A Spooky Halloween Weekend in New Orleans
Halloween festivities in New Orleans are always a unique experience, and not just because we know how to throw a great party. Our city’s rich culture and history lends itself to all things mysterious, mystical, and ghostly. Come with us on a Halloween adventure through the New Orleans area where we’ll explore how local businesses are keeping the spirit of Halloween alive.
Vampires: Living Among Us
Rumors of vampires living in New Orleans continue to horrify and perplex locals and nonnatives alike. The city is sometimes even given the moniker “most vampire-friendly city in the U.S.” Native New Orleanian and bestselling author, Anne Rice, strengthened this association between NOLA and vampires with her novel, Interview with the Vampire. The book became a cult-classic film in 1994. Furthermore, in 2005, a group of real self-identifying vampires founded their own organization, the New Orleans Vampire Association!
This connection between our beloved city and vampires runs deep. There are tons of mysterious stories speculating that these terrifying creatures are living among us. Some of them go back centuries.
A Blood-Curdling History: The Count Saint Germain and Jacques Saint Germain
One such story is that of Count Saint Germain, a wealthy 18th-century French Aristocrat who some said had found the secret to immortality. Sightings of the Count had been recorded for years after his supposed death, but in the early 20th century, one extraordinary story took the headlines.
A man by the name of Jacques Saint Germain who matched the “late” count’s description was living life to the fullest in the Crescent City. However, one night after one of his frequent extravagant parties, a lady fell from the balcony of his home, nestled just at the corner of Ursuline and Royal Street.
When the police came to investigate, she told them that the homeowner had tried to grab her and bite her neck. She went on saying she had narrowly escaped with her life by throwing herself over the balcony. When authorities went in to search the house, there was no sign of Jacques. However, upon further investigation, they did make a peculiar discovery. There was absolutely no food in the house; only bottles of wine filled with a mixture of wine and blood!
New Orleans Vampire Café
If all this talk about vampires is making you hungry, then we’ve got a treat for you. Imagine being served by a bloodthirsty vampire! This is the exact experience that the New Orleans Vampire Café is serving up. Enjoy delicious vampire-themed dishes and drinks that will make you feel like you’re dining in the grand salle à manger of a vampire’s mansion.
The restaurant is decorated beautifully with grand chandeliers….
Wine bottles dressed in their best vampire capes….
And a wooden stake, kept on hand in case of emergencies.
You can even drink your blood type with their “fang-tastic blood bags.” They come filled with your choice of a bloody delicious cocktail.
Just around back there is also a super cool novelty shop that sells all things vampire related.
Books…
Jewelry and Vampire Cafe merch….
…. And So
Much….
More!
We even got wind of a vampire speakeasy. We can’t tell you where it is or how to get in because that’s a vampire-guarded secret. So, we guess you’ll just have to go to the New Orleans Vampire Cafe and ask the vampires to tell you how to get in yourself!
Plan your next visit to the New Orleans Vampire Café by visiting their Shop Local NOLA listing here!
A City Shrouded in Mysticism
The City of New Orleans often conjures images of magic, mystery, and enchantment. If you walk down Jackson Square on any given night, it’s not uncommon to see mysterious street vendors offering to read your cards or tell you your future. New Orleans is famous for hoodoo, voodoo, and the like. While these practices have gotten a bad rep from Hollywood, they are actually deeply rooted in the culture and history of the area. African slaves brought to the Americas, fueled by a longing for their homeland and influenced by the diverse cultures around them developed a whole new brand of spirituality.
Voodoo & Hoodoo In the City
Here are a few interesting facts about the special kind of magic that runs deep in New Orleans.
- Did you know that Voodoo and Hoodoo, although often referred to interchangeably, are not the same thing?
Voodoo is an official religion that calls on a specific set of deities and spirits. It includes rituals, some of which you must be ordained to perform. Conversely, hoodoo is a spiritual practice or skill. Many of its subscribers practice other religions as well, such as Christianity or Judaism. However, both are derivatives of the forbidden religions of slaves.
- Did you know that a new type of Voodoo Catholicism was developed right here in New Orleans?
Enslaved Africans weren’t allowed to practice their native religions when they were brought to North America. Instead, they were forced to adopt the beliefs of their captors. Here in New Orleans, that belief system was Catholicism. Many of the original African deities were transformed into Catholic saints. So, for instance, when slaves would pray to Saint Peter who is known to hold the keys to the gates of heaven, they were simultaneously praying to Papa Legba, the mischievous African spirit known to control the gates to the spirit world.
- Did you know that famous voodoo priestess Marie Laveau was actually a devout Catholic and quite the philanthropist?
You might think of a lowly, uneducated old woman when you hear the name Marie Laveau. However, New Orleans’s most famous voodooist was actually a well-loved and highly respected member of society. Laveau was a successful free woman of color who served as a confidant to many in the community. She attended mass at St. Louis Cathedral and was good friends with the priest serving there. During the yellow fever outbreak, Marie used her advanced knowledge of natural medicine and massage therapy to help cure patients. This turned out to be much more effective than some of the medical procedures of the time like bloodletting. Quite a jump from the crude-speaking old maid you might have imagined.
