New Orleans Cemetery, Spirits, Ghost and Voodoo Bus Tour

New Orleans has a way of making the past feel close. On this nighttime bus tour, that past takes the form of cemetery customs, ghost stories, voodoo traditions, and places marked by tragedy. You visit the Hurricane Katrina Memorial, the abandoned Charity Hospital site, Odd Fellows Cemetery, and ritual burial locations shown only to people on this tour.

I like the mix of history and atmosphere, since the tour is not only about spooky tales. I also like the practical bus format, especially for a 2.5-hour evening outing that moves between several parts of the city. The main drawback is that the experience may not suit you if you want a calm, polished history tour. Some stories are unsettling, and the abandoned or tragic sites can feel heavy rather than entertaining.

Key points to know before booking

• The Hurricane Katrina Memorial gives the tour a serious purpose: It marks the final resting place of unidentified and unclaimed victims of the 2005 disaster.
• Charity Hospital is a major stop: The hospital system closed after Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, and is presented as one of the oldest hospital systems in the United States.
• Odd Fellows Cemetery adds a traditional cemetery stop: You can connect local burial customs with the city’s long relationship with death and ritual.
• Some ritual burial locations are reserved for this tour: These sites are presented as exclusive stops rather than standard New Orleans sightseeing points.
• Guide Jeff is specifically praised for storytelling: If he is leading your departure, expect a strong focus on stories and historical detail.
• The $50 price includes transportation: You ride in an air-conditioned vehicle, but dinner is not included.

Why this nighttime tour feels different

Many New Orleans ghost tours stay within the French Quarter and rely on a walking route. This experience takes a broader view of the city. You remain on a bus as the group visits cemeteries, memorials, hospital grounds, and ritual locations connected with death and spiritual practice.

That wider range gives the tour a more serious edge. You are not only hearing a haunted-house story and moving on to the next bar-lined street. The evening connects burial traditions, disaster, medical history, and local spiritual customs.

The nighttime timing matters. Darkness changes the way you see cemeteries and abandoned buildings, even when the tour does not promise a supernatural encounter. You will need to be comfortable with an atmosphere built around ghosts, spirits, unexplained stories, and voodoo. If that sounds like fun, the mood should fit. If you prefer straightforward architecture and daytime sightseeing, this may feel too theatrical or unsettling.

The bus also makes the experience easier on your feet than a long walking tour. You travel between stops in an air-conditioned vehicle, which is useful in New Orleans weather. The tradeoff is that you spend less time wandering independently through each location. The guide controls the pace, and the value comes from the narration and selected stops rather than free exploration.

Meeting the group on Canal Street at 8 pm

The tour begins at Premium Parking, P0555414 on Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. The listed start time is 8:00 pm, so plan to arrive early enough to find the meeting point without rushing.

Canal Street is a central location, and the tour is near public transportation. That gives you a practical starting point if you are already out for dinner or visiting central New Orleans. The experience ends back at the same meeting point, so you do not need to arrange a separate ride from a distant neighborhood.

The group can include up to 28 people. That is small enough for a guide’s voice and stories to remain central, though it is not a private tour. Your experience may depend partly on where you sit and how easily you can hear. The air-conditioned vehicle is included, but dinner is not, so eat before the 8 pm departure or plan food separately.

A mobile ticket makes check-in simple. Confirmation is provided at booking, and service animals are allowed. Most people can participate, but the supplied details do not describe specific access arrangements at every stop, so you should ask before booking if you need particular mobility support.

New Orleans burial customs at the heart of the tour

One of the most useful parts of the evening is the explanation of how New Orleans handles burial. The tour promises an introduction to the city’s distinctive burial practices, giving you context for the cemeteries and ritual sites you see later.

This matters because cemeteries here are not simply collections of old gravestones. The city’s burial customs reflect local conditions, religious traditions, family practices, and the long presence of death in New Orleans life. The tour uses those customs as a bridge between ordinary history and the supernatural stories that make the evening spooky.

You should listen for the difference between a documented custom and a ghost tale. A good guide can make both interesting without treating them as the same thing. Guide Jeff is specifically praised for telling strong stories and history, so his departure may offer a particularly good balance.

The cemetery portion is also where the tour earns its title. You are not just visiting a cemetery after dark for a quick scare. You are learning why burial locations matter and how ritual shapes the city’s sense of place. That gives the experience more substance than a collection of jumpy anecdotes.

Odd Fellows Cemetery and the cemetery experience

Odd Fellows Cemetery is included as one of the tour’s stops. The supplied details do not provide a long description of the site, so you should not expect a full architectural or genealogical tour. What you can expect is a cemetery visit tied to the evening’s wider discussion of burial, spirits, and local history.

This stop will likely appeal most to you if you enjoy places that feel less polished than the city’s headline attractions. Cemeteries can be quiet, eerie, and reflective, especially at night. They also remind you that New Orleans history is not confined to famous streets or grand buildings.

Keep your expectations measured. The tour lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes and includes several stops, so time at Odd Fellows Cemetery may be limited. The guide’s explanation is likely to matter more than a long period of independent wandering. Stay close to the group and pay attention to the stories, since the tour’s value is built around the connection between each stop.

The Hurricane Katrina Memorial and the human cost of disaster

The Hurricane Katrina Memorial is not a lighthearted ghost-tour stop. It is the final resting place for victims who remained unidentified and unclaimed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

That fact changes the tone of the evening. You may arrive expecting a spooky attraction, but this location asks for respect and quiet attention. The memorial connects the tour’s interest in death and spirits with a recent event that caused enormous suffering in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast.

