Ghost Tour and Haunted Pub Crawl Party with Free Shot

New Orleans does not need much help becoming spooky, but this tour adds a useful twist: you hear the dark stories at the actual French Quarter buildings, then step inside bars tied to the city’s legends. The free shot, drink discounts, and Mardi Gras beads keep the mood social rather than grim.

I like the mix of local history and nightlife, especially the chance to visit Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar instead of only peering at famous buildings from the sidewalk. I also like the guides’ personal touch. Pandi, Clarissa, and Wendy have earned especially warm praise for their humor, storytelling, and knowledge of New Orleans.

The main caution is that this is a party walk first and a paranormal investigation second. Some departures include fewer bar stops or skip LaLaurie Mansion and the Andrew Jackson Hotel, so you should not book it if seeing every listed stop is your main goal.

Key points to know before booking

• A free shot starts the evening: You begin at BMC Balcony Music Club with a complimentary shot, drink specials, and a chance to meet the group.
• Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar is the star stop: This old French Quarter watering hole gives the tour its best blend of legend, atmosphere, and actual bar time.
• The stories are rooted in real places: LaLaurie Mansion, the Andrew Jackson Hotel, and French Quarter backstreets provide the setting.
• Guides shape the experience: Pandi and Clarissa are especially strong storytellers, while Wendy and Quay have also led engaging tours.
• The pace is social and easy: The route lasts about two hours, covers roughly four stops, and is designed for most participants.
• Route details can change: One departure may include a voodoo blessing or extra storytelling, while another may spend less time in bars than expected.

A ghost walk with a pub-crawl pulse

At $19 per person, this is one of the easier New Orleans nights to justify. You get a local guide, one alcoholic drink, drink discounts, beads, and about two hours of stories and walking. A single cocktail in the French Quarter can cost more than the tour, so the price works well if you value the guide and plan to buy at least one drink during the evening.

Still, keep your expectations straight. The word pub crawl may suggest a steady march through several bars. In practice, the event appears to put storytelling first. You may visit several drinking spots, but the amount of time spent inside them can vary. One departure included only a short stop at a basic bar, while another allowed plenty of time for drinks and socializing.

That makes the tour a good fit for a group of friends, couples, or anyone who wants a gentle introduction to New Orleans after dark. It is less suitable for someone seeking a serious paranormal tour with equipment, investigations, or guaranteed sightings.

The group can reach 28 people. That is large enough to create a party atmosphere, yet still small enough for a guide to keep the group together on French Quarter streets. You will need to stay alert around doorways and sidewalks, particularly when the guide pauses to tell a story. One guide, Clarissa, was praised for positioning the group so other people could pass, a small detail that matters in a busy district.

Starting at BMC Balcony Music Club

The evening begins at 507 Frenchmen Street, at BMC Balcony Music Club. You head inside, meet the guide and the rest of the group, and settle in with drink specials. The guide also provides the promised free shot as the first ghost stories begin.

This opening is smart. You do not have to stand on a street corner trying to identify strangers in the dark. You get your bearings inside a bar, where the tour’s social side starts at once. Complimentary Mardi Gras beads add a bit of New Orleans flair, and they can make the meeting point easier to spot.

The first tales focus on the city’s darker past. The wording of the tour points to more than 300 years of death, crime, voodoo, and French Quarter legends. Some stories are plainly historical, while others deal with ghosts and reported paranormal activity. That blend is typical of New Orleans, where fact and folklore often share the same address.

Do not assume the free shot means your evening’s drinks are covered. One alcoholic beverage is included, while additional drinks cost extra, though discounts are offered. If you do not drink alcohol, the supplied details do not specify a nonalcoholic substitute, so it is sensible to ask before booking.

LaLaurie Mansion and the city’s darkest stories

The route next goes to LaLaurie Mansion, one of the French Quarter’s most notorious addresses. The stop is tied to the mansion’s brutal past and its reputation as a haunted site. It also has a pop-culture connection: the building was filmed for American Horror Story.

