Bourbon Orleans Hotel in New Orleans said to be one of the 'most haunted' hotels in America

I was in New Orleans on Saturday and ended up spending the night at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. Only later did I learn that it’s one of the most haunted hotels in America.

Located in the French Quarter on Orleans Street, the property has a storied past that dates all the way back to 1806 with the construction of the original Theatre d’Orleans, which was later destroyed by fire. In 1817 (two years before Alabama even became a state) the Orleans Theatre and the Orleans Ballroom were built on the site by new owners. It’s said that this 1,300-seat theatre put New Orleans on the map as the opera capital of the United States throughout the 1800s.

In 1881, the Sisters of the Holy Family acquired the property and for the next 83 years it served as a school, orphanage and convent. The Sisters sold the property to hotel developers in 1964, which resulted in a $7 million restoration and construction project. The grand opening for the Bourbon Orleans Hotel was held in July 1966.

When my wife and I checked in to the hotel on Saturday afternoon, we’d never heard that the place was haunted, but in the lobby there’s a big display that details the hotel’s “haunted history.” Apparently, USA Today at some point in the past named the Bourbon Orleans as one of the “Top Ten Most Haunted Hotels in America.” Nowadays, the hotel uses this unusual designation as a way to attract guests to the hotel.

In the past, guests claim to have seen a ghostly man, possibly a long-dead Confederate soldier, roaming the halls on the third and sixth floors. Others say that they’ve seen the ghost of a little girl rolling a ball and chasing it down the sixth-floor hallways. Others report hearing light footsteps in the hallway when no one else is around.

In the ballroom portion of the building, witnesses claim to have seen a lonely, ghostly dancer in the ballroom, dancing beneath the crystal chandelier. Others say that they’ve heard strange rustlings and something possibly hiding behind the ballroom draperies. Some blame the draft from open windows, but others say that something supernatural is going on. 

When it comes to ghosts and the supernatural, I’m an open-minded skeptic. I’m not saying that such things don’t exist, but I’ve got to see it to believe it. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff, but I’ve never seen a ghost. To be humorously honest, if I did see one, I don’t know that I would tell anyone.

With that said, who’s to say that you won’t see something out of the ordinary if you ever decide to spend the night at the Bourbon Orleans. If you do, be sure to call me because I’d like to hear all about it. You might even turn an open-minded skeptic into a true believer.