Posts Tagged ‘Louisiana’

February4

Images: Lake Charles Mardi Gras Revelers | Louisiana

By: JoAnna

They are at every event, on every corner, in every parade. They’re decked out in festive hats; their eyes are hidden behind sparkly masks; bells bounce about on their costumes, announcing their presence. A genuine smile is on each face. A joyful “Happy Mardi Gras!” is the first thing any of them say before wrapping your neck with a string of beads.

The Mardi Gras revelers in Lake Charles, Louisiana, are an enthusiast group of folks who celebrate and share the festiveness of Mardi Gras all year long. They make appearances at community events and spread the sparkle of the Mardi Gras season long after the king cakes have been eaten and the costumes have been put away. But during Mardi Gras itself, the revelers are everywhere. They make appearances at all the planned community events in Lake Charles and even those that somehow spontaneously manifest themselves throughout the season.

They are a welcome sight, a reminder that Mardi Gras is a time to have fun, wear cheesy plastic beads and pull out all the gold, green and purple in your closet. You can’t help but smile when one of them pulls you close for a picture, then adds yet another string of beads to the your growing collection of Mardi Gras madness.

Images: Lake Charles Mardi Gras Revelers | Louisiana

Continue Reading

Posted in: Photos0 comments

February1

Mardi Gras for Families

By: JoAnna

Mardi Gras for FamiliesMardi Gras has a reputation of being a days-long, drunken party with barely clad women, obnoxiously hammered men and long nights filled with noise, debauchery and heathenism. Don’t get me wrong: I would love to get into the true Mardi Gras mix at some point in time so I can truly appreciate all the madness, but I can also appreciate the need to keep things a bit more even-keeled.

Certainly Carnival season has its moments that could be rated PG13, R or even NC17, but it’s actually possible to enjoy the festivities with kids in tow. You might not want to set up shop on Bourbon Street in New Orleans for the duration of Mardi Gras if you’re looking for good, clean, family fun, but there are plenty of ways to enjoy the holiday’s spirits devoid of all the adults-only entertainment.

Think about safety first.

Mardi Gras festivities can be crowded, loud and a little overwhelming. Have back-up plans on where to meet if you’re separated in the swarm of people. Also, make sure that younger kids have contact information on their bodies — in a pocket, around their neck — in case they’re separated from you.

Stick to family-appropriate activities.

Mardi Gras celebrations feature a number of parades, some of them especially geared for families. And, during major parades particularly in New Orleans, there are parts of the parade route that are more appropriate for kids. (Lake Charles, Louisiana, which holds the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in the state, seems designed with families in mind.) Look beyond the parades, though. Find gumbo cook-offs, visit museums featuring Mardi Gras costumes from years past and search out fun, often overlooked local traditions that offer a unique peek into the holiday. This a great time to talk about Mardi Gras and all of the customs that have been born because of it, so make it an educational opportunity as well.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Do, Resources0 comments

January28

Images: Moments at Mardi Gras | Lake Charles, Louisiana

By: JoAnna

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve heard brief mentions of Mardi Gras as people begin making their plans to attend parades, catch beads and party hard with their friends and family. As such, I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic, thinking back to my first Mardi Gras, which I attended in Lake Charles, Louisiana, last year. It doesn’t matter how I look at it, I had a total and complete BLAST during my time in Louisiana, diving in to the local traditions and chowing down on real southern food that embodies the Mardi Gras spirit. Along the way, I captured these fleeting moments of the feathers, glitter, beads and sequins that decorate Lake Charles during the city’s most festive season.

Images: Moments at Mardi Gras | Lake Charles, Louisiana

Continue Reading

Posted in: Photos0 comments

January25

The Mardi Gras King Cake Tradition

By: JoAnna

The Mardi Gras King Cake TraditionMy first fully immersed Mardi Gras experience was last February, when I spent a week in Lake Charles, Louisiana, soaking up the colorful and fun spirit of this awesome annual event. Throughout the week, I participated in a number of activities that helped me define Mardi Gras. I walked away with this: There are two things inherently integrated into all things Mardi Gras — Community and Food.

One of the main Mardi Gras traditions that embodies the community aspect along with delicious food is the king cake. King cake is found throughout the world in a number of incarnations for a variety of celebratory reasons, but in the Southeast United States, king cake is eaten throughout the Carnival season, which lasts from Epiphany Eve to Fat Tuesday.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Eat0 comments

November28

Wanderlust Wednesday: Color in a New Orleans Cemetery

By: JoAnna

Need to escape? Looking to be whisked away? Itching for travel inspiration?

Look no further than the haunting cemeteries on New Orleans, Louisiana. The rows of bleak, above ground grave sites can be a bit daunting as you walk through this final resting place for the dead, but a hint of color reminds visitors that there was once life where now there is not.

Wanderlust Wednesday: Color in a New Orleans Cemetery

Continue Reading

Posted in: Photos, Wednesday Wanderlust2 comments

August24

Bon Temps Express: A Classy Ride in Lake Charles, Louisiana

By: JoAnna

Bon Temps Express: A Classy Ride in Lake Charles, LouisianaIf you’ve got to get from place A to place B, you might as well go in style. And, if you’re going in style, you might as well up the ante and ride with someone who is invested in making sure you get there safely, in a timely manner and with a bit of personality.

Enter Bon Temps Express.