The stop is listed at around 30 minutes, but you should expect to hear about the building from outside rather than enter it. The tour information describes admission as free, not interior access. That distinction matters because some people book this walk hoping to explore the mansion itself.

This is where the guide makes the difference. Pandi and Clarissa are repeatedly praised for adding personal stories, theories, and ghost photographs to the basic facts. A good guide can turn a building facade into a tense little history lesson. A less effective guide may leave you with a familiar tale and not much atmosphere.

There is also a practical warning here. A departure in March did not visit LaLaurie Mansion or the Andrew Jackson Hotel, two of the main sights the group expected to see. The guide was still described as friendly and well informed, but the altered route left the group disappointed. If LaLaurie Mansion is essential to your plans, ask the operator about the current route before you pay.

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, the strongest stop

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar is the most distinctive part of the experience. The bar is presented as a place where pirates plotted and spirits lingered, giving the guide a natural setting for stories about crime, legends, and the city’s rougher past.

This stop also delivers something a standard ghost walk cannot: you go inside a real bar and can order a drink. The tour description calls it one of the few ghost tours that combines indoor bar visits with haunted storytelling. That is a real advantage if you want a night out rather than a silent walk from one address to another.

The amount of time available for drinking may depend on the night. Some departures gave the group enough time to order and enjoy drinks, while another included only about ten minutes at one bar. One critical account also described the bar as basic and said there were only two bar stops in total. So, treat the crawl as a chance to sample atmospheric places, not as a guaranteed bar-hopping marathon.

Lafitte’s is also a good example of the tour’s wider appeal. You are not only hearing a ghost story. You are being shown how New Orleans turns old buildings, legends, and nightlife into one shared experience. If you enjoy atmosphere more than proof of the supernatural, this stop should work well.

The Andrew Jackson Hotel and French Quarter backstreets

The Andrew Jackson Hotel, part of the French Quarter Inns group, is another stop tied to reported apparitions. You are encouraged to bring a camera, since the guide may point out places where people claim to have captured unusual images.

Keep your expectations modest. A camera opportunity is not the same as a promised ghost sighting. The tour offers stories, theories, and a chance to take photographs, but there is no guarantee that your phone will record anything unusual.

The route around the hotel also lets you see quieter French Quarter streets. That change of pace is welcome after the bars and better-known addresses. You get a sense of the district’s old residential side, where legends can feel more personal and less like a stage show.

Again, the listed route is not guaranteed on every departure. One group missed both this hotel and LaLaurie Mansion. That may happen because of crowd conditions, timing, special events, or a guide adjusting the route, but the reason does not change the practical advice: confirm the stops if they are central to your plans.

What the guides add to the night

The strongest part of this experience is the person leading it. Pandi is described as easy to find, warm, funny, and full of fascinating stories. She has also handled larger groups flexibly and kept people engaged with local tales.

Clarissa receives similar praise. She is described as energetic, friendly, and good at combining facts, ghost theories, photographs, and personal stories. One group even continued its evening with her recommendations for music stops. That is useful in New Orleans, where a good local suggestion can save you from wandering into a mediocre bar.

Wendy’s style is more insider-focused and humorous. She has led guests through the area with her own take on its ghostly past. Quay also received credit for being friendly, though one departure led to disappointment about the amount of bar time and the number of stops.

Guide quality can never be guaranteed when several people share the schedule. Still, the range of comments suggests that the company’s best guides make the evening feel personal rather than rehearsed. If you have a choice of guide or departure, Pandi and Clarissa are the names I would look for first.

How much walking and drinking to expect

The tour lasts about two hours and is described as an easy walk. You move between French Quarter locations, with stops for stories and drinks. Most people should be able to participate, and service animals are allowed. The route is near public transportation, which helps if you are staying outside the Quarter.

Wear shoes you can walk in comfortably. The supplied details do not give an exact distance, and New Orleans sidewalks can be uneven, so practical footwear matters more than dressing for a night out. You will also want to keep your hands free for a drink, camera, or beads.

