The city of New Orleans is one with a long history. Much of this storied history has led to numerous claims of hauntings, poltergeists, and other paranormal activity related to the city’s role in the Civil War and the slave trade. From its cemeteries to churches to mansions, there are plenty of places throughout the city that locals and tourists alike claim to be haunted.
If you’re a believer in the paranormal, you may be wondering which is the best when searching online for “ghost tour New Orleans.” US Ghost Adventures is largely considered the best and scariest ghost tour in New Orleans. Today, we’ll explore what this ghost tour has to offer and what you can expect should you be brave enough to give it a try. Let’s get started.
Take a pit stop at the notorious Beauregard-Keyes House.
The Beauregard-Keyes House is considered one of the most famous haunted locations in New Orleans. This historic house’s story began at the beginning of the 18th century when Beauregard-Keyes occupied the land for an armory for New Orleans. Soon after, the land was transferred to a group of French nuns by the King of France. After the property exchanged hands several more times, with stories of the home driving people to madness with each new owner, it would soon come to Dominique Lanata, who rented the home to General Pierre Toutant Gustave Beauregard of the Confederate Army. Despite not being a battleground, the house is rumored to harbor the lost spirits of Beauregard and his men who perished during the Civil War.
Eventually, the Giacona family purchased the property, a Sicilian Mafia family. The Mafia’s ownership is another major contributor to the home’s potential haunting, as the Giacano family attracted the attention of rival mob bosses who demanded tribute from Pietro Giacona. Giacona invited the four rival mob bosses for dinner to discuss terms. Then, he and his son murdered three of the rival mob bosses and injured the fourth. Today, the home is an infamous spot in the city, and many people report seeing the spirits of Confederate soldiers and mafiosos.
Tour the infamous Lalaurie Mansion.
If you’re familiar with the haunted lore of New Orleans, then you’ve likely heard of the Lalaurie Mansion. This sinister home can make even the most hardened skeptic question their belief in the supernatural due to its dark past. The Lalaurie Mansion has more than two centuries of reported paranormal encounters on the property, from lighthearted reports like hearing footsteps to utterly terrifying reports like being followed by a full-bodied apparition. This mansion gets its name from the infamous owner, Delphine Lalaurie, one of the United States’ most notorious serial killers. Lalaurie was a member of the New Orleans elite and owned several enslaved people during her tenure in the city.
However, she was anything but benevolent to the unfortunately enslaved people. Her treatment of them was so terrible that other slave owners in the city were concerned for the well-being of these African Americans. The only thing that hid her actions from the public was that she never mistreated African Americans in public, only behind closed doors. However, her true character was revealed soon when an elderly cook for the mansion started a fire as a suicide attempt in fear of being punished by Lalaurie. Shortly after, it was discovered that she used the mansion as a makeshift torture chamber for enslaved people and that she committed acts so gruesome that even the boldest of people would be made sick. Today, many people believe the tortured spirits of her victims still haunt the property. The Lalaurie Mansion has gained such an infamous reputation that it even appeared in the television series “American Horror Story.”
Let US Ghost Adventures show you around the haunted sites of the city.
US Ghost Adventures offers tours of these two haunted locations and many more. So, if you’re brave enough to visit the most haunted locations of New Orleans, give US Ghost Adventures a try.
