20 ways to celebrate Halloween in New Orleans
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If you're heading out, you should bust out. Photo: Xinhua/Lan Wei via Getty Images
If you're asking us, New Orleans is one of the best places to celebrate Halloween. We've got spooky stories galore, and we might be the best place in the country (maybe even the world) for costumes.
And now, as we enter spooky season, we're rounding up our favorite ways to celebrate in New Orleans this year.
🍴 Get a scary good meal.
- Several French Quarter restaurants are reputed to be haunted by spirits. Check them out and see if you feel the spirits of those who came before.
- Another option? Visit Tatlo, the new witch bar just off Bourbon Street from Cristina Quackenbush and Anh Luu. We got an early taste. Go deeper.
👻 Get spooked at a haunted house.
- A stop at The Mortuary or New Orleans Nightmare should do the trick.
- I took my 12-year-old goddaughter to New Orleans Nightmare, and I swear I even saw her starting to speed up through some of the scares.
🎃 Find a perfect pumpkin.
- The New Orleans area has plenty of locally owned spots to pick up a pumpkin perfect for painting, carving or just hanging out on your porch.
🦁 Be a party animal.
- Boo at the Zoo is the Audubon Zoo's annual spooky extravaganza, and it returns Oct. 18-20. The family-friendly fun includes trick-or-treating, photo ops and a haunted house.
- Another option is Ghosts in the Oaks at City Park's Carousel Gardens, which runs Oct. 17-20, with a pumpkin patch, spooky arts and crafts, and trick-or-treating throughout Storyland.
- For a free celebration, head to the French Market's Boo Carré, family-friendly event Oct. 19 with trick-or-treating and a spooky second line. Kids in costume can score a free tote bag, too.
☠️ Snap a selfie at the Skeleton House.
- It's not fall in New Orleans until the Skeleton House gets decked out. Pop by 6000 St. Charles Ave. to see the punny decorations that change every year. See pictures of this year's edition.
- Other regularly decorated homes include Ghost Manor at 2502 Magazine St. and the Kraken House at 6274 Memphis St. in Lakeview.
🍬 Take the family trick-or-treating.
- Every neighborhood has its own traditions, like the annual Algiers Point block party on Vallette Street.
- If going door-to-door isn't your jam, try trunk-or-treating in Lafreniere Park.
- On the North Shore, Fontainebleau State Park also has trick-or-treating events.
🐩 Show off your perfect pooch.
- More of a dog parent? Get Fido all dressed up for Dat Dog's Howl-o-weenie dog costume contest.
🎉 Head to Krewe of Boo.
- The Halloween parade rolls at 6:30pm on Oct. 19.
🧛 Hear a spooky story.
- Take a ghost tour or visit one of New Orleans' famous cemeteries.
🍻 Leave the kids at home and find a party.
- Grab a costume and head to one of the many adults-only events to celebrate the season, like City Park's Brews and Boos, the Rocky Horror Striptease Show at the AllWays Lounge or GrrlSpot's Halloween party.
- Remember Morgus the Magnificent? Reminisce about the long-running, New Orleans-born TV character at a WYES fundraiser.