The tour is offered in English. Since much of the value comes from spoken stories and timing, you should be comfortable following a fast-moving English-language explanation in a group setting.

The drinking element is moderate, not constant. You receive one shot and drink discounts, but you may need to purchase additional drinks yourself. The evening can become more of a party if the group lingers at bars, but it can also feel more like a walking history tour if the guide keeps the route moving.

Why the 4.9 rating needs context

The experience has a 4.9 rating from 268 reviews and is recommended by 96 percent of customers. Those numbers point to a strong overall experience, especially for people who want friendly guides and a fun introduction to New Orleans lore.

The praise is not only about ghosts. The most repeated strengths are guide personality, clear storytelling, local history, drink stops, and a relaxed group mood. Several people describe the tour as ideal for couples, friends, birthdays, and girls’ weekends. One birthday group even enjoyed a small New Orleans tradition involving beads and dollar gifts.

The lower scores reveal the tradeoff. The tour can feel light on actual ghost sightings, with more attention given to tragedy and history at familiar spots. Another person felt there was too little drinking for a pub crawl. These are not minor details if you are booking for the bar experience alone.

I would read the rating as a sign that the tour usually succeeds at being entertaining, social, and informative. I would not read it as proof that every advertised stop appears every night or that you will see a spirit.

Who should book this New Orleans ghost tour?

I would choose this experience if you want a low-cost evening that combines local stories with a drink and a little nightlife. It works especially well near the start of a New Orleans visit, when you want a quick introduction to the French Quarter and ideas for where to continue afterward.

It is also a good choice for couples and adult groups who prefer a friendly guide to a formal lecture. The stories provide structure, while the bars give you chances to talk with the group and enjoy the city’s nighttime mood.

Families can participate according to the supplied information, but the bar-centered setting and dark subjects may not suit young children. The activity is better for adults who are comfortable with alcohol, tales of violence, death, voodoo, and ghost folklore.

I would skip it if your priority is a rigorous paranormal investigation, a guaranteed visit to every listed site, or a long series of bar stops. You may enjoy the stories, but the experience is not built around scientific evidence or heavy drinking.

Booking, cancellation, and final value

You receive confirmation when you book. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time, with a full refund. Changes or cancellations inside 24 hours are not refunded, and bad weather or failure to reach the minimum group size can lead to a different date or a full refund.

At $19, the tour offers good value if you count the guide, shot, beads, and local orientation together. It is less of a bargain if you expect a full pub crawl and plan to skip the stories. The best way to judge it is as a haunted walking tour with a party element, not as a bar tour with a few ghost tales attached.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want storytelling, French Quarter atmosphere, and a social night out at a modest price. Try to join a departure led by Pandi or Clarissa if possible, and ask ahead about the current route if LaLaurie Mansion or the Andrew Jackson Hotel is a must-see.

Skip it if you need guaranteed stops, extensive drinking, or convincing proof of the paranormal. For most people, the real reward is not catching a ghost on camera. It is hearing New Orleans’ strange, sad, and often entertaining past while moving through the places that gave those stories their power.

FAQ

How long does the Ghost Tour and Haunted Pub Crawl last?

The experience lasts approximately two hours.

How much does the tour cost?

The price is $19 per person.

Where does the tour begin?

The tour starts at 507 Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116, at BMC Balcony Music Club.

Where does the tour end?

The tour ends at MRB Bar & Kitchen, 515 St Philip Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116.

Is a drink included?

One alcoholic shot is included. Drink discounts are also provided, but additional drinks are not listed as included.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes. The tour is offered in English.

Which places are included on the route?

The planned stops include BMC Balcony Music Club, LaLaurie Mansion, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, and the Andrew Jackson Hotel. The route can vary, and some departures have not visited every listed location.

How large can the group be?

The maximum group size is 28 people.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes. Service animals are allowed.

Can most people participate?

Yes. Most people can participate, and the activity is near public transportation.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not refunded._weather-related or minimum-group cancellations offer a different date or a full refund.