Visit Mardi Gras World in New Orleans
People flock from around the world to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans. However, the annual celebration usually falls in January and February. If you’re fortunate enough to book your travel to the Big Easy for the celebrations, then kudos. But if your plans are to visit New Orleans outside of that major celebration, then Mardi Gras World is a great place to visit. You can get a taste of the floats and Mardi Gras decor, any time of the year.
Here’s a rundown on what you can expect at Mardi Gras World, along with a few tips to help make your experience something memorable.
Directions and Tickets to Mardi Gras World
Mardi Gras World is on the south end of the touristy areas of New Orleans, near the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (1380 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130). It’s not really where I would’ve expected a museum like this to be located. But this isn’t necessarily a museum, but an active workshop for Mardi Gras floats year round. That workshop needs a large warehouse to build and store the large displays and floats.
I was glad to learn that Mardi Gras World offers a complimentary shuttle service from both downtown and the French Quarter. It’s simple to use, too. First, check out their downloadable map and find the pick-up location that works for you. Once you’re at that stop, call (504) 361-7821 and let them know which stop you’re at. They’ll send a shuttle your way! After your tour, take the shuttle back to one of the shuttle stops and you’re done. It’s that simple.
There is a parking lot across the street from the entrance, but there’s a $20 fee to park there.
Hours and Tickets
Mardi Gras World is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with tours starting every 30 minutes. Each tour lasts about one hour.
Purchase tickets to Mardi Gras World online in advance of your visit or on-site. You may be able to find a discounted price through Groupon – that’s what we ended up doing. There are three ticket prices: Adults are $22, children (ages 2-12) are $14, while seniors and students are $17.
What to Expect on Your Guided Tour
When you arrive at Mardi Gras World, check in at the front counter and they’ll give you a colored bead necklace to indicate which tour group you’re with. Tours begin on the top and bottom of the hour and can be broken up into four main sections.
Learn about Mardi Gras
Your tour begins with a short video presentation all about Mardi Gras. I’ve never been too interested in being in New Orleans during Mardi Gras (it’s just not my style of party), but the video footage of Mardi Gras in action did look like a lot of fun. It’s quite the celebration with lots of colorful floats, beads, giveaways and music.
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After the short video finishes, your guide will let you grab a little sample of a King Cake – a popular treat during Mardi Gras.
Mardi Gras Takes Shape
The next portion of the tour walks you through some of the workshop bays where sculptors can be seen making pieces for future Mardi Gras floats. We saw a few pieces and characters underway as our guide took us through that area of the warehouse. There were also several former pieces on display throughout Mardi Gras World.
Storing Mardi Gras Decor for the Future
The Mardi Gras creations aren’t discarded when the party ends. Each work of art is pulled off the floats and stored in the warehouse. The characters and designs can be reused or redesigned for future celebrations. Here’s your chance to wander through all the old characters to capture selfies and photos. Some of my favorites included the Chucky and Bride of Chucky as pictured above. There’s also a Buzz Lightbeer (it’s a copyright thing), the Beatles, a giant gorilla and so many more.
Mardi Gras Floats Waiting for Upgrades
The final area of the Mardi Gras World tour is to see the large floats that parade through the streets of New Orleans. As you can see from the photo below, they come in all shapes and sizes. They’re massive semi-truck trailer sized and some even connect together to be a train of sorts. The tour guide will explain more about the floats, then you’ll be left to wander the area to grab those last-minute photos/selfies before the tour concludes.
A few other Mardi Gras World tips
I often recommend people explore the gift shop of the museum or venue they’re visiting. The one at Mardi Gras World is no exception. The counter where you first check in (or purchase your tickets) is where you can purchase your Mardi Gras and New Orleans party materials. You’ll find beads (of course), attire, shot glasses, costumes and much more. It’s a great place to snag a few souvenirs from your trip to The Big Easy.
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One element near the end of the tour is worth checking out. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see the massive machine in action. The machine takes large Styrofoam blocks and shapes them into the basic shape or design of the intended character. That gets the work of creation started, then the engineers take it from there to fine-tune the magic.
You don’t have to visit New Orleans during the Mardi Gras celebration to get a taste of the creativity that goes into the floats. Spend the time to visit Mardi Gras World and build that excitement to venture down to New Orleans during Mardi Gras to “Laissez les bons temps roulez”.
The Details
Address: 1380 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130
How long to spend: Plan on about one hour for the guided tour and exploration.
Cost: Adult tickets are $22, while children (ages 2-12) are $14. Military/Students/Seniors are $17. TIP: Groupon may have discount admission tickets.
Hours: Open 7 days a week, 9:30am to 5:30pm. The first tour begins at 9:30am and the last tour begins at 4:30pm.
Website: https://mardigrasworld.com/
Phone: (504) 361-7821
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