In New Orleans, the Crime Scenes Begin at Jackson Square
Three different walks leave from the same stretch of iron fence in Jackson Square, and the hour you book decides which set of documented crimes you get.
Check-in happens along the black iron fence in Jackson Square, directly across from the entrance of St. Louis Cathedral. The crew flies a flag with the company name on it, so there is no hunting through a crowd for your guide. Check-in opens 30 minutes before the listed start time, and the walk leaves on schedule.
What comes after that depends on which of the three options you booked. They share a meeting point and very little else.
The booking page sells three separate experiences under one title, and they are not interchangeable.
The default option is the one most people land on, and it runs at 5:00 PM, 7:00 PM, or 8:00 PM depending on the date. The company's own route notes put its flagship evening walk at the Beauregard-Keyes House, the Villa Convento, and the stretch of Gallatin Street it describes as the city's original red-light district.
Way of the Wicked is the true-crime-heavy route, sold as its own option. It runs Sundays at 7:00 PM and no other time. It finishes on the steps of the Louisiana Supreme Court building at 400 Royal Street.
Coffee with Killers goes out every morning at 10:00 AM and includes a complimentary coffee partway through.
So pick the option first and the date second. Sunday evening is the only slot in the week that puts Way of the Wicked in front of you.
Adults Only New Orleans True Crime and Ghost Walking TourStreets of Sin, 17 and up, roughly an hour and three quarters on foot through the French Quarter. One booking covers up to fifteen travelers.www.viator.comThe Company's Own Line on Ghost Stories
Streets of Sin is unusually blunt about what it is not selling. Its promise page says that if you want "a vampire circus act with someone dressed up in a cape and makeup sharing folk stories and legends of New Orleans...THIS IS NOT THE TOUR FOR YOU." The same page carries a refund offer: the company says that if any part of the walk falls short of a five-star experience, it will refund your party in full.
The two owners describe themselves as childhood friends who grew up here, one a demonologist and the other a clinical therapist. They call their guides Horrorstorians, and the roster on their site currently runs to six people with backgrounds in theater, anthropology, and academic research.
That bluntness has a practical edge. The company runs a zero-tolerance policy on intoxicated or disruptive guests, and the booking page confirms they will not be allowed on the walk.
The Addresses, and What Happened at Them
The stops are built on cases that left paper trails. On the evening flagship route the company names Delphine LaLaurie and the house that made her notorious, the trunk murders, and Gallatin Street, where it says the brothels and gambling houses of the 1800s ran for two blocks.
Way of the Wicked goes somewhere else entirely. It covers Louie Congo and the punishments handed down under French rule, the arson at the Upstairs Lounge, and Carlos Marcello together with the Kennedy assassination theories that have followed him ever since.
The company is upfront that the running order moves. It says each tour "may morph depending on the circumstances," so the guide and the date shape which stories you actually hear.
Timing, Weather, and Showing Up Late
Plan for about an hour and three quarters on your feet. The booking page puts the walk at 105 minutes and the company's own site footer says 1 hour 45 minutes, while its FAQ describes tours as lasting "about 1.5 hours." Budget the longer figure and nothing after it gets squeezed.
Rain does not cancel it. The FAQ says tours go out rain or shine and asks you to bring a poncho or umbrella, and that only lightning or a genuine storm stops a walk. The company says its team reaches out an hour ahead when the weather turns.
Late arrivals are where the two sources disagree, and the operator's version is the one that governs. The booking page says late arrivals cannot be accommodated. The company's own FAQ says guides stay at the meeting point for the first 10 minutes and that you can rebook if you are held up past that. Treat 30 minutes early as the real call time and the 10-minute window as a cushion you hope not to need.
On access, the booking page ticks the standard wheelchair-accessible boxes. The company's own FAQ is narrower: it says guides keep to streets that are safe for a wheelchair or scooter, and advises anyone who may need extra help to bring a companion along. The operator's wording is the working answer.
Adults Only, and Where It Leaves You
This one is 17 and over. The booking page sells a single adult fare with a minimum age of 17 and carries no child or infant band at all, and the company's own description closes by telling you to leave the kids at home.
Alcohol is not included. New Orleans lets you carry an open container through the Quarter, and the company says guests are welcome to walk with a beer or a cocktail in hand. Drinks are available to buy at the final stop.
Where you finish depends on the route you picked. Way of the Wicked ends a block from where you started, on the steps of the Louisiana Supreme Court building at 400 Royal Street. The evening flagship route ends near the corner of Ursuline Avenue and Royal Street, and the company says that one closes with a story told indoors at the American Sports Saloon.
📍 Check-in is along the black fence in Jackson Square, across from the cathedral entrance. Use 700 Chartres Street to navigate, and look for the flag.
Either ending drops you back in the middle of the Quarter with the night still ahead. Bourbon Street is a few minutes away on foot and Frenchmen Street is a short walk in the other direction. Most groups go find a drink somewhere and keep arguing about which story was the worst.