Cajun Haunts: 11 Most Haunted Places in Louisiana

Get ready to hit the most haunted places in Louisiana, where creepy swamps, mysterious voodoo rituals, and deadly history compete for the title of most weird. 

These are the 11 most haunted places in Louisiana:

Myrtles Plantation

St. Francisville

Just outside Baton Rouge, the Myrtles Plantation, now called The Myrtles, is one of the most haunted places in Louisiana. Built in 1796, this gorgeous antebellum estate is, of course, haunted.

Here’s what creeps in the shadows of Myrtles Plantation:

• Chloe’s Ghost: Chloe, a slavewoman, was repeatedly raped by Clark Woodruff, the Plantation’s owner and local judge. She poisoned his wife, Sara Woodruff, and 2 daughters, either in revenge or a misguided attempt to regain favor, and was hanged by fellow slaves. Sightings of a woman in a green turban have been common since the 1970s, and her form has been caught in several creepy photographs.
• William Winter’s Murder: William Winter, a lawyer and the son-in-law of Sarah Woodruff, was shot on the front porch. He allegedly crawled up to the 17th step before collapsing. Visitors have reported hearing footsteps stop at that very step.
• The Native American Woman: It’s said the Plantation is built on a Native American burial ground, with the ghost of a Native woman occasionally seen wandering the grounds.
• Haunted Mirror: The murdered souls of Sara Woodruff and her 2 children are said to be trapped in a mirror. The mirror shows ghostly handprints and faces that fade away.
• Bloodstain in The Doorway: A human-sized bloodstain in the doorway refuses to be cleaned. Even after being scrubbed repeatedly, it returns. 
• Voodoo-Practicing Girl: Winter’s young daughter, Kate, is said to haunt one of the bedrooms and practice Voodoo on guests. She died tragically young of typhoid fever after a local priestess’ voodoo ritual failed to heal her. 

The Myrtles Plantation is open for tours 7 days a week for free tours.

LaLaurie Mansion

New Orleans

Madame Delphine LaLaurie, a wealthy socialite born in 1787, is infamous for being pure evil. The Lalaurie Mansion is in the heart of the French Quarter, at 1140 Royal St, and today, is pretty unremarkable.

After going through 3 husbands—her first husband, Don Ramón de Lopez y Angulo, died in a shipwreck near Cuba while she was pregnant; her second, Jean Blanque, left her in debt when died in 1826; and her third, Dr. Louis LaLaurie, was reportedly abusive to her. 

Exposed By Fire

In 1834, an enslaved worker, chained to the kitchen stove, set fire to her mansion and revealed LaLaurie’s disturbing cruelty. Visitors to the scene found slaves in the attic being horribly tortured, mutilated, and suspended by the neck.

The outraged public formed a mob that burst into her home, forcing LaLaurie to flee to Paris, where she went into hiding to avoid persecution.

Visitors to the mansion still report random screams, cold drafts, and apparitions, including that of a young slave girl who leaped to her death after being chased by LaLaurie.

A French Quarter Ghost Tour Staple

The LaLaurie Mansion, infamous for its dark history, is a staple on every ghost tour in New Orleans due to its reputation as one of the most haunted places in Louisiana. Though privately owned and closed to the public, walking tours will bring you to its eerie exterior.

American Horror Story

Madame LaLaurie’s brutal legacy was so infamous that she became a central character in American Horror Story: Coven, portrayed by Kathy Bates. 

Nicholas Cage and the Curse

In 2007, actor Nicholas Cage bought the mansion, hoping it would inspire him to write a horror novel…Instead, he had nightmares and weird feelings of unease. Locals whispered of a curse, and when he lost the property in 2009, some linked it to his career downturn. Cage even consulted a psychic and purchased a controversial burial plot near voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.

The Old Absinthe House

New Orleans

Absinthe, often called the “Green Fairy,” is a highly alcoholic spirit once believed to cause hallucinations. The Old Absinthe House, built in 1806, became famous for its absinthe cocktails and its role in New Orleans history. 

This French Quarter bar is where pirate Jean Lafitte and General Andrew Jackson famously struck a deal to defend the city during the War of 1812. 

It survived the Great Fire of 1788, a fire that devastated downtown New Orleans, with only its fireplace left standing.

It’s seen many famous figures said to haunt the bar to this day:

• Jean Lafitte: The ghost of pirate and smuggler Jean Lafitte (you’ll hear his name a lot around New Orleans) is said to laugh eerily, the sounds of glasses clinking and the sounds of partying. 
• Andrew Jackson: The spirit of Andrew Jackson (yes, that one, the general who famously teamed up with Lafitte to defend New Orleans in the War of 1812), has been seen pacing the bar as if planning another battle. 
• Marie Laveau: Crowned as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau’s presence is said to pay a visit to the area (when she’s not busy lurking at the cemetery). 