I appreciate the inclusion because it keeps the tour from turning every subject into entertainment. The memorial offers a place to think about the real people behind the city’s stories. It also gives you a better sense of why New Orleans has such a strong relationship with cemeteries, memorials, mourning, and remembrance.

The exact length of the stop is not provided. Treat it as a guided visit rather than a museum-style presentation. Listen carefully, since the guide’s explanation may be the main way you receive context about the memorial.

Charity Hospital after Hurricane Katrina

The tour also visits Charity Hospital, described as the second-oldest hospital system in the nation. The hospital closed because of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.

This is one of the most striking stops because it combines medical history with abandonment and disaster. Hospitals are places associated with birth, illness, emergency care, and death. Seeing a closed hospital at night can feel unnerving without needing any supernatural story added.

The stop is also a reminder that Katrina changed more than homes and neighborhoods. It disrupted major institutions and left important parts of the city out of use. You get a look at the city through the effects of a disaster, not only through its music, food, and old buildings.

Bring a camera if you want to document what you see, but keep your attention on the guide and the site itself. One part of the tour’s appeal is the chance of catching an unusual image at Charity Hospital. That possibility is part of the fun, but it should not become the whole purpose of the stop.

You should also expect a serious mood here. If you are looking only for playful ghost stories, Charity Hospital may feel too stark. If you want a tour that links supernatural themes with real history, it is one of the stronger parts of the route.

Ritual locations reserved for this tour

The tour includes secret burial grounds and ritual locations shown only to participants. These are among the most unusual elements because they are not presented as standard public sightseeing stops.

The word secret should be treated carefully. The supplied details do not explain the exact locations, who uses them, or how access is managed. What you can say with confidence is that the tour includes ritual sites that are not part of the ordinary route for New Orleans visitors.

This part should appeal to you if you want something beyond the usual French Quarter ghost walk. It also means you should respect the guide’s instructions. Ritual places and burial grounds are not simply backdrops for photographs. Their meaning may be important to local communities, and the tour’s responsible handling of the stop matters.

The combination of these sites with the cemetery and memorial stops gives the tour a wider subject range. You hear about voodoo and spirits, but you also encounter burial customs, tragedy, and institutional history. That blend is the main reason to choose this tour over a basic haunted-pub route.

How the storytelling affects the value

At $50 per person, this is not the cheapest way to spend an evening in New Orleans. The price includes the 2.5-hour tour and air-conditioned transportation, which means you are paying for the vehicle, the guide, the selected route, and the narration.

For me, the value depends on how much you care about guided context. If you only want to look at buildings from a bus window, the price may feel high. If you want someone to explain burial practices, connect Katrina to the city’s history, and tell stories at several difficult-to-find locations, the cost is more reasonable.

Guide Jeff receives especially strong praise for combining stories and history. That detail matters. A ghost tour lives or dies by its guide, and a narrator who can explain the facts as well as build suspense gives you more for your money. Since guide assignments can change, I would not book on the assumption that Jeff will definitely lead every departure.

The maximum group size is 28 people. That keeps the experience more manageable than a very large coach tour, but you should still expect a shared outing rather than personal attention at every stop. The bus format is a good fit for covering ground, while the group size keeps the tour from feeling entirely anonymous.

Who should book this experience

I would recommend this tour to you if you want a nighttime New Orleans experience with real historical weight. It is a good match for people interested in cemeteries, unusual burial practices, voodoo traditions, disaster history, abandoned places, and ghost stories.

It may also work well as a change from the usual restaurant, music, and French Quarter routine. The tour shows a less polished side of New Orleans and brings you to places connected with memory, loss, and local ritual.

You may want to skip it if you dislike stories about death, unidentified victims, hospitals, or disaster. The experience is not described as a family-only program, and the subject matter can be unnerving. Most people can participate, but the mood is more important than physical difficulty.

The tour is also less suitable if you want a flexible schedule. The bus leaves at 8 pm and returns to the same meeting point after about 2.5 hours. You follow the planned route, with no dinner included and no promise of extended free time at each stop.

Cancellation and weather details

You can cancel for a full refund if you do so at least 24 hours before the 8 pm start time. Changes or cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance are not accepted for a refund.

The tour requires good weather. If poor weather cancels the experience, you are offered another date or a full refund. The tour also requires a minimum number of participants. If that minimum is not reached, you are offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

My verdict: a serious ghost tour with more substance

I would book this tour if I wanted New Orleans ghost stories tied to actual places and difficult history. The Hurricane Katrina Memorial and Charity Hospital give the evening a sober center, while Odd Fellows Cemetery and the ritual locations provide the eerie atmosphere people expect.

The strongest reason to go is the combination of storytelling, transportation, and unusual sites. Guide Jeff is specifically praised for making the history and stories work together, and the route covers more ground than a typical walking tour.

The main caution is the tone. This is not only a playful night of ghosts. You will encounter memorials, unidentified victims, a closed hospital, and burial grounds. At $50, the experience is a fair value if that mix appeals to you. Book it for the stories and context, not only for a chance at a mysterious photograph.

FAQ

How long is the New Orleans Cemetery, Spirits, Ghost and Voodoo Bus Tour?

The tour lasts approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

What time does the tour start?

The tour starts at 8:00 pm.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Premium Parking, P0555414, on Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana 70130.

Where does the tour end?

The activity ends back at the original meeting point.

What sites are included?

The tour includes the Hurricane Katrina Memorial, Charity Hospital, Odd Fellows Cemetery, and secret burial or ritual locations shown to participants.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Transportation is provided in an air-conditioned vehicle.

Is dinner included?

No. Dinner is not included in the tour price.

How many people can join the tour?

The tour has a maximum group size of 28 participants.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes. Service animals are allowed.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes. You can receive a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start are not refunded.