These New Orleans restaurants and bars are absolutely haunted

New Orleans considers itself the most haunted city in America. And no wonder: the port city was built more than 300 years ago on a foundation of fear, from wars and natural disasters to the slave trade and a profuse ferment of deadly pestilence.

Ghost tours abound in the French Quarter, leading believers and skeptics on wild ghost chases that put a lighter spin on what are undeniably gruesome chapters in New Orleans history. Haunted pub crawls, where drinking is encouraged, are a spooky way to learn about the city’s history. Or consider taking a spin at these bars and restaurants with some friends to get into the mood – just don’t be surprised along the way. In New Orleans, where voodoo arts are still practiced and haunted treasures abound, it’s no wonder the natives, dead and otherwise, tend to grow restless.

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Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop bar

941 Bourbon Street, French Quarter

It goes without saying that a bar named after the city’s most infamous pirate is haunted. Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop was the lair of Jean Lafitte, who specialized in smuggling and looted extensively in the process. Ghost hunters have spotted the man standing in the dark corners of the bar, close to the fireplace. Stare at him and he will disappear – maybe. It is said that a woman’s spirit also wanders upstairs. Order one of the powerful Voodoo Daiquiris, made with real juices, to calm your nerves.

Muriel’s Jackson Square

801 Chartres Street, French Quarter

The bar on the second floor of Muriel’s is not called the Seance Bar for nothing. The restaurant’s location has had a checkered and troubled past, and the restless spirits prove it. Pierre Jourdan built his dream house on the edge of Jackson Square in the early 19th century, but lost it in a poker game and then threw himself out of a second-floor window. It looks like it’s still hanging around, a glimmer of glittering light usually visible in the upstairs bar. A poltergeist throws things across the courtyard, shadows and voices appear and disappear. Something is going on – so the owners make peace by keeping a table reserved for Mr. Jourdan, set with bread and wine.

Pat O’Brien’s

718 St Peter Street, French Quarter

Although Pat O’s is famous for its dueling piano bar and technicolor hurricanes, employees have seen plenty of tricks that had nothing to do with Bourbon Street. Accounts of running footsteps, the hitting of a single piano note – with no player in sight – and a chair being pulled across the floor have all been documented. Believe it or not, the ladies’ room is said to be haunted. It’s funny that all the noise in the next stable doesn’t have to do with a set of legs. But then again, drink enough Hurricanes and everyone will float.

The court of two sisters

613 Royal Street, French Quarter

The Court of Two Sisters is said to be the site of at least three of Jean Lafitte’s bloody duels and the site of Marie Laveau’s voodoo spells. It is known for more than just an extensive jazz buffet. The site of at least one unsolved murder, those touched have reported seeing fairies and sprites partying in the courtyard. Then there’s the wishing well ominously called ‘The Devil’s Wishing Well’, a reference to the dark arts of Marie Laveau.

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Napoleon House

500 Chartres Street, French Quarter

The Napoleon House is said to have been a place of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte. Instead, it became a convenience store and a front for the New Orleans mafia. Whatever happened at 500 Chartres Street over the centuries, the resulting evil spirits are well documented. From Civil War soldiers to mob ghosts and even the ghost of former Mayor Nicholas Girod, there’s no telling what will be served next to that delectable pressed muffuletta and Pimm’s Cup.

Old Absinthe House

240 Bourbon Street, French Quarter

Ghost City Tours always stop at the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon – and for good reason. The original building, built in 1752 and destroyed in the Great Friday Fire of 1788, was rebuilt in 1806 and operated as a grocery and liquor store for more than 40 years. During Prohibition it was a haven for illegal pranks. It is therefore no surprise that it has attracted a number of enthusiastic regulars in its more than 215 year history. The ghosts of Jean Lafitte, Andrew Jackson and even Marie Laveau are felt here – there is also the woman in a long white dress and a child who you often hear running up and down on the third floor. Drink an absinthe frappe at the bar and think about it for a moment, or head to the back building for a witches’ meal at Tatlo, part speakeasy, part Filipino restaurant and part absinthe den.

Commander’s Palace

1403 Washington Avenue, Garden District

Commander’s Palace is one of the most legendary dining experiences in the city; you could say it’s terrifyingly good. It seems like there are a few regulars around the famous turquoise Victorian, from a young girl endlessly coming down the stairs to a grouchy resident in the powder room to randomly flickering lights in the kitchen. The restaurant’s location across from historic Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, where more than 7,000 people are buried, may be one reason some guests never leave.