Haunted Places in New OrleansThe photo to the right seeks to advertise the fact that the Old Absinthe House is haunted. And notjust haunted, but haunted in such a way that it is one of the ten most popular haunted bars in thecountry's most haunted city. You'd think, if it were true, they wouldn't want anyone to know. But,remember, this is New Orleans. If the owner's of the bar didn't tell us, then the residents would.And, according to Haunted New Orleans Tours it is number five on their list. The other nine barsare:1. Pat O'Brien's at 718 St Peter Street As many of you may know, Pat O'Brien's is famous for itshurricanes, a rather potent large drink that used to come in a hurricane glass, before they passed alaw against glass containers in the streets.2. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop 941 Burbon Steet corner of St Peter This is supposed to be JeanLafitte's, the pirate and hero of the Battle of New Orleans, actual base of operations for hissmuggling operations. It is also said to be the oldest bar in the United States. AboutUs3. The Burbon Pub 801 Burbon Street4. Cafe Lafitte In Exile 901 Burbon Street Not only is this bar haunted, but it is also the oldestcontinuously operating gay bar in the United States and is opened 24 hours a day 7 days a week.5. The Old Absinthe House 204 Burbon Street corner of Bienville This is officially named JeanLafitte's Old Absinthe because this where Lafitte and Andrew Jackson planned their strategy fortheir victory in the Battle of New Orleans. It is also said to be haunted by Lafitte's ghost.6. Alibi Bar 811 Iberville, just off Burbon Street7. O'Flaherty's Irish Channel Pub 514 Toulouse Street8. The Dungeon--Ye Olde Original Dungeon 738 Toulouse Street This is where Suleyman, of theTurkish Royal Family, received retribution for using the young women of New Orleans in training forhis harem in Turkey.9. Yo Mama's Bar and Grill 727 St Peter Streetand last but not least:10. Kerry Irish Pub 331 Decauter StreetAll ten of these bars are located in the French Quarter and all ten have been around for a long, longtime; some of them under other names over the years. The Dungeon is reported to be haunted by avampire and several hundred former patrons. It is said that they liked the place so much theyrefused to leave even after death. There are also stories of it being haunted by the spirits of youngwomen who were killed while providing "sport" for Prince Suleyman of Turkey, and by spirits of hisslaves, servants and eunuchs who were murdered in what is officially listed as a robbery, but isbelieved to be retribution for the deaths of those young women of New Orleans. Haunted NewOrleans ToursStories abound for all the other bars listed. But, and this is the truely scary part, they are only thetop ten most popular haunted bars in the city. There are many more, including Jimmy Buffet'sMarguritaville Cafe and the House of Blues. Cafe Lafitte and Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop were said tohave been owned by the infamous pirate and War of 1812 hero Jean Lafitte. Without Lafitte's aid, theUnited States might not have fared as well against the British navy in that war.But, even though we are talking about New Orleans, not just bars are haunted. There are hauntedhouses, mansions, blacksmith shops, graveyards, haunted antebellum plantation homes, you name itand they have it in and near New Orleans. And we barely even mentioned vampires yet!The New Orleans Paranormal & Occult Research Society has websites dedicated to the hauntingsthat can be found in New Orleans. Some of the stories include:Haunted New OrleansThe Haunted MansionThe Singing Rain, andThe Sultan's Massacre.A vist to their website is sure to be enjoyable and maybe even frightening.There are many Haunted Tours which are popular with tourists and locals alike. Some of the toursare walking tours and some are bus tours. Some of the stops on some of the tours include "NewOrleans Most Haunted," "Island of Salvation," some haunted houses including the LaLaurie Mansion,tours of haunted antebellum plantation homes, and of course, the cemetaries.Then there's Marie Laveau, "The VooDoo Queen." who many say is still around but in a less thancorporeal form. Also, there are the haunted streetcars and the vampire tours which include thehouse formerly occupied by Anne Rice, the author of "Interview with the Vampire," and "TheVampire Lestat."There are those that say vampires hang around the St Charles uptown area, as well as in some of theless savory areas of the city. And there are a lot of people who agree with them. Personally, I'venever seen a vampire, and I don't wish to see a vampire. At least not up close and personal where itcan use its "powers" on me. No, I like my blood just where it is, inside MY body, and I do my best tomake sure it stays there.So, you may be thinking that New Orleans is only haunted by the spirits of famous people. Not sothere are plenty of ghosts from ordinary working class people that have lived there over thecenturies. Just take a night time tour through some of the cemetaries, and you will find that out. Thefirst thing most people notice about cemetaries in New Orleans, other than the fact that they arevery old, is that the graves are all above ground in crypts and mausoleums. The reason for this isbecause New Orleans is below sea level in many spots. If the coffins were buried in the ground likemost places, then we would have them popping up out of the ground, like that scene in Poltergeist,everytime there is a heavy rain. And the Crescent City gets more than its share of heavy rains. Thiswould be especially true when a hurricane comes through and floods the city. Like Hurricane Betsyin the 1960's and more recently Hurricane Katrina in 2005.http://tonybonura.hubpages.com/hub/haunted-places-in-new-orleansFor more information about tours in New Orleans click here.