New Orleans' Historic Voodoo Museum

Founded in 1972 by Charles Massicot Gandolfo, a local artist with a passion for all things Voodoo, the small museum has been inducting its visitors into the mystical and occult for almost half a century.

There are several different branches of Voodoo. The museum concentrates on what is known commonly as Louisiana Voodoo or New Orleans Voodoo.

New Orleans Voodoo is a conglomerate of African and European influences that have been stirred together within the cultural melting pot of New Orleans. Originally brought to the city in the early 1700s through the African slave trade, Louisiana Voodoo can trace its roots back through three separate periods: African, Creole, and American.

Among the more interesting and unusual services that the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum offers are psychic readings. Prognosticating, or fortune telling, is an art that is deeply ingrained within the fabric of Voodoo culture.

Along with the plethora of interesting objects and artifacts that populate the museum’s walls, walking tours of the famous St. Louis Cemetery are also offered. Visitors can gaze upon the tomb of one of the most famous practitioners of New Orleans Voodoo, Marie Laveau. As a Voodoo priestess, her magical powers were legendary throughout the city of New Orleans.

The museum is open every day from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. It's open on most holidays. The cost is $7.00 for general admission, $5.50 for seniors, military, and college students, $4.50 for high school students, and $3.50 for those under age 12.

Content originally created for Atlas Obscura.