For the Ghosts and the Gays
Have you ever wondered what it's like to walk alongside the gay spirits and listen to the untold queer lore of one of the most notorious haunted and diverse cities in Louisiana? Well, Walking with the Gay Ghosts of New Orleans has you covered!
Returning for News Orleans Pride, tours will be available from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, June 14 during select hours. The event's availability can be found online. The guided tour takes about an hour and 45 minutes and costs $33.46 per person.
Behind The Tour
Marcus Shacknow grew up centerstage on Broadway in New York City, but it wasn't until he took an extended trip to New Orleans during the pandemic where he created a new, queerer ghost tour. According to an article by Thrillist, in 2022, his business went official after he received his tour guide license and offered his first tour to the French Quarter. Then, Shacknow later decided to add a haunted aspect to the tour to appeal to the city's tourists.
On these tours, Shacknow aims to foster a community as well as displaying the unwritten queer history in New Orleans. He told Thrillist that he "takes a lot of pride in this tour that it's run by a gay person, for gay people."
What You'll See
The guided tour starts at one of the oldest continuously operating gay bars in the country, Cafe Lafitte in Exile on 901 Bourbon St., where you can grab a vodka soda and walk through the queer history of New Orleans. The tours focus on folklore and infamy, while highlighting everything from homoerotic vampires that were once locked away in the French Quarter to alleged bisexual hookups of Marlon Brando during the filming of A Streetcar Named Desire.
The tour recalls historical events, including one of New Orleans's deadliest fires in 1973 at the UpStairs Lounge, which remains officially unsolved despite being the deadliest crime against LGBTQ+ people in United States history until the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando.
Walking with the Gay Ghosts of New Orleans tours tickets can be purchased online.
