Bloody Mary's Tours
Paranormal At Her Best...
By Angela Ash
Bloody Mary's Tours offer, without a doubt, the best paranormal tours in the country. Unlike many other companies, a vast myriad of options are offered, either public or private, and... SURPRISE... not merely limited to the French Quarter.
But, as with all proper New Orleans stories, that is where we will start.
Many tourists or visitors to the Crescent City never leave the Quarter, and it is often easy to see why. A majority of the attractions and museums are located there, or close by on Canal Street. And of course, the Vieux Carre has no shortage of ghost tales, ranging from the bittersweet romances to the most grotesque, disturbing visions that one could ever possibly conjure.
But why use all of that imagination? Simply book Bloody Mary's Tour of the Undead.
This was, refreshingly, like no other French Quarter walking tour I have experienced. Blending ghost and vampire tales with unique New Orleans history, this tour reaches depths that not only gives examples and renderings of events and legends, but actually explains WHY public thought and action led to these occurrences in the first place. You will dig deep into the religions that formulated their way of life, often built upon mysticism, magick, and hereditary tradition.
And these tales are not spun from the safety of a hotel lobby, but typically whilst standing on the cobblestone directly in front of the property or venue which still houses the spirits directly connected to such tragedies that they are not able to rest. Instead, they often choose to appear in photographs, or as a quick tug on the sleeve... or cold chills on a humid New Orleans night.
The starting point of this tour is even unique, with all tour goers assembled not outside, but actually within the walls of the revered Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, once belonging to notorious pirates, and birthing hundreds of reported paranormal experiences.
But don't stop there. The Moonlight Graveyard Tour offers an exciting take on the unique places and methods with which New Orleans chooses to bury her dead. We were lucky enough to actually have Bloody Mary herself as our guide for this experience, which took us into two cemeteries and outside of several others. The most interesting, by far, was Holt Cemetery... where mourners have created home-made tombstones and other sentimental effigies to their loved ones.
It was absolutely surreal to wander about these cemeteries as the day gave way to complete darkness, often with only the moonlight to guide our way. This experience is a MUST. It takes you away from the French Quarter and out into a completely different area, while still remaining easily and quickly accessible via streetcar.
