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Ghosts, Gods, & Gangsters of New Orleans

Spirit Empire Tours
5.0

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“★★★★★ I’ve taken quite a few walking tours in New Orleans and the several I’ve taken led by Edward Simon were hands down the most interesting, surprising, thoughtful, hilarious, deeply creepy, and absolute BEST. - Michael Cerveris, Star of 'Mindhunter' Wanna get weird? Walk with us, fam. Curated by parapsychologist Dr. Edward Simon, this adults-only walking tour time machine transports you back through the ill-fated settlement that famed occultist Aleister Crowley referred to as the “Quartier Macabre,” a city lost between life and God. One night, we’ll uncover Gallatin Street's scandalous past as a bustling red-light district, or we may find ourselves at the doorstep of the city’s first witch coven, whispering legends of magick rituals before getting stirred by vampire lore at the Old Ursuline Convent. Wherever the road travels, you’ll be led and engaged by a master storyteller tasked to make your stay in our city one you won’t soon forget. Book fast, or forever rue, boo.

Departure Point

  • We will begin our journey in the hidden recesses of Dutch Alley - a secluded, little-known promenade tucked off North Peters Street. Our guide will meet you there for check-in 30 minutes prior to your tour's departure.

Return Details
  • Our 5 PM tour will end on the steps of the Supreme Courthouse, just steps away from the raucous debauchery of Bourbon St..
  • Our 8 PM tour will end just outside the New Orleans Jazz Museum gates, steps away from the glowing nightlife of Frenchman Street.

Duration
1 hour and 45 minutes

Languages Available
  • Human tour guide - English

Points of Interest


Stop At: Old Ursuline Convent Museum
1100 Chartres Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
Our ghost tour pauses outside the gates of the Old Ursuline Convent, which has stood here since the early days of our city’s founding. Your guide recounts the legend of the casket girls - young women who traveled here long ago with peculiar chests in tow. According to lore, these cases contained unholy stowaways that still haunt the convent and streets nearby as vampiric beings to this day. As you gaze up at the decaying walls, you might wonder if something cursed still lurks within... Did the casket girls truly first usher vampires into New Orleans? Stand here after dark to hear the story and decide. Before we depart the convent grounds, listen closely for whispers on the wind.
Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: BK Historic House and Gardens
1113 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70116
After leaving the convent, we approach a grand, white-columned mansion that once belonged to Civil War general P.T. Beauregard before housing bestselling author Frances Parkinson Keyes. But not all who traversed this historic home's ornate rooms and parlors met a refined high society end. Over a hundred years ago, this was the site of one of the city's most infamous mafia hits. Some believe unsettled spirits still dwell here, caught in a phantom feud that continuously replays itself. As night falls, you may glimpse shadows of the conflict in the windows or hear faint echoes of the assassination that violently ended the rule of a notorious gangster.
Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Lalaurie Mansion
1140 Royal St, , New Orleans, Louisiana
We pause outside the imposing facade of the stately Lalaurie residence, once occupied by the influential yet nefarious Madame Delphine Lalaurie, until a fateful day exposed her most insidious secrets. As we stand before the intricately wrought iron balcony, our guide recounts whispered tales of the ghastly revelations of diabolical experiments and unimaginable human suffering within these walls. Some say the anguished echoes can still be heard of those who perished by her philosophies. Others report sightings of the Madame herself, presiding still over her estate after death, denied her proper judgment for the reprehensible deeds committed on helpless souls. But we leave it to you to ponder... Do spirits still linger, or does public imagination haunt these grounds more fiercely than any wayward wraith could? What is evident is that this address continues to profoundly disturb anyone who learns of its history - now including those gathered among us on this tour.
Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: French Market
518 Saint Peter Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
We linger for a moment at the mouth of the unassuming street that now bears little trace of its debauched and deadly past. Your guide casts their lantern light towards what was once Gallatin Street - a seedy, riotous red light district that lured sailors and slummers to establishments promising every illicit desire in the late 1800s. Despite its allure, danger and predation lurked around every corner. Some tell tales of men lured by sirens into darkened dead ends, never seen again. Others whisper of malevolent gangsters hired by establishments that now mask their murderous history with respectable facades. But listen closely near the cracked sidewalks... Do you hear the distant echoes of raucous laughter turn suddenly to screams? Do wafts of lavender perfume mask the coppery scent of lives lost? We leave you to ponder if the spirits of Gallatin Street still lurk where their earthly vices laid them to rest too soon.
Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Jackson Square
751 Decatur St, , New Orleans, Louisiana
Before the sprawling green space of Jackson Square took shape, our guide tells us these very grounds bore witness to some of the city’s most shocking and gruesome public executions. Surrounded by armed guards, prisoners would meet their fate by hanging from a crude wooden structure or more barbaric means based on their alleged crimes. For some, the seconds dragged on in slow, suffocating horror witnessed by jeering crowds. Others faced swifter ends on the executioner’s block in view of the stone cathedral. Though carnival tunes float lightheartedly today, we pause to acknowledge the square’s darker times witnessing the end of convicted lives – no matter the reasons or rights. As we take our leave, glance back and ponder if unrest still stirs spirits to linger along these shadows where public punishments once summoned throngs as macabre entertainment. The grounds hold many secrets and seek souls underneath the serene green space of Jackson Square.
Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
514 Chartres St, , New Orleans, Louisiana
Our guide pauses along the route to indicate an unassuming building that now contains the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. But they share tales passed down through generations about this site’s shadowy role during the plague years. As infections raged unchecked, rumors persisted of the building secretly housing fringe doctors conducting lethal human experiments to identify vaccines via questionable means. Details remain lacking and facts elusive of who or how many may have suffered within these walls in the name of battling our city’s waves of epidemic onslaughts. Yet eerie stories endure of lost souls seen in the windows, nameless victims stolen away never to return home when promising remedy at an unfathomable moral cost. Disturbing rumors alone leave a lingering vileness around our quiet pharmacy museum that not even formal dedications to medical ingenuity can rinse out.
Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Omni Royal Orleans
621 Saint Louis Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
We linger outside the stately Omni Royal Hotel, whose polished veneer masks a history of misfortune and sorrow. From fiery disasters to mafia underworld dealings, shadows seem to loom within even its brightest facades. Most chilling is the recent suicide plunge from the high roof amid speculation of deeper anguish, revealing one of the most shocking murders our city has ever seen. Today, travelers mingle cheerfully through the lobby, unaware of the heartbreak these walls quietly enshroud. Your guide may share their own disquieting experiences from nights spent wandering these haunting halls. But we invite you to draw your own conclusions about what pain lingers unfinished and what darker magnet seems to draw occasional chaos into an otherwise refined space. Not all is as bright and welcoming as it may first appear at this storied hotel.
Duration: 10 minutes

Additional Information

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Adults only - 17+
  • Please arrive 30 minutes prior for check-in. Tours depart at their scheduled times.
  • Please plan in advance for Ubers, taxis, Lyfts, and travel mishaps. We cannot accommodate late arrivals
Inclusions
  • A licensed and certified walking tour guide

Exclusions
  • We do not go inside of private buildings

Voucher Info
Mobile or paper ticket accepted

The tour identified in this promotion is made available through Viator. Groupon is not affiliated with or sponsored by the Spirit Empire Tours in connection with this deal. Please contact Groupon customer service for all inquiries related to this offer. Inquiries placed to Viator will be directed back to Groupon.

This offer is not eligible for promo codes.

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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

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