We actually got a deal from Living Social that was 2 for 1 tickets. Tickets were $20 each, so I think that was a great deal.

We were able to take a free bus to Mardi Gras World which was great because the location was a little far from our hotel. 

When we arrived, a tour had just left so we decided to wait for the next one. We walked around the gift shop and saw some of the pieces that were made in the facility.

First we were brought to the theater room where we saw racks of colorful and bedazzled outfits. We were allowed to try them on and take pictures. It was kind of silly, but fun.

Next, they showed us a 15 minute film about the history of Mardi Gras and we got to try a piece of King Cake.

After the theater portion, we moved on to the warehouse to see how the floats and props were made. They are basically sheets of Styrofoam stacked on top of each other and then carved with knives and other carving tools. There was Styrofoam dust everywhere. 

After the carving process is complete, they go over to the paper mache section and get coated.

Then finally the painting process. It is so cool to see these props come to life.

After the tour through the facility, we were able to walk around on our own and take more pictures. There were so many things to see!

We learned a lot of fun facts on the tour. They do a lot of work for Disney and also create the cows for the Chik-fil-A ads. 

We also saw the parade floats from this years past parades. The artists start working on next year's floats the day after Mardi Gras. 

There are over 50 different parades a year and 50 different themes for each one. The themes change each year so none of the floats or the props are ever the same. The floats are funded by social groups in New Orleans and they even pay for their own beads and throws which can get very expensive. It was pretty interesting. to learn some of these things. 

After the tour, the shuttle bus took us back to Canal street where we stopped to get a quick snack, starting with a beer and a daiquiri 

We just wanted a small snack, but ended up ordering fried pickles, parmesan french fries and chips and salsa. 

We finished and I took a beer to go. I think it's awesome that you can just walk around in public with alcohol. 

Now this is embarrassing but we actually went back to our hotel to take a nap. We were so warn out!

When we woke up we got ready for dinner. We went to this quiet little place called Little Vic's. The woman that was working there, Shelley, was so sweet. Most people we encountered in New Orleans were actually really nice.

We weren't planning on drinking really and kind of wanted a low key night. We ordered our food and two Sicilian Lemonades. As we were walking outside to our table, someone behind us asked Shelley what was in the Sicilian Lemonade and she started rattling off Lemoncello, two bottles of vodka... Alright, I guess we're drinking tonight! It was funny.

I wasn't too hungry so I ordered the salad which had arugula, dried cranberries, candied almonds, feta cheese and a blueberry vinaigrette. It was really, really good. The vinaigrette especially. Lindsey had a slice of cheese pizza.

After dinner we walked over to Pat O'Brien's to listen to some music. They had a dueling piano set up which was fun to watch.

We hung out there for a little while and then walked down Bourbon street. We went back to Cat's Meow and it was pretty empty in there compared to the weekend nights. And somehow I ended up on stage dancing to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy."