Haunted
New Orleans GHOSTS AND SPIRITS
The Most Haunted Bars in New
Orleans
The
next time you’re in one
of the great Old French Quarter
bars looking for spirits, consider
having a drink in a location
famous for spirits of a different
kind!
According to some locals, the
following are the Most Haunted
Bars in New Orleans and are
among the best places for possible
encounters with the unseen.
Alibi
Bar
Located at 811 Iberville St.
just off Bourbon, the Alibi
is a popular late-night hangout
that serves 150 different varieties
of beer. Late-night munchies
make this a prime spot for service
industry types looking to unwind
after a long night of waiting
on others. Most say the Alibi
is a sure bet for the best late-night
burger in town! Playboy and
Stuff magazines have featured
the Alibi among the best bars
in New Orleans.
Most of the
sightings at the " HAUNTED"
Alibi bar are in the bar area
itself, where staff have reported
incidences of glasses, bottles
and cutlery flying off the bar
onto the floor or sometimes
in the direction of staff members.
The activity is attributed to
the ghost of a man who was supposedly
stabbed to death behind the
bar several years ago.
Patrons have
reported encounters with a shadowy
figure near the restrooms, and
a misty apparition has sometimes
been spotted near the service
entry door.
The attic
area, which is off limits to
the public but where members
of the staff are sometimes required
to go, is said to have a particularly
unpleasant atmosphere. Legend
has it that the attic was once
a makeshift hiding place for
escaped slaves waiting for passage
on the Underground Railroad.
The sounds of sighs and soft
crying have been heard near
the old attic door.
Visit
the Alibi online at www.alibineworleans.com
Pat
O'Brien's
The great
bar of the French Quarter is
located at 718 St. Peter St.
where it holds forth 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, 365 days
a year. Operators estimated
that possibly a billion people
have passed through the grand
old watering hole in the generations
it has been open. Famous for
the ass-kicking Hurricane (more
than just a pretty glass!),
the old establishment boasts
a ghostly reputation almost
as well-known as its menu.
Probably the
two most haunted areas of Pat's
are the Piano Bar and the upstairs
Ladies Room.
Employees
from the early shifts, when
the old building can sometimes
be almost empty of customers,
have reported strange cold spots
and footsteps in the Piano Bar
area. One bartender, restocking
the bar alone one afternoon,
distinctly heard the sound of
footsteps behind him followed
by the tinkling of piano keys.
He looked around and found no
one else in the bar and no apparent
source for the ghostly sounds.
Needless to say, he was quick
to complete his inventory. Others
have reported cold spots and
the feeling of being pushed
when no one is around.
The Ladies
Room is said to be haunted by
the ghostly spirit of a restroom
attendant. Ladies who have retired
to a stall in a mostly empty
restroom have reported hearing
footsteps and the sound of sighs
in nearby stalls. One woman
reported hearing a sudden peal
of laughter from the stall areas
when only she and one the lone
(living!) restroom attendant
were present. New female employees
are generally very uncomfortable
in the grand old privy, though
some of the older workers just
laugh and say that they can
take the sounds in stride, just
as long as they don't SEE anything!
Other employees
report poltergeist-like activity
in the courtyard area where
they insist that a spirit likes
to move the wrought iron tables
and chairs around, and sometimes
likes to hide the workers' ubiquitous
green jackets while they are
busy preparing for the day's
crowds.
An old tradition
at Pat O's is to have a photo
memento taken of an evening
spent there. Although some people
look a little worse for wear,
or worse than they recall, several
have commented in hindsight
that the Pat O's photos might
be a good place to look for
photographic evidence of ghostly
occurrences. If you have any
Pat O's memento photos and notice
anything odd in them, please
let us know and we will be happy
to post them on our Ghost Photos
page!
Pay
a virtual visit to Pat O's right
now at www.patobriens.com
Lafitte's
Blacksmith's Shop
This old building,
at 941 Bourbon St, looks almost
as if it is about to fall down
at any moment. But there's life
in that old mortar: some of
it supernatural to be sure.
Lafitte's
just oozes with genuine haunted
New Orleans atmosphere. Dimly
lit, with flickering candles
and dark woodwork, old fireplaces
and a decrepit courtyard, it
is easy for the truly ghostly
minded to expect a ghost at
every turn. But there is one
ghost in particular that everyone
hopes to see!
According
to legend, the buccaneer pirate
Jean Lafitte once used the location
to run his shady business. The
little blacksmith shop was once
a front for a burgeoning smuggling
business, which was the real
source of Lafitte's wealth and
as such the pirate was himself
quite a regular at this location.
Some people
say that there is still buried
treasure somewhere among the
ancient bricks; one aficionado
insists, however that the treasure
will never be found because
of the amount of cursing, spitting
and drinking that go on in the
place. Everyone knows the old
taboo that pirate's gold will
just sink lower into the ground
when surrounded by truly disrespectful
scalawags!
There have
been reports of hauntings in
this old bar for years. A mirror
in the upstairs area is said
to be haunted by the specter
of a woman. The fireplace grate
in the downstairs bar, rumored
to be the actual last resting
place of some of Lafitte's gold,
is said to be haunted by the
ghost of the pirate Lafitte
killed with the charge to protect
the treasure for eternity. Staff
and patrons have been alarmed
by the sight of two ghostly
red eyes staring at them through
the grate and the atmosphere
around the fireplace is said
to be decidedly chilled and
unwholesome.
Of course,
several witnesses have reported
seeing the man himself, Jean
Lafitte, scowling from dark
corner, twisting his black moustache
in his gloved hand, obviously
not pleased with the view. Several
people who have seen the ghost
say that as soon as it is aware
of them, it will vanish into
thin air.
Although Jean
Lafitte sailed into Louisiana
history long, long ago, this
old building still stands and
for those who want to get as
good a feel for the old pirate
as possible, this is a location
not to be missed.is also perhaps
the oldest Haunted building
or haunted structure in the
country still used as a bar.
Needless to say, Lafitte's Blacksmith's
Shop should not be missed.
O'Flaherty's
Irish Channel Pub
This popular
pub is located at 514 Toulouse
and from the moment you step
into the old carriageway you
might as well be on the Emerald
Isle. Duck into the Informer,
the casual, friendly pub where
patrons enjoy live music, imported
Irish beers and whiskey, and
satellite broadcasts of the
footie (soccer) matches direct
from the UK. The Informer hosts
a weekly darts league and is
the meeting place for many Celtic
sports organizations in the
Big Easy.
Across the
way, in the Ballad Room, visitors
can enjoy live music by Celtic
and folk performers from all
over the UK and America. Danny
O'Flaherty, the pub's owner,
often entertains the crowds
with his unique Irish style.
At the rear
of the carriageway is the gift
shop and a delightful old New
Orleans courtyard where patrons
like to sit to enjoy a quiet
drink or sample homemade Irish
stew or Shepherd's Pie, just
two of many delicious items
straight from O'Flaherty's kitchen.
But these
days people come as much for
the hauntings as for the entertainment.
The Ballad
Room balcony is said to be the
most haunted spot in the entire
building. The ghost of a woman,
whom the staff have named "Angelique,"
is often seen peering down from
the balcony when the ballad
room is empty or swaying to
the music on nights when the
room is jammed with patrons.
"Angelique"
is said to be the ghost of the
mistress of a man who owned
the house in the early 1800's
and who fell to his death into
the courtyard. Despondent upon
the death of her lover, it is
said the woman then jumped to
her own death as well, this
time plunging from the second
floor gallery and falling into
the stone cistern to her death.
The woman
has been seen by patrons and
employees alike and primarily
appears in the upstairs area;
her lover is said to haunt the
courtyard area where his presence
is felt as a cold spot passing
among the tables and chairs.
The Informer
is said to be haunted by the
spirit of a man who hung himself
in the building sometime in
the late 19th century. His presence
is often felt in the back of
the bar area, near the door
leading to the courtyard, where
the atmosphere is sometimes
heavy and sad. Some employees
insist that they have seen the
ghost himself, sitting forlornly
at the far end of the bar in
turn of the century clothes,
staring blankly at one of the
many tv screens. Right before
their eyes, he will sadly fade
away.
Visit O'Flaherty's
online at www.celticworld.com
The
Old Absinthe House
This grand
old New Orleans institution,
located at 240 Bourbon St. at
the corner of Bienville, has
been a fixture in the French
Quarter for over 200 years.
Built in 1807,
this location has been present
for nearly every heartbeat of
the grand old days of the French
Quarter. Originally used as
the headquarters for a local
importing firm, the building
was then converted to a neighborhood
grocery and an importer of fine
foods, tobaccos and wines from
all over the world.
