Les Bon Temps: 10 Must-See Mardi Gras Attractions

The spirit of Mardi Gras is alive and well, which means it is time for revelers to put on their brightest costumes and makeup and head to the streets of the Crescent City for a massive celebration.

The city of New Orleans is not only a proud host to this annual parade, but a playground jam-packed with extraordinary attractions, hidden treasures and ancient legends — all quite entertaining and designed to make your experience unforgettable.

If you're headed to Cajun Country for next week's Mardi Gras pandemonium, be sure to check out these local sites that will offer just as much culture and fun as the festival itself — even if it means exploring the paranormal activity of the city.

Ghost Tour

Walking through a cemetery may seem pretty macabre, but the burial grounds of New Orleans offer an interesting journey to the past. Within its gothic grounds you'll enter the enigmatic world of voodoo, gris-gris rituals and that delightfully spooky N'awlins charm.

The most popular of them all, Saint Louis Cemetery Number One is decorated with towering sepulchers and grand mausoleums, preserving the bones of famous and infamous New Orleans residents.  

If you don’t believe in bad luck, you are more than welcome to visit the ancient tomb of Marie Laveau and cast a spell, or even commune with a voodoo priestess and learn about the evolution of the “dancing” religion.

Let’s just hope that an episode of "American Horror Story" does not erupt on this eccentric tour.

Steamboat Natchez

The Steamboat Natchez is an extraordinary tour of New Orleans, offering a floating jazz fest onboard a classic paddle-wheel steamboat. Take in a panoramic view of the city’s skyline as well as local cuisine and drinks as its wheels maneuver through the waters of the Mississippi River superbly. 

The perfect ambiance for watching the history and beauty of the city in all of its majesty, shutterbugs must be sure to bring their cameras just in case your memories become hazy by all of that jazz and romance ringing through the atmosphere.

Bayou Airboat Ride

The Bayou Airboat is an adventure into the marshy streams of Louisiana.  For about two hours, you will become one with the calls of the wild as they echo their boisterous sounds in the distance.

Just look out for alligators and giant catfish that can be seen barely raising their heads above the surface of the bayous waiting to be fed.

If you are a true adventurist, you may be inclined to pet or hold a baby alligator.

The National WWII Museum

The National WWII Museum magnificently mirrors the monumental event with memorabilia and exhibits including medals, uniforms, plane models, and letters highlighting the sacrifice of heroes and the courageous American spirit during the war.  

In the museum’s movie theater, sit back and watch a Tom Hanks film production of the war in “4D Beyond all Boundaries” as the actor narrates the depictions of the lives of soldiers surviving in the trenches. 

Mardi Gras World

Not only can you enjoy Mardi Gras from the crowded streets of the French Quarter, but from behind the scenes as well. 

In the world’s largest float warehouse, curious spectators can capture an in-depth look of the parade by touring the building through the eyes of the artists who masterfully design a majority of the floats in the grand show here.

You will be in the glorious presence of the 240-foot S.S. Endymion, the biggest float in the history of floats, and find delight in the props, animals and even towering celebrity heads.

Café Du Monde

No trip to New Orleans would be complete without a visit to any of the eight Café du Monde.

You may not think of a café as an attraction, but in the city this local eatery offers a world-famous authentic culinary adventure for the palate, especially when you take a bite out of the acclaimed Louisiana beignets — a powdery, sugary fried fritter — and sip on Au Lait- style coffee or chicory.

The Musee Conti Wax Museum

A pop-up history book on steroids, the Musee Conti Wax Museums awakens New Orleans’ rich past through wax figurines reenacting their important roles in the evolution in the city.  Spanning about 300 years, you will see Napoleon in his plot to sell Louisiana, Marie Laveau surrounded by her voodoo dancers as well as Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans.

The Musse Conti Wax Museum’s intricate models of important historians are so dead-on, it will seem as though you have been placed in a time machine and transported to New Orleans’ earliest days.

Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street is an attraction itself — as chaotic as it is colorful — a paradise for the culturally inclined as well as the partygoer and a one-stop shop for all things New Orleans. Visitors cannot resist moseying to Galatoire’s Restaurant for traditional French Creole recipes and the Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, located in one of the city’s first buildings, or standing in amazement at the skillful street performers.

From a wealth of lively dance clubs to bars, Bourbon Street stays awake to the early morning, or at least until the last die-hard partiers stumble out of its hotspots.  Whether you just want to grasp the hypnotic French flair or indulge in the street’s sultry amenities, Bourbon Street is a must-see New Orleans treasure.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

If you are an animal lover, you’ll want to run to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas where you can get eye-to-eye with endangered species of all kinds and over 10,000 of different creatures from entertaining penguins to white alligators.

The audacious are welcomed to pet the sharks and head to the Aquarium’s Amazon rain forest to be amongst poisonous frogs and screeching birds.

A real underwater treat for the entire family!