Ghost and Cemetery Tour

The "official" tomb of Marie Laveau, the high priestess of Voodoo. Notice the gifts left for her in front and the many triple Xs that have been written on the tomb by her followers after she has fulfilled a request they have asked of her.

The tomb at the back of the same cemetery where many of Laveau's followers believe she is actually entombed. It, too, has gifts and triple X's on it, left by those who have visited and/or asked her spirit for favors.

Shadow of a statue of Jesus that is cast on the back of St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest church in Louisiana. One of the stops on the tour was to look for a known "ghost" in a building directly across the square from where this photo was taken.

Picture take of the LaLaurie House. The story includes several slaves that were tortured and experimented on by Madame LaLaurie and her physician husband. There have been many stories of encounters and sightings at this house (currently owned by Nicholas Cage who doesn't answer questions about the home or it's history). Notice the "orb" in the left upper corner. This is just outside the boarded window leading to the room where the tortured slaves were kept. This "orb" is not present in the three other photos we took of the house from the same location. We were told that ghosts may take the form of orbs....

The Beauregard-Keyes House in New Orleans, the haunted site of a blood mafia massacre. It is said you can smell fresh gun powder in the garden and hear gunfire coming from the garden while you are in the home.

Alleyway next to St. Louis Cathedral. Notice the small canal in the middle of the alley that provided early water/sewage drainage. It is said that on some nights you can see the ghost of a priest entering the church from Jackson Square.

Michael's mom is a huge fan of Ghost Hunters on the Travel Channel and has seen most of the episodes, so while we were in New Orleans, she wanted to take a ghost and cemetery tour of the French Quarter. The French Quarter tour was a walking night tour that included several interesting stops along the way with stories that included the tourguide's own experience with a "spirit" at Jean Lafitte's blacksmith shop, now a popular bar. The tour also included a hotel where children can be heard running and playing in the hall at night, a story very much like the experience Michael's cousin's wife had during a recent stay at the hotel. A hotel that once served as a hospital during the Civil War was also on the tour with several of our tour companions photographing "orbs" on the outside of the hotel. Make your own decisions about what is or what is not there, but are you willing to spend a night in one of these hotels on your next visit?