If you consider yourself a witch, you need to plan a visit to New Orleans immediately. From voodoo shops and museums to abandoned convents to the haunted history that spans every corner of the city, it's clear there is a special energy in NOLA unlike anywhere else.
By far the best way to experience this unique history is by taking a walking tour, and after hours of research and personal experience I can honestly say the Hex Spirits and Spells Witchcraft, Voodoo and Ghost tour is the best tour out there.
The tour meets at Hex Old World Witchery on Decater Street, moving from there throughout the streets of New Orleans stopping at historic ghost haunts like the hotel Provincial which was used as a hospital for confederate solders during the Civil war. Legend has it you can see soldier apparitions haunting this building at all hours of the night.
One of my favorite stops on the tour was Hands of Fate witch shop. This is a historical landmark because it is where Mary Oneida Toups, the first vocal and open witch to settle in New Orleans in the 1960's, had her shop. The energy here was palpable and is a piece of NOLA history any witch needs to visit.
You can't take a ghost tour in New Orleans without stopping at Muriel's. If you peer into the window there is a special seat in the house that is kept open for Pierre, the former owner of this home. This was Pierre's dream home, but Pierre loved to party and gamble and put his home up as collateral in a poker game. After losing his beloved home he tragically took his own life, and now can be seen dining at his special table every night.
Another classic haunt in New Orleans is Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop which is now a bar. Used as a hideout by the legendary French pirate Jean Lafitte, it is said this building was his hideaway and cover for all of his illegal activities.
And of course no tour of NOLA is complete without a stop at the LaLaurie Mansion. Unfortunately the original building was burnt down in an infamous fire, so the building that stands there now is not original. Nonetheless if you look closely you can see the curtains moving as if Madam Delphine LaLaurie is peering out the window.
The fire was said to be lit by one of LaLaurie's slaves to reveal the inhumane conditions she put her slaves through including starvation and torture. Allegedly this happened during a huge party and LaLaurie was pushed out of town by those attending her party after being disturbed by what they saw, and forced to move back to France.
The tour does a complete circle and ends back at Hex on Decater Street. Once you get there, you enter the private courtyard where you perform a spell and are given a crystal as a gift which is a great memento to commemorate the amazing tour.
These are just a few of the amazing stops along the way of the Hex Spirits and Spells Witchcraft, Voodoo and Ghost Tour. Book your tour HERE to see these amazing sites for yourself.
xx Witch at Home