The Big Easy is a fascinating city at the best of times and also has some unique and enjoyable places to explore.
New Orleans in Louisiana is known for its great food, Mardi Gras, music and so much more. The city has fascinating architecture lining its streets and is always alive and an exciting place to be. However, New Orleans also has a more unusual side with many unusual locations that should be visited. Here are three.
1. Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo
For those who dare, Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo is a shop and museum located on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It is set in the former home of the second Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Marie Laveau was born in 1827 and died in 1895, allegedly drowning in Lake Pontchartrain on the outskirts of the city while performing a ritual.
Today, visitors can explore the museum and shop, located on the site where Laveau lived with her family. Inside, visitors can see many Voodoo-related items on display, including spiritual items and books from around the world and even a Voodoo altar. For those brave souls, spiritual readings, Tarot card readings, and spells can be obtained in a back room.
Many people believe the ghost of Marie Laveau haunts the house to this day. Visitors often sense her icy fingers on their shoulders and she is said to hang around in the backroom during spiritual readings.
Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo is open from Sunday to Thursday from 10 am to 11:30 pm and on Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 1:30 am. For those hoping for a reading, it is best to arrive at the opening time to avoid disappointment.
2. The Carousel Bar
The Carousel Bar is located in Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter and is the only revolving bar in New Orleans. The bar was crafted in classic merry-go-round fashion and has been in operation since 1949. This is a popular place for locals and visitors, as well as A-list celebrities – you never know who you might spot when popping in for a drink!
The bar has 25 seats and rotates at around one revolution every 15 minutes. It might sound kitschy, but this carnivalesque drinking spot has plenty of class. It has been ranked by Vogue Living and Food & Wine as being one of the best bars in the world and many famous faces have given it their approval. Reportedly, Liberace used to perform at the Swan Room nightclub in the hotel and often visited the bar after a show. Other famous faces have included Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemmingway, Truman Capote, and William Faulkner. More recent celebrities to visit the Carousel Bar include the likes of Dennis Quaid and Michael Jordan.
3. Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop
Staying with unusual watering holes, we now visit Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. It is said to be the oldest building used as a bar in the United States. Some believe it was built between 1722 and 1732 and was used by privateers Jean and Pierre Lafitte as a cover for their illegal smuggling activities. The first barroom permit for this address was issued in 1933 when a restaurant called Café Lafitte was opened there.
While the bar has a colorful history, no one knows the full truth, but it is, indeed, among the oldest buildings in the city and one of few surviving examples of a Creole cottage in the French Quarter. The brick masonry is exposed, window shutters hang askew and the floorboards creak, so it is a little eerie. However, patrons can enjoy the famous purple drink here and watch out for the ghosts of residents of the French Quarter who died in the fires of 1788 and 1794.
Read up on the bar’s history on its official website and enjoy a different tour of New Orleans on your next vacation!