A Quick Trip to NOLA (Part Two)

Part Two of our trip to NOLA started off with a trip to Oak Alley Plantation. You can read about Part One in this post.

I know visiting plantations is a controversial topic. But we decided to visit Oak Alley Plantation because we knew it discussed and honored the history and experiences of all individuals at the property, including the slave experience. And the property was a sight to behold. We sipped a mint julep and learned all we could.

After Oak Alley Plantation we went on a swamp tour. To be honest...I was just excited to be able to say we went to a bayou. As my brother would say: "Not the bayou by you, the bayou by me!"

We took a pontoon boat instead of the air boats, which were extremely loud and moved very fast. They were pretty cool though.

But we didn't miss out on anything--we saw PLENTY of alligators.

Apparently alligators like marshmallows. They also like getting yelled out in french. Who knew?

We also went to the World War II museum, which is one of the largest (if not the largest) collections of World War II memorabilia. Not only was there a museum of all the uniforms, artifacts, weapons, and equipment, but there was also an entire hanger full of World War II aircraft.

After World War II museum, we enjoyed delicious dinner at Antoine's...which will live on in memory not because the dinner was tasty (which it was) but because of the dessert. We ordered an absolutely way too large Baked Alaska:

No, we didn't eat all of it. But I WISH we could have. Antoine’s Restaurant is owned and operated by fifth generation relatives of its founder, Antoine Alciatore, who founded the restaurant in 1840. It's famous for its French-Creole cuisine and is considered the birthplace of Oysters Rockefeller, Eggs Sardon, and Pommes de Terre Souffles. Ahh my mouth is watering now. Let's stop talking about food.

Onto Mardi Gras World!

Blaine Kern was asked to work with Disney but turned it down in order to stay in New Orleans and focus on his own creations. Now, it's called Mardi Gras World and is a 300,000 square foot warehouse where the floats are made for Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. They offer a tour where you can walk all around and see the float-making process. 

The whole tour made me want to book a trip to Nola for Mardi Gras. It was neat to learn how the floats were made and see the process in progress. 

So much Styrofoam though. My inner earth-lover was crying. But I was glad to hear how often they end up reusing the Styrofoam pieces from multiple float decorations.

The floats are mostly made by artists but they do have a machine that can assist. Mardi Gras World also creates items for more than just parades--they had created pieces for casinos, theme parks, movies, and even the Chick-Fil-A cows for those Chick-Fil-A billboards. 

Example:

(PHOTO FROM HERE)

We then walked around the Garden District to see all the beautiful antebellum mansions and historic homes.  

And for your sports fans out there, the middle house above is Eli Manning's childhood home.  

And that was it! We enjoyed our time in New Orleans so much and I would go back no questions asked. A bachelorette party would be so fun in New Orleans! From the music to the food to the culture and everything in between I highly recommend visiting if you are looking for a little getaway! 

If you have any recommendations to add or questions for me I'd love for you to share. Just let me know in the comments below!