Mardi Gras World...

In New Orleans Mardi Gras is kind of a big deal, and at Mardi Gras World it's the only deal.

It's hard to describe, but it's a pretty interesting place. We were able to roam around the warehouse where they keep the Mardi Gras Parade floats during the year. (photos below).

We took that tour before heading out to the Grand Oaks Mansion. The photo on their website does not do this facility justice, and I wish I would have been able to get some pictures. You literally walk through an old plantation style mansion and then out the back door (which is really the front door) and into the front yard. It looks like you're having a party under the stars right in the front yard of the mansion. By the end of the night I had to remind myself I was indoors. Pretty amazing venue.


The mansion party had a live jazz band and great New Orleans cuisine like shrimp pasta, sausage gumbo, sausage jambalaya, po' boys and bananas foster. The landscaping looked real and the trees even had green moss growing up the side of them. The best part - it was air conditioned.

Here are some photos from the Mardi Gras World Tour. I refrained from taking photos of extra large clowns or jesters. It creeps some people out.

When you walk through the door there are gigantic heads that stare at you. I image this is what it would be like if your horrific nightmares came true. This head we thought was Indiana Jones, but if you look closely those are croc teeth in the hat band of that hat, and that only means one thing-Crocodile Dundee, ol' Mick Dundee himself. It didn't really look a thing like him, but at least the hat band was a solid clue.

 Lilo wasn't anywhere to be found, but Stitch was. As well as the jackass who ruined my perfectly good photo of the growly little critter that ate, literally everything.

I could go a few different directions with this beauty. I am going to guess this is what I look like when somebody calls me on a Sunday - during a race. Na, I hate snakes. I would never allow them to come out of my head.

Another favorite. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Leonardo. This hero in a half shell was about ten feet tall. He was only one of several pop culture types that graced the warehouse.

 Scarlett and Rhett make an appearance. You can't see the entire Tin Man in this photo, but you can see his stump. To be real honest the facial expression the metal man was making was a little sketchy. We couldn't quite tell if he was high, or really, really happy.

So, this guy is pretty famous in New Orleans. Saints quarterback Drew Brees, or a sort of replication of him. Actually, it wasn't even close. At this point I'm going to say it's a rendition of a drunk fan, wearing a Brees jersey.

A very pretty float. This one had flowers on it the size of windmills. All these floats appear to be pulled on oversized hay trailers.

How do I know I'm growing up? To the left of the chicken-like creature and cow there was a baboon with its butt facing us. A few years ago I would have zoomed in on the butt, laughed about it, and sent it via text to all my friends. I tried to get all three in the photo (see, I'm not quite an adult yet) and when that didn't work I opted for the cow and chicken. It was an ag trip, so I felt it was only appropriate.