New Orleans has hosted everything from Interview with the Vampire to American Horror Story: Coven. Here is where to find the real filming spots, what to see on foot, and how a guided tour fits in.
New Orleans is one of the busiest film cities in the American South, with French Quarter streets, Garden District mansions and above-ground cemeteries appearing in dozens of movies and shows. Key sites cluster around Jackson Square and the French Quarter, so most locations can be reached on foot. A guided movie locations tour covers the highlights in one outing.
Few American cities work as naturally on camera as New Orleans. Its French Quarter ironwork, cemeteries with above-ground tombs, plantation avenues and atmospheric streetscapes have drawn filmmakers since the 1950s, when Panic in the Streets and A Streetcar Named Desire set the tone. The industry has only grown since, helped by Louisiana's state film tax credits.
Today New Orleans ranks as the 4th largest production hub in the US and 2nd in the South, with $4.1 billion spent by productions over the last five years. For travelers, that legacy translates into a walkable city full of recognizable addresses: bars from NCIS: New Orleans, mansions from American Horror Story: Coven, and vampire haunts from Interview with the Vampire in both its 1994 film and 2022 AMC series forms.
The productions below shaped New Orleans as a screen destination. Each one left identifiable locations around the city, and many of them are covered on the guided tour listed on this page.
| Title | Year | Type | What was filmed here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interview with the Vampire | 1994 | Film | French Quarter streets, Royal Street buildings including Madame John's Legacy, Oak Alley Plantation exteriors |
| A Streetcar Named Desire | 1951 | Film | French Quarter atmosphere and Elysian Fields area inspiration |
| Easy Rider | 1969 | Film | St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 Mardi Gras scenes |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | 2008 | Film | Garden District Nolan house at 2707 Coliseum Street, Jackson Square |
| Green Book | 2018 | Film | Roosevelt Hotel, International House Hotel, Saenger Theatre, Orpheum, Clover's Grill |
| 12 Years a Slave | 2013 | Film | French Quarter streets as Saratoga, Columns Hotel |
| NCIS: New Orleans | 2014-2021 | TV | 719 St. Ann Street gateway as HQ exterior, R Bar as Tru-Tone, Jackson Square, Louis Armstrong Park, Plaza Tower |
| The Originals | 2013-2018 | TV | French Quarter brick building on Dumaine at Royal, St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, Lafayette Cemetery |
| American Horror Story: Coven | 2013 | TV | Buckner Mansion as Miss Robichaux’s Academy, Gallier House/LaLaurie Mansion area, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 |
| Interview with the Vampire (AMC) | 2022 | TV | Gallier Hall, Saenger Theatre, Pirate’s Alley, Beauregard-Keyes House, Storyville set at The Ranch Studios |
| Treme | 2010-2013 | TV | Treme neighborhood, Vaughan’s Lounge, Liuzza’s by the Track, Congo Square, Louis Armstrong Park |
| Mayfair Witches | 2023 | TV | Soria-Creel mansion Garden District, Pontchartrain Hotel on St. Charles Avenue |
| Girls Trip | 2017 | Film | Bourbon Street, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Club Maison, House of Blues |
| Now You See Me | 2013 | Film | Cafe du Monde, Jackson Square |
| King Creole | 1958 | Film | 1018 Royal Street as Elvis home |
| 21 Jump Street | 2012 | Film | St. James AME Church in Treme |
| Your Honor | 2020 | TV | Commander’s Palace, St. Charles streetcar, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Bourbon Orleans Hotel |
| Panic in the Streets | 1950 | Film | French Quarter streets and nightlife |
| The Big Easy | 1986 | Film | French Quarter, Antoine’s Restaurant, Tipitina’s |
| Django Unchained | 2012 | Film | Garden District mansions |
12 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Louisiana, New Orleans Free to see
Filmed here: Multiple exterior scenes and establishing shots
The single most reused location in the city. Jackson Square served exterior and establishing duty for NCIS: New Orleans, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Originals and Now You See Me. It is open daily, free, and pairs naturally with cathedral views, making it the logical first stop on any self-guided screen pilgrimage.
Louisiana, New Orleans Outside only
Filmed here: NCIS headquarters exterior gateway
This gated carriageway on St. Ann Street served as the exterior gateway of the NCIS: New Orleans headquarters. It is a private address, so viewing is from the public street only, but fans of the show will recognize the archway immediately. It sits steps from Jackson Square, so it adds almost no detour.
Louisiana, New Orleans Free to see
Filmed here: Tru-Tone Bar exterior
R Bar stood in for the Tru-Tone Bar in NCIS: New Orleans. Unlike most filming locations, this one is a working bar and guesthouse in the Marigny, so visitors can step inside, order a drink and sit where the cast filmed. Few screen locations anywhere offer that level of access.
Louisiana, New Orleans Outside only
Filmed here: Miss Robichaux’s Academy
The Garden District's Buckner Mansion played Miss Robichaux's Academy in American Horror Story: Coven. It remains a private residence, so the interior is off limits, but the exterior is viewable from the street and remains one of the most photographed houses in the neighborhood for horror fans.
