Current:Home > InvestPoinbank:Welcome to the 'scEras Tour!' Famous New Orleans Skeleton House adopts Taylor Swift theme -Infinite Edge Learning
Poinbank:Welcome to the 'scEras Tour!' Famous New Orleans Skeleton House adopts Taylor Swift theme
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-07 02:09:59
A skeleton-suffused yard is Poinbankbringing the "scEras Tour" to New Orleans.
The Louisiana home — dubbed the Skeleton House on Yelp and Google Maps — is owned by Louellen and Darryl Berger. The spooky nickname comes from Louellen's massive collection of skeleton replicas. Every fall, Louellen takes all of the skeletal spirits crammed in her garage and scatters them throughout her yard.
The dead come to life with fun outfits crafted by the seamstress. The Berger family places hundreds of laminated signs containing "humerus" puns: "lazy bones," "attached at the hip," "bone dry," etc.
Berger is known as the Queen of Halloween among her family and the locals. Her frightening exhibits come with a theme, and past concepts have included Maison Maskquerade and E.T. Bone Home. Every skeleton in her closet also has a clever named like "King Gore-ge," "Rolling Bones" and "Snoop Dogg-Gone."
To celebrate Swiftmania coming to Caesars Superdome at the end of October, Louellen has brought "Terror Swift: The scEras Tour" to her home's grassy stage.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"It was the eureka moment," she says over Zoom. "We read in the newspaper that Taylor Swift was going to include New Orleans on the second phase of her tour."
The Bergers have been planning their bedazzled, bejeweled and bedeviled arrangement since the summer of 2023. A 12-foot Swift skeleton dressed in her best fearless, frilled gown stands alongside an 8-foot Travis "Skelce."
Every era is present from Swift's eponymous first album to "The Tortured Poets Department." A skeleton wearing the "Reputation" black-and-red snake bodysuit holds a cherry red telephone cord menacingly. The head of the telephone dangles like an ominous warning. Underneath, signs say, "Reputation can't come to the phone right now. Why? Oh... cause she's dead." Another skeleton dressed in gold with a braided ponytail evokes "Evermore." Two signs read "No body, no crime" and "Time to go," two tracks off Swift's ninth studio album.
On Berger's desk is a poster of sketches and notes outlining every era designed by one of her precocious granddaughters.
"I was corporate fashion director of a large department store but retired in the mid-'80s," Louellen says. She stitched the dresses and outfits over the summer. "It was nice getting back to my sewing machine to make a lot of costumes."
The grandmother of 11 worked her fingers to the bone for the three weeks following Labor Day. She shows off some of her hot glue gun burns and laughs.
"The Lord has blessed me with a lot of energy," she says. "I can work for 14 straight hours with just a health bar or light lunch."
Berger anticipates thousands of Swifties showing up at her French colonial door while the singer is in town Oct. 25-27 and plans to pass out thousands of fun light-up lanyards and friendship bracelets.
"My granddaughters and I made the friendship bracelets with little skulls and oh, they're cute," she says.
Although Berger doesn't anticipate Swift stopping by, the invitation is open and she promises a wicked good time.
"I would pass out if she ever did," Louellen chuckles. "I hope she knows this is our family's way of thanking her for coming to New Orleans and sharing her great talent."
The Skeleton House is located on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. The display will be cleaned up the day after Halloween.
Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Transcript: University of California president Michael Drake on Face the Nation, July 2, 2023
- Trump’s Power Plant Plan Can’t Save Coal from Market Forces
- 5 Ways Trump’s Clean Power Rollback Strips Away Health, Climate Protections
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Matty Healy Sends Message to Supporters After Taylor Swift Breakup
- Woman hit and killed by stolen forklift
- Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny’s Matching Moment Is So Good
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Why Khloe Kardashian Doesn’t Feel “Complete Bond” With Son Tatum Thompson
Ranking
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Wednesday's Percy Hynes White Denies Baseless, Harmful Misconduct Accusations
- Election 2018: Clean Energy’s Future Could Rise or Fall with These Governor’s Races
- Kim Zolciak Won't Be Tardy to Drop Biermann From Her Instagram Name
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Alligator attacks and kills woman who was walking her dog in South Carolina
- Entourage's Adrian Grenier Welcomes First Baby With Wife Jordan
- United Airlines passengers affected by flight havoc to receive travel vouchers
Recommendation
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
Murder probe underway after 6 killed, 1 hurt in South Carolina house fire
Woman hit and killed by stolen forklift
Louisville Zoo elephant calf named Fitz dies at age 3 following virus
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Danny Bonaduce Speaks Out After Undergoing Brain Surgery
All-transgender and nonbinary hockey team offers players a found family on ice
Why Tom Holland Is Taking a Year-Long Break From Acting