24 hours in NOLA | Our first Mardi Gras! | First impressions & tips for a great carnival season 🎉

We are in New Orleans...NOLA...The Big Easy... for the biggest festival of the season - Mardi Gras! New Orleans is a place a mystery. It has a rich voodoo culture, a deep and long Creole and French history, and is known for its food, music, and culture. Each year, those come together as the city's residents and visitors alike celebrate Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans since the 1730s and many traditions still exist today - flambeaux (gaslight torches lighting the way for each parade), elegant balls, masks, dazzling floats, and a party atmosphere. Throughout Louisiana, Mardi Gras (also known as Fat Tuesday), is a legal holiday, but the parties begin well before that day. In New Orleans, the parades and celebrations start weeks before and the season culminates on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

We had 24 hours to experience the very best of New Orleans and Mardi Gras and we had big plans - history, beignets, drinks, beads, parades... We started our adventure fueling up over another quintessential New Orleans traditions, brunch at the Ruby Slipper! You have to try their pecan praline French toast bites and classic mimosas; they won't disappoint. From there, we walk along New Orleans' famous Riverwalk towards Mardi Gras World. If you have ever wondered how the parade floats are designed and created, this is a must stop for you. Kerns Studios is among the first Mardi Gras parade float builders and they are carrying that tradition today. Since we were there for Mardi Gras, we saw floats being finished for upcoming parades.

We continued to dive into the Mardi Gras history in New Orleans by visiting the French Quarter - Bourbon and Frenchman Street, to-go cups, music, street parties - its the place to be. Of course, a visit to the French Quarter isn't complete without a stop at Jackson Square and the iconic Café du Monde for their famous beignets and chicory coffee.

And a visit to New Orleans isn't complete without the quintessential Mardi Gras parades! If you thought there was just one parade, you couldn't be further from the truth. There are over 70 krewes in New Orleans and each has a unique history. Not every krewe hosts a parade, but there is anything from 1-3+ parades each day through the city and they get more elaborate the closer to Mardi Gras you get. The parades are just as much about the spectacle as it is about the experience. You are encouraged to participate so grab a mask and get ready to yell "throw me something!".

We end our whirlwind adventure in New Orleans seeking out the city's famous King Cake. There were a couple of recommendations made, but ended up at a small café just off Royal Street in the French Quarter. As expected, it was perfection, even if we didn't find the baby.

Happy Mardi Gras! And as they say, laissez les bons temps rouler!

The Sites!
▫️ Ruby Slipper
▫️ Mardi Gras World
▫️ Creole Queen paddleboat
▫️ French Quarter: Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, Frenchman Street
▫️ Café du Monde
▫️ French Market
_________
❤️Subscribe to join our adventures: https://www.youtube.com/channel/@UCX2...

📷Follow us on Instagram:   / jlewtravels  
_________
#mardigras #nola #neworleans #mardigras2024 #cafesumonde #jacksonsquare #mardigrasworld #frenchquarter #bourbonstreet #lafitte #crescentcity #thebigeasy #festival #carnivale #parade #floats #visitneworleans #visitnola
_________
⏱️Timestamps
0:00 Welcome to New Orleans!
0:44 Brunch at The Ruby Slipper
3:00 Riverwalk & the Creole Queen
3:42 Mardi Gras World | Parade Floats Behind the Scenes
6:52 French Quarter Visitor Center
7:29 Jackson Square
8:11 Café du Monde | Beignets and Chicory Coffee
10:03 French Quarter | Bourbon and Frenchman Streets
14:11 A Night of Mardi Gras Parades!
17:36 Parade Haul | We got a signature throw!
18:35 French Market | Finding King Cake
22:09 Closing out Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street
_________
🎵Music
▫️ Members Only by TrackTribe
▫️ Carnival de Brazil by Doug Maxwell
▫️ Sour Tennessee Red by John Deley and the 41 Players
▫️ Down The Street Blues by Unicorn Heads
_________
🎞️Top Playlists
▫️ North Carolina:    • North Carolina  
_________
Hello, fellow adventure seekers! We’re Jon and Andrea—part-time travelers and full-time adventurers. 🌎 Join us as we explore interesting places around the world. We are balancing full-time jobs so many of our adventures are East Coast based, but we’re always looking to get out of our backyard!

We love:
▪️ Travel tips: we love sharing the do’s and don'ts of travel so our mistakes aren’t yours!
▪️ New experiences: follow us if you ever thought “I wonder what _____ is like” because our goal is find out and share it with you!
▪️ Finding wonder and awe in the world: Cheesy? Absolutely! But no less true in how we visit and experience new places.

We look forward to exploring the world with you!