Ranked List
Haunted New Orleans: 9 places that earn the goosebumps
Start with the dead: Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 and Marie Laveau's tomb, then dinner at Muriel's, where the resident ghost has his own table. That is the spine of a haunted New Orleans day, and the rest of this list fills the hours around it. We rank nine places we've actually written up, from consecrated ground to a drowned theme park.
Last reviewed
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The oldest city of the dead, above ground because the water table insists. Two centuries of burials in one block, and you can only enter with a licensed guide, which somehow makes it spookier.
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The most famous Voodoo priestess in American history, still receiving visitors. People leave offerings at the tomb; the cemetery would prefer they didn't, which tells you the pilgrimage is real.
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A restaurant that sets a permanent table for its resident ghost, bread and wine included. Ask to see the séance room upstairs before your entrée.
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Part museum, part working altar, all Marie Laveau II. The line between exhibit and practice is thinner here than anywhere else in the Quarter.
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Two dense rooms of occult artifacts where West African tradition meets Catholic iconography. Small, dim, and better for it.
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Serial killer artifacts and graphic medical displays, no soft edges. Not haunted so much as haunting. Know your own limits before you buy the ticket.
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The tavern where a pirate and a future president allegedly plotted the defense of the city. Two centuries of absinthe and secrets soaked into the beams.
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A theme park Katrina drowned and nobody revived. Rusted coasters over still water, the closest thing America has to a modern ruin.
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The slowly rotating bar inside the Hotel Monteleone, one of the city's most storied haunted hotels. Order a Vieux Carré and let the room do the moving.
Know before you go
Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 admits visitors only with a licensed tour guide, so book one; the tomb of Marie Laveau is inside the same walls, one ticket covers both. Muriel’s takes reservations and the séance room is upstairs, ask your server. The Museum of Death is graphic and means it; skip it if you’re unsure. Jazzland is fenced private property, so see it from Interstate 10 rather than a trespassing citation.
Common questions
What is the most haunted place in New Orleans?
By reputation, the cemeteries. Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the oldest and the one we rank first, with Marie Laveau's tomb inside it doing most of the haunting.
Can you visit Marie Laveau’s tomb?
Yes, but only on a licensed guided tour of Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1. The cemetery closed to unescorted visitors after years of vandalism.
How many of these can you do in one day?
Four, comfortably: the cemetery tour in the morning, the Voodoo Museum and House of Voodoo in the afternoon, dinner at Muriel’s. The Carousel Bar is the nightcap.
Is the Museum of Death actually scary?
It’s not a haunted house, it’s worse: real artifacts, no jump scares, no comic relief. People do walk out early. That’s not marketing, it’s a warning.