Other hauntings include a mysterious woman in white, a child running through the third floor, chairs moving by themselves, and whispers in empty rooms. 

This Old Absinthe House is worth a stop anytime you’re in New Orleans; it’s truly one of the most haunted places in Louisiana!

Louis Cemetery No. 1

New Orleans

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is one of the most iconic burial grounds in New Orleans.

Established in 1789, its narrow pathways and above-ground tombs have set the scene for iconic flicks like Easy Rider and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. 

Marie Laveau

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is home to Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen’s tomb. Known for her healing and Voodoo, she was sought after by people from all levels of society in the 19th century. 

Visitors leave offerings or mark the tomb with Xs in the hopes of having their wishes granted.

Even Nicolas Cage, captivated by her supernatural power, purchased a burial plot near her grave, a towering white pyramid in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

Her ghost has been seen around the cemetery in her trademark red and white turban, and some claim to have felt her wrath—reporting scratches, pinches, and even being shoved by unseen hands.

Henry Vignes

Henry Vignes, a 19th-century sailor, tragically lost his family tomb when it was sold without his permission while he was at sea. 

After dying poor, he was buried in an unmarked grave. His spirit wanders the cemetery, asking visitors if they know where the Vignes tomb is. 

His manifestation is so life-like that people have mistaken him for a real person. He’s even been said to attend funerals, asking mourners if there’s room in the tomb for him.

Alphonse

Another spirit roaming St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is Alphonse, a ghost who seems to be searching for a home. 

Visitors have reported feeling a hand take theirs, followed by a ghostly figure asking them to bring him home. He’s often seen gathering flowers from other graves and placing them on his. 

Magnolia Plantation

Natchitoches

Magnolia Plantation, established in 1835, is deeply rooted in colonial Louisiana. 

By the mid-1800s, the Plantation produced a big amount of cotton from Natchitoches. By 1860, Magnolia stretched over 6,000 acres and housed 235 slaves across 70 cabins.

The Civil War hit hard when retreating Union soldiers burned the main house in 1864, but Magnolia lived on as one of the most haunted places in Louisiana. 

Slaves at Magnolia used Voodoo for spiritual protection and healing, blending African traditions with Catholicism. Evidence of rituals, like charms and small altars, has been found in the cabins, reflecting how they sought strength and comfort in horrible times.

Paranormal activity here is well documented. Ghost Adventures investigated in 2009 and witnessed Voodoo chanting, mysterious tapping, and unexplained lights in the old slave cabins. The ghost of an overseer murdered by Union soldiers is said to stick around an upstairs bedroom. 

Today, while the main mansion remains a private residence, the rest of the Plantation is owned by the National Park Service and is open for tours.

Shreveport Municipal Auditorium

Shreveport

Built in 1929, the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium is one of the most haunted places in Louisiana. Its musical history includes hosting the Louisiana Hayride, the legendary radio show that launched the careers of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley. 

Known as the “Cradle of the Stars,” it holds deep cultural significance in American music history… also, it used to be a morgue. 

Visitors have heard disembodied male voices, seen creeping shadowy figures, and caught the scent of unexplained odors. Some claim to hear fans cheering and the occasional Elvis song request. 

The basement, where moaning is heard, is haunted by the spirit of a woman who died there. A young ghost girl in a blue dress is seen running through the halls. 

Loyola University

New Orleans

Loyola University’s Marquette Hall, with its Gothic arches and long history, is a perfect setting for hauntings. In the early 1900s, cadavers were used for medical studies, hauled to the fifth-floor morgue by cranes.

Here’s a look at hauntings in Marquette Hall:

• Cadavers at Marquette Hall: From 1916 to 1966, Marquette Hall’s fifth floor was used for anatomy classes, complete with cadavers and a morgue. Bodies were lifted by a crane, with the sound of pulleys still said to echo through the building. Students have seen shadowy figures and heard footsteps pacing outside windows where the dead bodies were once transported.
• The Exorcism of Hazel: In 1968, students in Buddig Hall summoned a spirit named Hazel via Ouija board. Things took a dark turn when the board spelled out, “Cut stomach, kill Neil.” One of the students, Neil, collapsed due to appendicitis the following morning. An exorcism was performed by Father Harold Cohen, S.J. afterward.
• Hauntings at Greenville Hall: Once a nunnery, Greenville Hall is haunted by a banshee-like scream, first heard in the 1890s after a nun read a ghost story. Legends also tell of a pregnant nun who hanged herself in the cupola. Many report hurried footsteps, flickering lights, and cold spots.

