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 In 1718, in the
new Louisiana Territory, a small town was born on the banks of the mighty Mississippi
River. It grew into what is today, a city with more character and history then any other
town in the country. And what better place to spend Halloween than in a city that must be
so full of ghosts, if you could see them, they would literally block the streets.
New Orleans has an ambiance around it year round, so
much history can be found there. It's history is rich in Voodoo, French culture, Cajun
cooking, music and of course, it has some of the best cemeteries in the country.
We arrived there on October 30th, via United
airlines, which deposited us at New Orleans airport in one piece, a non-eventful flight,
which are always the best flights.
After picking up a very nice Cavalier from
National Car Rental, we headed to our hotel, the Clarion Historic French Market Inn at
501 Rue Decatur. Our room was over looking the Mississippi, the service was
wonderful, everyone was gracious and helpful.
Deciding to take a look around the French
Quarter, we hit Bourbon Street, which was teaming with ghouls galore! It
seems people get
into Halloween as much as they do Mardi Gras around here. And we thought that Salem,
Massachusetts was the only city that did that!
We got up early on the 31st, the Halloween
sprits all around us. First we would take a tour with Talisman Tours, getting our fill of
Haunted New Orleans.
This special Halloween tour took
us to sites in the French Quarter and the cemeteries. We got to join in a real
ghost hunt with a paranormal team. Then it was off to visit one of the most beautiful and
haunted plantations on the outskirts of the city. That was wonderful alone, for the
beauty of an old Southern Plantation was breath taking!. You also have the chance to experience a real Pagan
Spiritual Ritual on Halloween night. Since we usually hold our own, this was a welcome
addition.
The tour lets you explore beautiful yet
haunting cemeteries such as the Lafayette Cemetery and St. Louis #1 which should only be
visited in the day time for personal safety reasons The tour also explains one of the most misunderstood religions,
Voodoo. The tour guides will regale you with ghost stories, vampire stories and they are
very entertaining. You'll also get to drive past Anne Rice's house, see sites that were
used in the filming of the famous novel, 'Interview with the Vampire', which was exciting
for us.
Talisman gave us a very nice day and we were
very grateful for all that they did to make us welcome on the tour!
We enjoyed our Halloween very much but there
was still one more night to deal with, November 1st. We spent our day sight seeing around
town and just enjoying the ambiance of the city. As night set in, we made ready to attend the
Coven Ball. If you love vampires and being around an eclectic group of people that also
love vampires, then this Ball is for you!
November 1st is the Feast of All Saints, the
Christianized version of worshipping and honoring the dead. We had decided to stick around
the city for another day so we could attend the Coven Ball. For the ninth year, the
Vampire Lestat Fan Club, on night of Nov. 1, hosted the annual Gathering of the
Coven. 1997's soiree drew an international crowd of more then one thousand to dance, drink
and party at the recently opened Tipitina's Warehouse. The new Tipitina's facilities
included balconies overlooking the grand foyer and intimate out of the way areas just
right for neck biting, to a huge auditorium which gave the Coven party goers a wide
range of places investigate.
Veteran Coven Ball bands Peabody, Ex-Voto,
Damien Youth and Alien Fashion Show were joined by first-time bands Rickie
Catrillo and Dreamland, Torch and the Changelings. I'd love to say that each and
every band was great but we didn't pay much attention all night, so we only caught bits
and pieces of each one. The Changelings were my favorite.
Dracula's Daughter herself, Anne Rice,
graced the event with her presence, at one point, she dashed onto stage to announce to the
crowd that her discussions with Warner Brothers on the production of her next movie are
undecided over whether to shoot "The Vampire Lestat" or "Queen of the
Damned." Anne asked for a round of applause for each book to determine which should
go first. They'll have to make both movies as the crowd seemed to give equal response.
There was rumor that shock-jock Howard Stern
was attending the Gathering, but the only confirmed star at the party was Nine Inch Nails
artist Trent Reznor, a New Orleans Garden District resident. That was celebrity enough for
us, as we are big fans of his music. Celebrity show-ups have become a tradition at
the annual bash, with past attendance by such stars as Linda Hamilton, Courtney Love
and Lance Henrikson.
If you get to New Orleans for Halloween, this
is definitely the place to go for one hell of a good time! We'll be back again!
article by Dawn de LaMorte'
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