Mardi Gras World
Next stop Mardi Gras World, the only place in New Orleans where your entire student group can, at any time of the year, still experience and enjoy the true Mardi Gras spirit (minus anything above a PG rating of course). This highly popular tourist attraction allows guests to tour a working warehouse where the mega floats are made, the large River City Complex specifically located on Port of New Orleans Place. This experience is Mardi Gras all year-round, a family-friendly entertaining and educational way to see first hand the work and planning put into this grand event. You will tour the massive building studio, get the history of this tradition, and hopefully walk away with a much better understanding of the real Mardi Gras.
This opportunity is full of great exhibits, interesting cultural learning opportunities, and is also located in a great spot right off of the river. One of the unique things about this attraction is that they will provide you and your group will free transportation shuttles to and from this location, including over 20 popular stops across NOLA. Witness NOLA culture at its finest as you see up close and personal how the artists make the mega floats that can hold up to 200 people, fiber optics, and laser lights, for over 40 parades a year.
The thing that most people don’t know about this company is that it was actually started in 1947 by Blaine Kern Studios and takes part in breathtaking worldwide floats, not just Mardi Gras. During the actual tour, you will see various costumes, view the historic video, and taste a bit of King’s Cake, as you get all the inside and behind the scenes info on this unique and festive tradition. Be sure to bring your camera along for this absolutely enthralling hour-long tour so you don’t miss one vibrant shade of culture or essential NOLA history.
