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I have always wanted to visit New Orleans. There is this sense of magic and intrigue that surrounded the city and I wanted to experience it. In college I tred to convince my friends to take a trip to the Big Easy with me, but never succeed. Back then, the main draw of New Oreans was Mardi Gras, this seemingly giant, enticing festival. I was attracted to everything – the decorated streets, the brightly decorated masks, the enormous floats, the crowds of excited people. Eventually I graduated college without experiencing Mardi Gras.
My desire to visit New Orleans still remained but my reasons why started to change. I realized I was not at all interested in joing a crowded festival and fighting against other people to see a parade, or spend my days exploring the city with thousands of other tourists visiting on the same weekend. Of course, my interest in Mardi Gras didn’t completely disappear so when I did finally get the opportunity to visit New Orleans I knew I still wanted to experience Mardi Gras witout actually having to attend the festival.
Flash forward to my 28th birthday weekend. I was long out of college but had finally managed to talk some friends into visiting New Orleans! We drove down from Nashville at the end of February, about 2 weeks after Fat Tuesday and the end of the Mardi Gras celebrations. When we arrived we were so surprised to find that the Mari Gras spirit was still alive and well all throughout the city.
We found 3 unmissable experiences that really helped us feel the Mardi Gras spirit throughout the city even after the celebrations had ended.
Admire the Decorations in the French Quarter
Take a stroll down any random street in the French Quarter, at any time of year, and you will see Mardi Gras decorations. Purple, green and gold light up the walkways as Mardi Gras masks adorn doorways, beads dangle from balconies, and flags hand in doorways. You can feel the spriti of the festival everywhere, and it is so much fun.
Mardi Gras World
Mardi Gras World was quite possibly my favorite experience in the entire city. This warehouse is where float decorations are made and floats are stored. You can see where artists wor to create these decorations and walk around the massive floats, admiring every detailed decoration.
Bourbon Street
Along with decorations and floats, another key component of Mardi Gras is the party atmosphere and there is no better place in the city than Bourbon Street to truely experience the party in New Orleans. Pop in and out of different bars and grab a local drink like a Hand Grenade, Hurricane, or a Sazerac, and enjoy your night!
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