With the advent
of the Creole Balls and the
popularity of other places of
culture in the French Quarter
such as the Theatre d'Orleans
and the French Opera House,
the building the corner of Bourbon
and Bienville became a popular
late night habitat of New Orleans'
salon society. The copper-colored
wooden bar with its antique
fixtures was built at this time,
and as the name now suggests,
the place immediate became a
firm favorite among the followers
of the Green Fairy.
Many locals
and employees have reported
encounters with a pantheon of
famous New Orleanians, from
Jean Lafitte to Louis Moreau
Gottschalk, Andrew Jackson,
"The Beast" Benjamin
Butler, and even Voodoo Queen
Marie Laveau. Any of these encounters
could be likely, as all of these
famous people passed through
the doors of the Old Absinthe
House at one time or another
over the years.
Other spirits,
perhaps not as famous, make
their presence felt on an almost
daily basis, moving bottles
and glasses around behind the
bar, moving chairs back and
forth, and, most disturbing,
opening and closing the bar
doors: when staff look up, there
is no one to be seen.
Local legend
has it that the Old Absinthe
House is located over a series
of old tunnels, dug by Jean
Lafitte and his bands of buccaneers.
Although no evidence of such
tunnels has been found, many
insist that they are there and
that they link with Lafitte's
Blacksmith Shop further down
Bourbon, with the Old Mint on
Esplanade, ultimately ending
at the river embankment, where
Lafitte would have smuggled
items (or himself) into the
swampy darkness of the Mississippi
River.
Official
Web Site The Old Abstinthe House
Bar http://www.oldabsinthehouse.com/
The
Bourbon Pub
This infamous
bar, located on the corner of
Bourbon and St. Ann streets,
is a wildly popular hangout
with New Orleans' gay community.
There's never
a dull moment anytime at the
Bourbon Pub, but the place is
especially lively during the
Mardi Gras, when it plays host
to the famous Drag Queen contest,
and during Southern Decadence,
one of the most popular gay
festivals in the South.
Over the years,
however, there have been several
reports of paranormal encounters
and activity at the site. Patrons
and staff have experienced strange
encounters on the balconies,
where there are said to be unexplainable
cold spots and disembodied voices,
and also in the downstairs bar
area where there are often encounters
with the ghost of a diminutive
Creole slave lady. Called "Mam"
by the staff, she appears walking
through the bar area in the
early hours when the bar is
mostly empty. She wears and
old cotton dress and a bandana
on her head, and carries a huge
wooden spoon. Walking and muttering
to herself, she sometimes stops
and looks directly at staff
members before disappearing
into the shadows. Because the
Bourbon Pub sits directly across
the street from Marie Laveau's
House of Voodoo, the last residence
of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau,
many wonder if Old Mam might
be connected in some way to
Marie Laveau or her family.
It's a short walk across the
street even for the living,
so it is quite possible that
Old Mam is walking between the
Pub and her old homestead...
Some patrons
say it is haunted by a former
owner, that doesn't like the
recent renovations. Cups often
move across the bar on their
own. Foot steps are heard walking
across the empty second floors
haunted balcony.
Another strange
happening at the Bourbon Pub
has had patrons and staff scratching
their heads in disbelief. Basically,
it can happen at anytime of
the day or night. Unsuspecting
patrons will be sitting comfortably
at the bar, engaged in conversation
or enjoying a drink, when suddenly,
out of nowhere, there comes
a pop and a stunning "bang"
on the bottom of the foot. Those
who have experienced it say
it feels like being hit with
a stick or a piece of wood,
and the first instinct was to
blame Old Mam. However, many
who have experienced it have
likened it to a well-known form
of S&M known as Bastinado,
where the soles of the feet
are struck with a wooden pole
in a form of sexual castigation.
Once a form of torture used
by cultures all over the world,
the practice is today widely
known but is only popular in
certain segments of society.
This strange event has happened
so often at the Bourbon Pub
that the new spirit has been
nicknamed The Bastinado Ghost.
Most patrons
take it in stride and many who
have yet to experience an encounter
with the Bastinado Ghost complain
that they have been left out.
Those who have experienced it,
though not harmed in any way,
say they really don't mind but
that they would rather have
their feet beat by someone they
can see, thank you very much...
Visit the
Bourbon Pub at www.bourbonpub.com.
So
the next time you plan to
party in the French Quarter,
put these very haunted locations
on your "Must See"
list, and maybe you will have
a memorable experience of
the paranormal kind!
Special
Thanks to local paranormal
enthusiast and Paranormal
investigator GINA LANIER for
her contributions to this
story!
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