Storyteller guide Taylor lifts the veil on the spookiest things to do in America’s most haunted city

When visitors come to New Orleans hoping to get spooked, there’s a good chance they’ll get their chills and thrills on the New Orleans #1 Haunted Ghost, Voodoo, & Vampire Tour. Racking up more than 4,000 glowing reviews, this spine-tingling tour takes travelers on an evening stroll through the darkened alleyways and hushed corners of the city’s famous French Quarter. At the haunted heart of the tour are master storyteller guides like Taylor, who has been giving travelers goosebumps since 2019. Originally hailing from the south Arkansas Delta, he came to Louisiana for culinary school and connected with New Orleans traditions through his passion for Creole and Cajun cooking. “Learning about the humble origins of those foods in African American kitchens got me interested in the deeper roots of history in the city, and paranormal folklore as well,” explains Taylor. “As for the tour itself, you can expect to have your skin crawl more than a little bit. I use my stories to illustrate how close mortality can be, and to make you think about what’s behind the veil.”

With a reputation for dark deeds and profound paranormal activity, New Orleans is generally hailed as the most haunted city in the US. According to Taylor, both geography and history have made it fertile ground for ghosts and ruffians. “A hostile swamp in the early 1700s was a tough place to live,” he explains. “Hurricanes, fires, floods, plagues, and epidemics ravaged the city … Sometimes an imprint from a different time gets left on a place.” Aside from lingering spirits, New Orleans is also celebrated as the stomping ground of vampires. If you ask Taylor, New Orleans is a natural fit for these legendary, bloodthirsty residents. “Like many seeking their fame and fortune in the last few centuries, vampires came to New Orleans looking for something different than the crowded streets of Europe,” he adds. African voodoo traditions also add to the city’s captivating, multicultural allure. “Many West Africans were brought to our shores during the Transatlantic slave trade, and they tried to keep their culture and religion alive,” Taylor says. “Voodoo and the Catholic faith of the French began to intertwine, and now it’s one of the many religions in the city.”