New Orleans is often considered one of the most haunted cities in the United States. On my recent trip to the Crescent City, I decided to check out the haunted spots on a walking tour. Hosted by Free Tours by Foot, the two-hour tour took us through some of the French Quarter’s most haunted locations. We met our guide for the nighttime tour in front of St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. The iconic church was also the first haunted stop on the tour. Father Antonio de Sedella, a former priest at the Cathedral, is buried there and has since been spotted walking the alley next to the building on misty early mornings. We stopped at many of the area’s most haunted locations. A few in particular stood out to me. Brought into recent attention due to the TV series American Horror Story: Coven, perhaps the most disturbing stop was the Lalurie mansion. Socialite Madame Lalurie and her physician husband performed sadistic, unnecessary medical procedures on their slaves. Their mansion is still standing and has seen many haunted occurrences. Once owned by Nicolas Cage, the mansion is now a private residence — more specifically, a vacation home. The housekeeper reports hearing her name called from other rooms while she is alone in the property. Standing in front of the large building, I felt an eerie presence and was happy to move to the next location. Not far from the Lalurie mansion is The Hotel Provincial. Parts of the hotel were once used as a Civil War Confederate hospital. Hotel guests and staff report bloodstains appearing and disappearing on bed sheets. Some guests even see bloody soldiers in the halls. One of our last stops of the night was a haunted restaurant at Jackson Square. Muriel’s restaurant is housed in the former home of Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan. He tragically lost his home after he wagered it during a poker game. Devastated, he committed suicide on the second floor of the home. His apparition is still seen wandering the rooms of the restaurant. Staff even set a table for two for him each night near the restaurant entrance, complete with a glass of red wine. I highly recommend taking a haunted walking tour the next time you’re in New Orleans. — Katie Skrzek, digital director