I had the privilege of having two tours with Randy during my one week stay in New Orleans. My friend and I took his tour of the St. Louis cemetary, and the Ghosts, Haunts, and Voodoo tour. Before I speak on the actual tours themselves, I would like to point out that Randy is an overall joy to be around. From his sense of humour, to his sincere heart, to his true love of New Orleans, Randy is simply fantastic.

He doesn't throw dates, facts, and stories at you - unlike some tour guides you might encounter, Randy knows how to build a narrative. Whatever fantasies I had built up in my head around New Orleans were mostly corrected with facts, and because of the way Randy so deftly delivered those facts, I was delighted (not disappointed) to find out that the truth is actually more interesting than fiction. This is not an accident, but a product of his passion and knowledge of New Orleans.

The St. Louis cemetary tour was remarkable: the moment you step into it (or, if you've already seen pictures) your mind is flooded with questions; Randy answers them all. I certainly left St. Louis cemetary with a much more vivid idea of New Orleans' history and culture.

The Ghosts, Haunts, and Voodoo tour was - for lack of a better term - haunting. Randy doesn't play to urban myths, or invent creepy stories for a cheap thrill; every stop on this tour was also backed up by his research, and personal accounts related to these stories. And, you get Vodou 101, which chases away ideas of dolls with pins in them, in favour of the interesting and enriched religion that "Voodoo" is. What you won't get on this tour is gore, horror, or cheap scares. But you will feel a great deal of unease, but also an understanding that there are themes within human lore (no matter how many years between generations) that will always be relevant.Not only are the tours great, but he has a fantastic blog available for further reading into the subjects the tours touch on. 

Both tours were easily some of the most memorable experiences I've had. It was a pleasure to have met, and spent time with Randy, and I hope to do so again!