I’d never been on a party bus prior to my Lake Charles Mardi Gras trip earlier this year, and when I climbed on board the Bon Temps Express, I had no idea what to expect besides a roomy way to travel from parade to party to restaurant to hotel. Bon Temps Express is a true-to-life bus that has been outfitted with dozens of comfortable inward facing seats able to fit 30 people, a food counter and a bathroom. At first I didn’t think much of it. After all, this was just a bus, right? Wrong. I quickly realized that there are companies with big fleets of vehicles, and then there are privately owned businesses run by people with a true interest and incentive in ensuring you reach the places you want to go in a timely manner safely while you’re enjoying the company you’re with and the ride itself. Add to that the fact that the owners of the company — Ralph and Joy Huval — are on board and making sure every moment on the Bon Temps Express is a good one and you pretty much have the ideal solution for transportation.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Go4 comments

July18

Wanderlust Wednesday: New Orleans Garden District

By: JoAnna

Need to escape? Looking to be whisked away? Itching for travel inspiration?

Look no further than the Garden District of New Orleans, Louisiana, where the large Victorian houses hide behind heavy iron gates and shady trees.

Wanderlust Wednesday: New Orleans Garden District

Continue Reading

Posted in: Photos, Wednesday Wanderlust0 comments

June15

Dressing Up For the Krewe of Illusions Mardi Gras Presentation and Ball | Louisiana

By: JoAnna

Dressing Up For the Krewe of Illusions Mardi Gras Presentation and Ball | LouisianaMardi Gras in Louisiana consists of much more than simply catching beads tossed during a krewe parade decked out in green, gold and purple. There are parties and dances, rich food and costumes, celebrations and pageants. In Lake Charles, Louisiana, lots of these events are open to the public, so even those who aren’t members of specific krewes have the opportunity to party it up Mardi Gras-style.

Though I doll up to go out in Las Vegas every now and again, I rarely get to don a super fancy dress, so I was beyond ecstatic when I found out I had to pack floor-length formal attire for the Krewe of Illusions Presentation and Ball. How to prepare??

I started with an ankle-length crushed velvet dark green dress. I opted for a dark green dress instead of a black dress to match the Mardi Gras scene. For those keeping score, this is the same dress I wore to my senior prom and for my wedding. How’s that for a well-spent $70 when I was 18 years old?

I wanted to add some more Mardi Gras color to this simple green dress, so I found a fabulous set of about half a dozen gold bracelets in a variety of styles and long dangling black and gold earrings to accessorize. The neck of the dress is a higher cut, and I couldn’t find a necklace that fit well, but the bracelets and earrings added a bit of sparkle.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Do2 comments

April16

Images: Costumes of Mardi Gras | Louisiana

By: JoAnna

Mardi Gras is consumed with food, parades, camaraderie and tradition, but it wouldn’t be Mardi Gras in Louisiana without the sequins and feathers, fur and beads, ribbons and flair. Though the official colors of this annual tradition are green, gold and purple, Mardi Gras costumes break all the rules.

To celebrate Mardi Gras, there are local community groups called krewes. Though there are many aspects of being part of the krewe, one of the big things they do during Mardi Gras is participate in formal balls, put on showy presentations and dress up in elaborate costumes, which often represent some sort of theme. These costumes can take a full year to create, and the average costume weighs more than 50 pounds once fully constructed. Those who choose to participate in the costume-oriented activities have to pay for the costumes themselves, and some of these impressive creations can cost several hundred (and even thousands of) dollars.

But Mardi Gras costumes are wow-worthy. There’s no getting around that. Just when you think you’ve seen it all — people dressed to represent the seven deadly sins, Hollywood signs, capes that drag 40 feet behind, chickens — you see yet another costume that seems to outdo all others.

When I was in Lake Charles, Louisiana, for Mardi Gras this year, I had two ideal opportunities to look at and appreciate the detail, time and effort that goes into Mardi Gras costumes. First, I visited the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu, which has the world’s largest collection of Mardi Gras costumes in the world. There are hundreds of costumes on display, and the exhibit is rotated every few months, so there are always new ones to see. Secondly, I had the opportunity to go backstage at the Royal Gala, which is the only event in Louisiana that allows the public to see the krewes’ royal courts in full costume.

Mardi Gras may be a welcome tradition for the taste buds and party-like vibe, but it’s also a feast for the eyes and a treat for the imagination.

Click on the photos below to see images in full size and activate a slideshow.

Images: Costumes of Mardi Gras | Louisiana

Continue Reading

Posted in: Photos9 comments

April9

Food of Southwest Louisiana

By: JoAnna

Food of Southwest LouisianaIf I had to describe the food of Southwest Louisiana in one word, it would be this: Fried.

Okay, two words: Fried and spicy.

But it’s also delicious, if you eat it in moderation.

Though I’m not a foodie by definition, I know when a destination’s culture is tied to its cuisine, and in Southwest Louisiana, that is most definitely the case. From crawfish and gumbo to jambalaya and boudin, there’s definitely a flavor in this corner of the United States that is distinctly unique.

BOUDIN

Whereas I like my breakfast a little bit sweet, perhaps with some syrup-soaked French toast or pancakes, the folks in Louisiana like their meat. Boudin is a particular favorite and is practically its own food group. Boudin is a variety of pork, liver, rice, onions and seasonings encased in pork intestine. It’s basically like sausage, and it’s sold by the pound at the dozens of shops along the famous Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail. The folks living here don’t hesitate to eat it for every meal of the day (plus for snack time), so there’s never a shortage.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Eat4 comments

© Copyright Kaleidoscopic Wandering. All Rights Reserved.