The Mardi Gras House Floats Parade On
It’s hard to imagine New Orleans without Mardi Gras – the city was established on this land in 1718, and just a decade or so later, the festivities were celebrated widely (though somewhat differently than today) across the area. Since then, for many, New Orleans and Mardi Gras have been synonymous with one another – parades, balls, family and friends coming together, good food and drink, and an electric vibe running through the city. Though the observance has evolved over the centuries, the festive air and the celebratory spirit have remained.
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Joan of Arc: Maid of Orleans and Patron Saint of New Orleans
One spirit with the most enduring mark on the city of New Orleans belongs to a woman who lived in the early 1400s, nearly 300 years before Iberville and Bienville staked their claim of this land for the French – Joan of Arc. Long hailed as the patron saint of NOLA, the ancient woman was born in Orléans, France, a sister city and namesake of New Orleans. We celebrate Joan of Arc each year on January 6, which also happens to be the start of the Carnival season, but who is this French woman so revered in a city thousands of miles from her birthplace?
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Gator Facts: Things You Might Not Know About Alligators
Beloved sports team mascot, apex predator, survivor – you could use any of these terms to describe the alligator. While these creatures probably walked among dinosaurs, they managed to adapt, evolve, and endure over millions of years, and now they are a vital part of our landscape and ecosystem, especially in South Louisiana. It isn’t hard to spot an alligator or two (or a whole congregation!) on one of our swamp tours, you may not know some of the most interesting facts about these beasts:
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Ghosts in the Cold: The Story of Julie
The cold rarely lingers in New Orleans, but every once in a while, we find ourselves in a brief but deep winter. Nights like these bring to mind one of the most notorious NOLA ghost stories – the tale of Julie.
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Cajun Night Before Christmas: A South Louisiana Tradition
You can always tell it’s the holiday season in South Louisiana when someone dusts off a copy of Cajun Night Before Christmas, a retelling of the classic tale with a few distinctly bayou-based twists. If you take a swamp tour with us, it’s not hard to tell why this version might sound just a little different than the traditional tale: the Cajun accent of South Louisiana is heavily influenced by “Louisiana French,” a dialect of French that has developed since the arrival of the Acadians in region back in the 1700s. It definitely doesn’t sound strictly French, but it isn’t quite a southern accent either.
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Christmas Bonfires: A Unique South Louisiana Experience
Families come together between Thanksgiving and Christmas to build large wooden structures, some simple pyramid shapes and some elaborate constructions of local landmarks and more, and on Christmas Eve night, they light these structures stretched all along the levee system, creating quite the spectacle.
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Native American History Month: A Look at the Original New Orleans Inhabitants
You cannot understand the history of New Orleans without looking back further than the European settlement of this area. While the city of New Orleans celebrated its 300th anniversary of cityhood in 2018, the land itself has been home to indigenous peoples for much longer than that.
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Where to Eat on Thanksgiving Day in New Orleans
New Orleans is a city that loves to eat, especially when it comes to big holidays. So if you find yourself in town for Thanksgiving Day this year, here are a few places you can feast. Be sure to make reservations so you have a guaranteed spot at any of these fantastic restaurants:
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Samuel Zemurray: the Banana Man of New Orleans
Peel away at the story of the banana, the most consumed fruit in the United States, and you will find a history of mythic proportions – power, corruption, political coups, and at the heart of it, an immigrant businessman who made New Orleans the hub of his empire.
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The Best Autumn Happenings Around New Orleans
Since we do not have the luxury of changing foliage to announce the arrival of autumn in New Orleans, we have to look to other markers around the city. Thankfully with a little research, you can find a few things to do and the obvious indicators that it is the perfect time to FALL in love with NOLA!
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