spine. It would also be a great location for anyone wanting to do a ghost hunt. Trust me, I know.

There are thousands of other houses in New Orleans just like mine. Haunted, but hidden safe away from prying eyes. Unless you talked to the residents of the house, or the people who work at the business, you’d never know that the building you’re in, the house you’re driving by could be one of the most haunted buildings in New Orleans.