What comes to mind when you think of traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana or NOLA? Its unique three hundred year old French and Spanish history? Its cool jazz performances and vibrant art scene? Its delicious Creole and Cajun cuisines?  Along with the warmer weather, these all were considerations when Robert and I decided to take a quick getaway there last month.

And while we couldn’t make NOLA’s world famous Mardi Gras Parade that takes place this year on March 5th, we learned a lot about about the preparations and culture that surround this exciting celebration.

Ruby Slipper Cafe: After waking up in our beautiful suite at The Eliza James on Magazine Street, we walked a few blocks to have a great breakfast of omelet, grits, biscuit, and butter at the Ruby Slipper Cafe.

This restaurant as well as its two sisters were named for the ruby slippers mentioned in the literary classic, The Wizard of Oz . This was because of the powerful sense of homecoming that the owners felt when they returned to NOLA after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Mardi Gras World: Then it was a short walk over to one of my favorite attractions, Mardi Gras World.  It is there that each Mardi Gras float is created and housed before and after each year’s parade.

After an interesting film about the history of this company, and fueled by a free slice of a Mardi Gras treat, King Cake, we were taken on a fascinating tour of the facility.

During the tour, we learned that these amazing sculptures are actually made from styrofoam because it’s a less expensive material to use and much more malleable to carve. The pieces are reused again and again for future floats.

Many talented artists make these beautiful pieces,

but a robot names Pixie helps with the carving of the styrofoam.

Riverwalk:  It started to rain heavily as we left Mardi Gras World so we took this attraction’s free shuttle bus which dropped us off close to Riverwalk, a collection of indoor shops and eateries. This included a small outlet for Cafe Du Monde’s tasty beignets.

Food History Tour Presented by Doctor Gumbo:  After the skies cleared, it was on to meeting up with other tourists from around the country for a great food history tour of the city. During our three hour experience, our friendly guide provided us with interesting information about the history of the city as well as this destination’s varied cuisine. We had a fun time eating at several restaurants including the Pepper Place, SoBu, and Leah’s Pralines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Jazz Brunch at the Palace Cafe: The next day we enjoyed a very nice jazz brunch at the elegant Palace Cafe.

While we were treated to the melodic sounds of a three piece jazz band, we dined on several treats including shrimp tchefuncte, a delicious combination of shrimp, mushrooms, stone ground grits and creole muniere….

as well as a Croque Madame.

The Place Cafe’s white chocolate bread pudding was equally delicious.

 

Louisiana State Museum: To round out our pre-Mardi Gras trip, we visited a wonderful permanent exhibit on this centuries old celebration including its costumes and traditions at the Louisiana State Museum.

Such a great visit and many thanks to NOLA’s tourism office for all of their help and assistance.