New Orleans Travelers Recommend

Road Trip The transition from urban New Orleans to the mysterious realm of cypress swamps, vast sugarcane fields and historic bridges spanning the mighty Mississippi River are best experienced in that most American method of transportation: the automobile. Explore the region on your own or soak up some local history with the aid of one of the many guided tours readily at hand in New Orleans’ French Quarter. All Aboard Learn the secrets of local alligator hunters, fur trappers and fishermen aboard a guided boat tour of the swamps and backwater bayous of Louisiana. Though many travelers take pleasure in blazing their own trail, these gator-infested waters are not for the uninitiated. Take advantage of local knowledge of reptile habitats, healing plants and exotic birds while in pursuit of alligators, snakes, egrets, raccoons, nutria, and other wildlife.

To some, connotations of New Orleans lead to images of the antebellum plantation houses and big fan boats skidding along a marshy alligator-ridden bayou. Though New Orleans is a town that never forgets its roots and is, in fact, in very close proximity to these things, is nevertheless a modern and busy city with all that comes along with it – big city culture, big city dining, big city fun. And while you may be out indulging in some of these big city finer points, the historian and old-country lover in you might long for a return to simpler times. Luckily, the antebellum south is remembered well in some of the nearby New Orleans Plantations. Once the mainstays of an agrarian economy, nearby New Orleans plantation houses offer visitors a glimpse into the windows of a bygone era. The Bocage Plantation stakes its claim to fame for being the best representation of American Greek Revival architecture in the nation.

Weekend Before Fat Tuesday.The weekend prior to Mardi Gras is when things really start to heat up. The population of the city reputedly doubles during this time. Thursday night starts off with an all female parade, The Krewe of Muses. Friday features the Krewes of Hermes and D'État, as well as smaller, neighborhood parades like the Krewe of Barkus (features dog costumes) and the Krewe of OAK. Saturday and Sunday feature daytime parades and the first major Krewes kicks off with the celebrity-led Bacchus parade on Sunday night. Lundi Gras.Otherwise known as Fat Monday, Lundi Gras is the series of parades that precede the final festivities the following day. The monarchs of the oldest and most influential Krewes arrive by boat on Canal Street, where an all-day party is staged. Several other major parades ensue.Revelers have maintained a tradition of exhibitionism throughout Mardi Gras, but its predominant role in the celebrations has been greatly exaggerated.