Haunted Spots for Every New Orleanian

It’s finally October, and we’ve been waiting all year for long dark nights, a bone chilling breeze, and ghoulish happenings. New Orleans is traditionally spiritual for the other 11 months of the year (just ask our friend and local New Orleans psychic Fatima), so you can understand why Halloween season is exceptionally exciting for local thrill-seekers. From old creaky mansions to monstrous special effects, if scaring the pants off of yourself sounds like your definition of fun, then see our list below to start planning the eeriest month of your life!

For the Haunted Historian

LaLaurie
Nick Cage isn’t  this mansion’s creepiest resident.

This town is one of the oldest in the country, and let’s face it: sometimes it can be flat out creepy. The low hanging Spanish moss, lack of functional streetlights, and old looming mansions make New Orleans the perfect backdrop for a thriller film. The age of the houses makes them beautiful by daylight, but come nightfall they begin to take on an alternate personality. The creaks, dark corners, and secret attics certainly add a little mystery to the mix.

Some mansions are spookier than others, and there are quite a few that claim to be haunted. The LaLaurie Mansion at 1140 Royal St. has a particularly gruesome past. Believe it or not, this mansion has had a stranger owner than Nick Cage…

Madame Delphine LaLaurie was a particularly brutal woman who took pleasure in horribly torturing and dismembering the house slaves. Although she has long since disappeared, Delphine is infamous for once chasing a young slave off of the rooftop and then placing her body in a large pit under the house. Rumor has it that the burtal owner’s ghost and that of many lost slaves still haunt the rooftop and hallways of the home, and French Quarter manderers can often hear the screams of the unfortunate victims. While the skeletons in the closet are long gone, the souls of the undead continue to creep out visitors from all over the world.

Looking for more haunted history? Try The Myrtles or St. Louis Cemetery.

Over the Top Gore

house shock 2
Blood, guts, and scary stuff.

Sometimes being scared to the max can be totally fun. A few haunted houses in Nola offer that fake blood, surprise attack, B-movie quality frightfest that you’re looking for. But House of Shock has become a Halloween institution over the years, and this year will actually be their last in operation. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about this place, like that it’s so petrifying that they’ll actually refund your admission if you make it through the entire attraction, or that they throw live roaches on guests. I’m not brave enough to debunk these claims myself, but I have heard that House of Shock is an all around horrific experience.

The most unique element of the experience is that it’s a freak festival from the beginning. There’s hard core music and performances to get you in the mood, and if you’re still not feeling it, the open bar should help. However, you very well may be peeing your pants once you get inside, so take it easy on the pre-game. If you like to scream at the top of your lungs and have nightmares from now until Halloween, the House of Shock is definitely the place for you. Spend a little more on the VIP ticket so that you can skip the line. Afterall, you can’t take it to the grave!

Are you a gore chaser? Visit The Mortuary to combine your knack for blood, guts, and history.

Moonlight Paddle
What will you find under the moonlight?

Natural Mysteries

How about something a little less petrifying and a little more mysterious? Canoe & Trail Adventures offers monthly Moonlight Paddles on Louisiana’s spookiest waterways. It’s an interesting way to soak up some of the natural spookiness that the region has to offer. The next Moonlight Paddles are Saturday October 4th and Saturday November 1st. If you can’t catch this week’s ride, book now for some Day of the Dead fun. While there have been no accounts of Big Foot or the Blair Witch, paddlers can often see gators, spiders, and snakes. But it’s what you don’t see that’s the most frightening, right Rougarou?

Looking for more outdoorsy Halloween haunts? See the Corn Maze at Cajun Country Corn or a nearby Pumpkin Patch

About Lauren

Lauren is an uptown girl that enjoys long strolls in Audubon Park with her lab mix Pongo. Her philosophy on Nola life is that you don't ever really get used to the heat, you just get used to glistening.

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