Louisiana, New Orleans Ticketed
Filmed here: LaLaurie Mansion area and other interiors/exteriors
This historic house museum appeared in both American Horror Story: Coven, in the LaLaurie Mansion area scenes, and the 2022 AMC Interview with the Vampire series. Unlike most locations on this list, Gallier House offers ticketed interior tours, making it a rare chance to walk through rooms that were actually filmed.
Louisiana, New Orleans Outside only
Filmed here: Coffin scene and other vampire exteriors
One of the oldest buildings in the French Quarter, Madame John's Legacy hosted the coffin scene and other vampire exteriors in the 1994 Interview with the Vampire film. Access is exterior only, viewed from Dumaine Street, but it stands a short walk from Jackson Square alongside several other film sites.
Louisiana, New Orleans Free to see
Filmed here: Background and establishing shots
The cathedral appears in background and establishing shots for both The Originals and NCIS: New Orleans. Entry to the church itself is free, and it towers over Jackson Square, so most visitors will pass it regardless. For The Originals fans it is one of the most recognizable frames in the series.
Louisiana, New Orleans Free to see
Filmed here: Cemetery scenes
This above-ground cemetery in the Garden District filmed cemetery scenes for The Originals, American Horror Story: Coven and Your Honor. It is a public historic site, and guided tours are available. Its location beside Commander's Palace makes it easy to fold into a Garden District walk that also takes in Buckner Mansion.
Louisiana, New Orleans Free to see
Filmed here: Beignet and coffee scenes near Jackson Square
The beignet and coffee scenes in Now You See Me were filmed here, right off Jackson Square. The cafe is open around the clock, though it is cash only, so plan accordingly. Even apart from its film credit it is a New Orleans institution and a convenient rest stop between French Quarter locations.
Louisiana, New Orleans Free to see
Filmed here: Hotel interiors and Sazerac Bar
The Roosevelt's interiors and its Sazerac Bar featured in Green Book. The public areas of this luxury hotel are open to visitors, so travelers can walk in, order a Sazerac in the bar that appeared on screen, and experience one of the most accessible interior film locations in the city.
Louisiana, Vacherie Ticketed
Filmed here: Plantation exteriors
The plantation's exteriors anchored the 1994 Interview with the Vampire film. It sits in Vacherie, roughly a 1 hour drive from New Orleans, so it requires a dedicated half-day trip. Ticketed guided tours of the historic site are available, and the oak-lined avenue is instantly familiar from the film.
Louisiana, New Orleans Outside only
Filmed here: Elvis Presley home exterior
This French Quarter address served as the exterior of Elvis Presley's character's home in King Creole, the 1958 film shot in New Orleans. It is a private residence, visible from the street only, but it sits on Royal Street amid several other filming addresses, making it an easy add-on.
Beyond street locations, New Orleans has real production infrastructure. Film New Orleans, the city's official film office at 545 St Charles Ave, issues permits and supported over 860 of them in 2022 alone; it offers no public tour but serves as a key resource for screen tourism information. Second Line Stages operates major sound stages with recent expansions and functions as a working production hub rather than a visitor attraction. Tours by Foot runs a guided walking tour of French Quarter filming spots covering NCIS: New Orleans, The Originals and Interview with the Vampire locations, departing from Jackson Square.
Most French Quarter film sites sit within a few blocks of one another, which makes a guided walking tour an efficient way to connect them, especially for travelers who want stories from the productions rather than just addresses. The option below covers the highlights with a local guide.
New Orleans: Movie and TV Show Tour
A 4.8-star walking tour rated by 125 travelers, hitting French Quarter filming spots from NCIS: New Orleans, The Originals and Interview with the Vampire for $30 per person.
The 1994 film used French Quarter streets, Royal Street buildings including Madame John's Legacy, and Oak Alley Plantation for its exteriors. The 2022 AMC series filmed at Gallier Hall, the Saenger Theatre, Pirate's Alley, the Beauregard-Keyes House and a Storyville set built at The Ranch Studios.
The headquarters exterior is the gated carriageway at 719 St. Ann Street, viewable from the public street but not enterable. The R Bar, which played the Tru-Tone Bar, is a working bar and guesthouse that welcomes visitors for drinks.
Buckner Mansion, which played Miss Robichaux's Academy, is a private residence with exterior-only access from the Garden District street. Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, also featured in the show, is public and offers guided tours.
Oak Alley sits in Vacherie, Louisiana, about a 1 hour drive from New Orleans. Its exteriors appeared in the 1994 Interview with the Vampire film, and the site sells tickets for guided tours of the historic plantation.
Louisiana offers competitive state film tax credits that attract major productions, and New Orleans ranks as the 4th largest production hub in the US, with $4.1 billion spent by productions in the last five years. The city's film office issued over 860 permits in 2022 alone.
The French Quarter locations cluster tightly around Jackson Square, so self-guided walking works well. A guided tour adds production context and behind-the-scenes detail, and the bookable option on this page covers NCIS: New Orleans, The Originals and Interview with the Vampire spots with a guide for $30.
New Orleans rewards screen tourists better than almost any city its size. Jackson Square, the French Quarter streets and the St. Louis Cathedral cost nothing to see, cemeteries and mansions sit a short streetcar ride away in the Garden District, and only Oak Alley demands a real excursion. Start at Jackson Square, work outward on foot, and consider the guided tour to tie the productions together.
Before You Go
The tours travellers book most for New Orleans.
