The St. Charles line

(139:  St. Charles line streetcar.  New Orleans, LA.  Photo © 2009 by Robin)

The St. Charles line in New Orleans is the oldest operating streetcar line in the world.  It has been in service for more than 150 years.  When in New Orleans, don’t call the streetcar a “trolley.”  Although “trolley” and “streetcar” are used interchangeably in some places, New Orleanians call them streetcars.

Rumor has it that there has been a ghost-sighting along Carrolton Avenue on the St. Charles line.  A tourist couple has been seen by a conductor, heads bent together over maps and tour books, looking as normal and as real as any other tourist couple.  And then, well, suddenly they disappear into thin air!

My guess is that they liked New Orleans so much that they decided to come back and ride around on the streetcars occasionally as part of one big afterlife party.  Or perhaps they were so lost that they’re still trying to get to their original destination (hence the need for the maps and tour books!).

Whatever the case, hauntings or no hauntings, riding the St. Charles line is an inexpensive, romantic, and lovely way to see parts of New Orleans.    The St. Charles streetcar will take you through parts of the Garden District where you will see some impressive homes, churches, and antebellum mansions.  Along St. Charles Avenue it passes through a tunnel of live oak trees.  And if you want to visit one of the cemeteries and perhaps find a few ghosts of your own, the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is just a block or two from a St. Charles line stop.