The trip
Mardi Gras in New Orleans gets a reputation from the tiny part of it that happens on Bourbon Street at 1am. The real thing is much bigger and, frankly, more wholesome than people expect. It's families on ladders on St. Charles Avenue, marching bands from every high school in the city, and parades that roll for hours. Sure, there's a party too.
The hard part is logistics: hotels triple their prices, streets close, and you can't park anywhere. That's the bit we take off your plate. We book rooms a year out along the uptown route, and we know where the restrooms are. On Mardi Gras weekend, that knowledge is worth more than anything we could sell you.
We warm up in Cajun country first, because you shouldn't drive from Houston to New Orleans without eating your way through Acadiana. Boudin, cracklins, a swamp boat, and a night at a dancehall where nobody cares if you know the two-step. Someone will teach you.
Highlights
- A boudin crawl through Scott, Louisiana's self-declared boudin capital
- A cypress swamp boat tour near Breaux Bridge
- Endymion, Bacchus and Orpheus, the three superkrewes
- Fat Tuesday morning with Zulu and Rex on St. Charles Avenue
- A hotel on or within a few blocks of the parade route
Day by day
Houston to Lafayette
East on I-10 and over the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, which runs for about 18 miles over swamp. Lunch is a boudin crawl in Scott: three stops, plus a debate about whether the links or the balls are better. Afternoon swamp boat tour among the cypress and the gators sunning themselves. Dinner and a night of Cajun and zydeco music at a Lafayette dancehall.
Acadiana to New Orleans
A slow morning around Breaux Bridge, and if one of the Saturday-morning Cajun jam sessions is running that week, we're there. Then the drive into New Orleans. Saturday night is Endymion, the biggest parade of the season, rolling through Mid-City with floats the size of buildings.
The French Quarter & Bacchus
Beignets early, before the line gets silly. A guided walk through the Quarter with a local historian, then a free afternoon. In the evening we stake out our spot on St. Charles for Bacchus, which always has a celebrity king riding up front.
Lundi Gras
Ride the St. Charles streetcar through the Garden District, have a long lunch somewhere with tablecloths, and rest your feet. That evening it's Orpheus, a parade founded by Harry Connick Jr., which tends to roll late and finish later.
Fat Tuesday
The big day starts early with Zulu, then Rex, the King of Carnival. Hold out for a hand-decorated Zulu coconut, the most prized throw of the season. The afternoon is for walking the Quarter and the Marigny to see the costumes, which are the best part. At midnight, mounted police sweep Bourbon Street and Carnival is officially over. They aren't kidding.
Home
A slow Ash Wednesday breakfast and the drive back to Houston, arriving mid-afternoon. Nobody talks much for the first hour. That's normal.
What's included
✅ Included
- Round-trip van transport from Houston with a driver-guide
- 1 night in Lafayette and 4 nights in New Orleans on or near the uptown route
- Breakfast daily, the boudin crawl, and 2 group dinners
- Swamp boat tour and a French Quarter walking tour with a local guide
- Folding stools, a parade-day cooler, and a lot of hand sanitizer
➖ Not included
- Most meals in New Orleans (you'll want to choose your own po'boys)
- Grandstand seats, if you want one, for about $100–$150 per parade
- Tips for guides and the driver
- Travel insurance
Good to know
Mardi Gras is a lot of standing and walking. You'll easily cover five to eight miles a day, often in a crowd, so wear comfortable shoes. Parade schedules are set by the city and the krewes, and they shift if the weather turns. If a parade moves, we move with it.
Rooms for Carnival weekend are booked a year ahead and can't be refunded, so this trip has a firmer cancellation schedule than most. See our cancellation policy before you book.