Hoodoo Ice Cream
Just based on the name, you can guess why we were drawn to this next local business. Hoodoo Ice Cream is located in Covington, Louisiana. This charming ice cream parlor in the heart of the downtown area was once an art gallery and you can still find rows of bewitching art, lining the walls of the shop.
In fact, you may recognize the work of local artist, Molly McGuire. Her paintings were featured in a little series called American Horror Story. You can even purchase some of her prints in the store, along with Hoodoo Ice Cream merch and locally produced pepper jelly. Yum!
Speaking of locally produced goods, Hoodoo Ice Cream is a splendid example of local businesses supporting each other. Not only do they make their own ice cream and waffle cones from scratch, but many of their ingredients are locally sourced. Their sugar comes from a local sugar factory in Donaldson. Their strawberries are from Ponchatoula. And the cows who produce their milk, one of whom is displayed proudly in a photo on the wall, live at a farm about 45 minutes away.
Be sure to check out Hoodoo Ice cream’s exclusive Halloween flavors this season which will be available from mid-October till November. We tried a scoop of creole cream cheese ice cream for ourselves.
Fun Fact: Creole cream cheese is a special Louisiana recipe that was created by accident! When the French came to Louisiana, they brought their love for cheese with them. In an attempt to recreate their own cream cheese recipes here in the Louisiana heat, they got a curdled product which upon further review, turned out to be just as tasty!
You can follow Hoodoo Ice Cream on social media to stay up to date on all their fun Halloween events and flavors, or check out their Shop Local NOLA listing here!
A Strange Relationship with Death
New Orleans Funeral Traditions
You might say that in New Orleans, we finish life just as we lived it: with a little extra flavor. Many cultures around the world have customs surrounding death that seem a little strange to the outsider. In New Orleans, we are no different. For some, death is a somber, melancholy event, but to us, death can be a reason to dance.
Burying the Dead
One might not usually describe a cemetery as beautiful, but if you’ve ever visited a New Orleans cemetery, you can understand what we mean. Intricate neo-classically designed monuments fill cemetery fields in the city. Sometimes these structures hold several generations of family members inside. But why do we bury the dead above ground? That has everything to do with our geography.
New Orleans is positioned right on the Mississippi River which historically was great for trade. However, this also means that the city floods often. Way back in the 18th century, when the French first colonized the area, they learned quickly that burying the dead in an area that floods makes for a terrible mess! So, they opted for above-ground tombs.
Fun Fact: If you ever get the chance to see the famous Marie Laveau’s tomb, you might notice a bunch of XXX’s scraped onto her headstone. This stems from the old legend that if you perform a small ritual, then carve this symbol onto her tomb, the lady Marie will grant you a wish. We don’t recommend trying this, however, since vandalizing a tomb is illegal.
Jazz Funerals
Leave it to New Orleans to find the party in every situation, even at a funeral. Historically, lots of cultures incorporate music into their burial traditions, but nothing quite like in New Orleans.
At the end of a funeral, brass bands begin with a mournful melody for the departed. They march slowly through the streets accompanied by loved ones. But after this, there is a complete change. An upbeat jazz tune fills the air, and the people begin to follow the beat with dancing. This is a celebration of life!
In the past, it was said that slaves honored their dead in this way because they had finally switched over from a life of bondage to new freedom in the afterlife.
Jazz funerals are still practiced here in New Orleans, although not as popular as they once were. The practice eventually evolved into second lining, something our city is well known for. But if there is one thing that we can all learn from this unique New Orleans tradition, it’s that even in something as bitter as death, you can still find joy and a certain inexplicable beauty.
Dark Matter Oddities & Artisan Collective
Speaking of finding beauty in death, Dark Matter Oddities & Artisan Collective is the perfect place to go if you have a strange fascination with the macabre. As soon as you walk into the store, the hustle and bustle of the city melts away and the atmosphere changes into something a bit more eerie.
Bizarre skeletons and taxidermized critters line the walls and shelves of the shop.
Wet specimens of eyeballs and strange underwater creatures sit in glass cases.
Check out these fun vampire skeletons. We’re told their ensembles were designed by Monique Motil, oddity artist and costume constructor, who worked on costumes for the movie Interview with the Vampire.
Oh, and we can’t forget their selection of spooky Halloween candles and wax melts. Choose from scents like “Ashes,” “Dragoni Blood,” or “Midnight Mass.”
You can shop through Dark Matter’s collection online at their website, but many of their items aren’t even listed online. So, it’s worth the trip to go and visit them in person. Their 3-year anniversary is also coming up so follow Dark Matter Oddities & Artisan Collective on social media for updates on all the fun things they’ve got going on. You can also check out their listing here on our site.
This Halloween We Encourage You to Shop Local!
Explore more local businesses this season and see how they’re making spooky season their own. Follow Shop Local NOLA on social media to stay updated on local shops near you and have a spook-tacular Halloween!