Other Hauntings

• Ghostly organ player in Nunemaker Auditorium
• Playful spirit that makes messes at night in the Campus Bookstore moving around books and knocking over stacks
• Mysterious footsteps in Cabra Hall

With exorcisms, screaming spirits, and unexplained stuff, Loyola University is easily one of the most haunted places in Louisiana.

The Bentley Hotel

Alexandria

The Bentley Hotel, which opened in 1908, is a historic gem in downtown Alexandria that just so happens to be crawling with hauntings. 

And when we say gem, we mean it- the lobby reminds one of a castle foyer or a Hollywood Mansion.

Besides the glam, there are the ghosts:

• Joseph Bentley: The hotel’s original builder, Joseph Bentley, died in his third-floor suite. Guests have seen Bentley creeping around the third floor or making his rounds in the Mirror Room Lounge.
• Elevator Girl: A little girl who tragically fell down an elevator shaft remains. Her small figure has been seen in the halls, along with barely-there laughter.
• Staircase Haunting: A man who fell over the grand staircase in 1985 is now said to linger near the same spot. 
• The Generals: And for the history buffs, some claim to hear the voices of Generals Patton and Bradley in the Mirror Room, locked in eternal discussions of war strategy.

Manchac Swamp

Tangipahoa Parish

Once upon a time, the small town of Frenier stood along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, snuggled in what is now the eerily beautiful Manchac Swamp, part of Tangipahoa Parish. (In Louisiana, they don’t have counties; they have parishes.) 

Frenier was doing well, booming with its cabbage farming and sauerkraut production, until everything changed on September 29, 1915, when a Category 4 hurricane wiped the town off the map. 

The town’s fate is forever linked to Julia Brown, a local healer—or traiteuse—revered for her herbal remedies and feared by some for her rumored connection to Voodoo.

In the days leading up to her death, Julia would often sit on her porch, singing a chilling song:

“When I die, I take the whole town with me.

When I die, I take the whole town.”

— Julia Brown

As if fulfilling a prophecy, on the day of her burial, the hurricane struck, destroying Frenier and killing 275 people. Many of the bodies were never recovered, and those that were found were buried in a mass grave deep in the swamp. Julia’s own grave is isolated, separated from the rest.

Today, visitors to Manchac Swamp report hearing the ghostly cries of the lost townspeople—and, if you’re lucky (or unlucky), Julia Brown’s singing somewhere through the cypress trees. 

DeRidder’s Gothic Jail

DeRidder

DeRidder’s Gothic Jail, built in 1915, is known for its Collegiate Gothic architecture, resembling a mansion more than a prison with its harshly pointed arches and bay windows. 

Inside, it had unheard-of features for its time, like skylights and private bathrooms.

The jail’s hidden history includes the infamous 1928 hangings of Joe Genna and Molten Brasseaux, convicted of murdering a local taxi driver. Today, strange noises and unsettling feelings are reported around the execution site. Some claim the voices heard in the jail belong to Genna and Brasseaux, screaming that they don’t want to die.

Visitors have reported hearing eerie voices at the jail, including one spirit claiming, “I’m alive.” In the tunnel once used to transport prisoners to the courthouse, a mysterious image appears on the wall each morning. It resembles a demon’s face, but by evening, it transforms into the face of an angel. 

You can visit The Gothic Jail After Dark during Halloween.

Dauphine Orleans Hotel

New Orleans

Just one block from Bourbon Street, the Dauphine Orleans Hotel combines charm with a chilling past. Originally built in the 1800s, this historic hotel has seen its share of drama. 

Once home to a brothel run by May Baily, the hotel still embraces its past by choosing that name for its bar. 

• The Ghost Bride: Thought to be Millie Baily, May’s sister, Millie, this ghost is most commonly seen at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel. She was about to marry a Confederate soldier, but he was killed in a gambling game on their wedding day. Guests claim to see her wandering the hotel in her wedding dress, still waiting for her dead lover.
• The Worried General: Another common spirit is a Confederate general, nicknamed “the Worried General” by staff. He is seen pacing the courtyard in full uniform.
• Employee Woes: Staff regularly report glasses at the bar flying off shelves and doors unlocking themselves; one employee even saw a barstool levitating. 

Despite its reputation as one of the most haunted places in Louisiana, the Dauphine Orleans is a beautiful place to stay, one we highly recommend!

Haunt Us

Don’t let your ghost stories go untold. Have you been to any of the most haunted places in Louisiana? Share your ghost-hunting experiences in the comments below, visit the forums, and become part of our haunted community.