When you travel, do you take guided tours of a city? I rarely do, and the reason why is I may not be interested in the subject.
However, there have been three tours I would recommend over and over - 1. The Dolphin Magic Tour in Savannah 2. The Harbour Cruise in NYC and my favorite of all 3. The Vampire Tour in New Orleans.
If you happen to be heading down to the Gulf - I highly recommend the Haunted History Tours.
They have so many options, especially if vampires aren't your thing.
There is:
New Orleans Ghost Tours
Garden District Tours
New Orleans Voodoo Tours
New Orleans Vampire Tours
New Orleans Cemetary Tours
Each are equally spectacular.
Now back to the Vampire Tour - I have taken this 3 times. Seriously. You maybe wondering - "What in the world, there are no such thing as vampires.."
Sure..
In the traditional sense.
New Orleans has a history of bizarre occurances. Here is the description of the tour:
Our famous New Orleans Vampire Tour allows you to enter the dark and mysterious world of the undead. Walk through New Orleans' history and experience the legends of famous New Orleans vampires, real and fictional. Visit sights and locations associated with these creatures of the night, including a visit to a noted Vampire tavern. Are there vampires lurking in the French Quarter? Escape into the night as our offbeat, theatrical New Orleans tour guides provide you with an eerie, chilling yet fun-filled adventure!
Here are some frequently asked questions about their tours:
What is the cost? The tour is $20. for adults, $17. for students & seniors, and $10. for kids 12 & under. (Five years & under are free)
How long is the tour? All of the tours are about 2 hours long.
Is there a lot of walking? No. It’s a leisurely stroll. We’re talking blocks, not miles. Definitely not a hike.
How many houses does the tour go into?
Many of the sites on the tour are people’s private homes. The tour groups don’t go into private residences. But, that (in no way) diminishes the enjoyment or popularity of the tour. We do go into a couple of haunted bars on the ghost and vampire tours.
What happens if it rains? The tours are done rain or shine. If people show up in the rain, the guide will be there to take them on a tour.
Can we pay the balance with a credit card?
Yes. Haunted History Tours takes cash, travellers checks, company checks and all credit cards.
Is the tour appropriate for kids?
The tour is TOTALLY appropriate for kids! In fact, Haunted History Tours are probably the ONLY activity that’s appropriate for kids to do in the French Quarter!
Where is the meeting place?
That depends on which tour you’re going on.
The Ghost, Cemetery, and Voodoo Tours all meet and depart from Rev. Zombie’s Voodoo Shop, at 723 St. Peter Street. That’s in the middle of the block on St. Peter, between Bourbon & Royal Streets, right across from Pat O’Brien’s Bar.
The Vampire Tour meets in front of the St. Louis Cathedral, at the gates of Jackson Square. (Chartres Street side).
The Garden District Tours meet in front of the Lafayette Cemetery, 1400 Washington Avenue, off of St. Charles Avenue.
Can I walk to the Garden District from the French Quarter ?
No. But it’s only minutes away by taxi cab. Or, you can take the St. Charles Streetcar. However, the streetcar will take some time, as you’ll have to wait for one and then it stops every couple of blocks to let people on & off. We recommend that you take a cab to the Garden District to insure that you get there on time and then take the streetcar back if you’d like.
If you DO take the streetcar to the tour, make sure that you get off at the right stop (Josephine Street). The streetcar will not stop automatically. You have to let the driver know that you want to get off.
What makes this company better than the other Ghost, Vampire, Cemetery, or Garden District Tours?
Well, Haunted History is the company that you’ve seen on A&E, History Channel, Bravo, Travel Channel.
n fact, the Travel Channel actually recommends the Haunted History Tour as The #1 Tour in the city…
A Must Do!
Haunted History is the company that literally WROTE THE BOOK on this stuff. They wrote the book, produced the video… EVERY OTHER tour company is just a copycat of what they originated.
Haunted History is the company that did all the research on the hauntings… Trust me… THIS is the company to go with!
What’s the difference between the Ghost & the Vampire tours? Will I be seeing the same stuff? Is there any overlap of material?
The Ghost and Vampire tours are completely different.
(As are all of the tours that the company offers).
The Ghost tour takes you to French Quarter sites connected to actual documented hauntings.
The Vampire tour is a combination of fiction & reality. Fiction in the sense of Anne Rice, Bram Stoker, movie sites from Interview With the Vampire (filmed here)…
Reality, in that the tour takes you to sites in the French Quarter associated with actual Vampire type crimes… Murders, taken from police records, city archives, interviews, etc.
Do people jump out at you ?
Absolutely not. This is not a Halloween spook house. These are tours based on real events in the city’s history. Our city’s actual history is stranger than anything fictional.
Will we actually “experience” anything paranormal on the tour ?
Some people do, some don’t. But definitely bring your camera. People often capture “things” in their photos that weren’t there when the picture was taken.
Do we go to a cemetery on the Ghost tour and do you have any nighttime cemetery tours ?
The Ghost tour does not visit a cemetery. The Ghost tour stays within the French Quarter and focuses on actual documented hauntings.
The Cemetery tour is a daytime tour. The cemetery gates are locked at 3:pm Monday – Saturday and at Noon on Sunday.
The Cemetery tour is NOT a spooky tour. It’s more of an “academic” tour on our oldest burial ground, St. Louis Cemetery #1. The tour explores the burial procedures, who’s buried there…
You’ll visit the tomb of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen and learn a little about the history of Voodoo in New Orleans. But primarily, it’s just a great tour of our oldest cemetery.
How cool is that?
3 comments:
I wish I could have gone on the vampire tour when I was in NOLA, but we just didn't have enough time.
:(
Next time I go, I spending like...a week, and maybe I'll never leave.
These sound like so much fun!
Popped in from Lady Bloggers! We went to the voodoo museum, but I wish we could have gone on some tours when we were in NOLA last year. I love all the historical info the guides provide.
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