Haunted hotels
Hotel Monteleone isn’t the only eerie hotel in New Orleans.
Ghosts of children, nuns, a confederate soldier and a lonely dancer have been spotted at Bourbon Orleans Hotel (717 Orleans St.), the site of a former convent.
Le Pavilion (833 Poydras St.) is home to the spirits of a couple, a little girl called Adda or Eva or Ava, a barefoot prankster, and an old woman who likes sitting on people’s beds as they sleep.
Dauphine Orleans (415 Dauphine St.) has a haunted bar and courtyard; watch out for the crying baby and the little girl who appears in a mirror in room 21 at Lafitte Guest House (1003 Bourbon St.).
Guests still see soldiers in agony and pools of blood at Building #5 of Hotel Provincial (1024 Chartres St.), which was once a military hospital.
City of cemeteries
It sounds strange, but New Orleans’ cemeteries, referred to as “Cities of the Dead,” are a tourist attraction, with companies offering guided tours around the most popular ones. They bury their dead above the ground because of the city’s high water table—their way to avoid having coffins resurface.
We visited Saint Louis No. 1 (501 Basin St.), New Orleans’ oldest and most famous cemetery (it opened in 1789). It’s a maze of tombs and crypts, some better maintained than others. We spotted Nicolas Cage’s future pyramid-shape resting place.
But most interesting was the grave that is believed to be Marie Laveau’s, which some tour guides claim is the second most visited grave site in the US (Elvis Presley’s grave is No. 1).
She’s considered by many to be New Orleans’ voodoo queen, so Laveau’s tomb has been vandalized by believers who think she would grant their wishes if they scrawl three “X’s” and—depending on which ritual they believe—knock three times, turn three times, rub their foot, throw coins or leave behind an offering.
We saw a variety of gifts when we went: Mardi Gras beads, candies, cigarettes, lip balms, neckties, coins, flowers, pictures, guitar picks, a page from one of the “Twilight” novels (strangely, one that includes a scene where Charlie tries to have sex talk with Bella). More than one tomb at Saint Louis No. 1 has been covered with “X’s” and plied with offerings—the result of people being unsure about where exactly the voodoo queen was buried.
Vampires and Anne Rice
If you’re an Anne Rice fan, you already feel a connection to New Orleans. Experience the city Anne Rice-style by checking out Gallier House (1132 Royal St.), a museum that supposedly inspired the Rue Royal home of vampires Lestat and Louis, walking along Royal Street (parts of “Interview with the Vampire” were filmed here), eating at Café Du Monde (800 Decatur St.), Court of Two Sisters (613 Royal St.), Galatories (209 Bourbon St.), Commander’s Palace (1403 Washington Ave.) where Anne’s characters have also dined.
Visit Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and Saint Louis No. 1, which are both featured in her books (it always goes back to the cemeteries).
You can also take pictures of her former mansion. You can find it at 3711 Saint Charles Ave. (She also lived at 2524 Saint Charles Ave. as a teenager.)
‘The Originals’
If your taste in vampires is a little newer and you’re a fan of the series “The Originals,” you might recognize some New Orleans locations in the show. They’ve shot around the French Quarter, Bourbon Street and Lafayette Cemetery.
More creepy tours
There are a number of haunted tours offered around New Orleans. There’s one run by The Voodoo Bone Lady, a psychic and voodoo priestess who promises to take you through its ghastly history with her five-in-one haunted tour that includes voodoo, vampires, ghosts, witches and pirates (www.voodooboneladytours.com).
Haunted History tours offer a number of experiences to appeal to different paranormal interests: French Quarter Ghosts & Legends Tour that includes stops at La Laurie Mansion (1140 Royal St.), where Madame Laurie once tortured her slaves, and other haunted sites; French Quarter Vampire Tour which will take you to a vampire tavern; Cemetery History Tour and New Orleans Voodoo Tour (www.hauntedhistorytours.
com).
New Orleans Ghost Tour (www.neworleansghosttour.com) urges tourists to bring a camera because, they say, “90 percent of our tour participants capture paranormal activity in their photos!”
Paranormal shopping
If you want some creepy souvenirs to bring home, stop by Voodoo Spiritual Temple (828 N Rampart St.), Zombie’s House of Voodoo (725 St. Peter St.) or Boutique Du Vampyre (712 Orleans Ave). As our guide Henry said, “Don’t forget to buy your voodoo dolls. You will need more than one. They come in packs.”
