Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Let the good times roll!!!! This statement embodies everything that Mardi Gras is about… good times! Mardi Gras can be traced back to the 17th/18th century. From Europe to the US, Mardi Gras was celebrated by many during that time period. It wasn’t until the early 1740’s that New Orleans celebrated its first Mardi Gras. It consisted of a lavish ball only, a far cry from the festivities that take place today. Nowadays you can find numerous activities taking place during the Mardi Gras holiday. Festivities typically begin at the beginning of January and ending on Shrove or Fat Tuesday.

The best part of Mardi Gras, in my opinion, is the parades. Admiring the detail each Krewe places on their floats. Yelling “Throw me something, mister!!!” for the best throws. And surrounded by people who are “letting the good times roll!”

Throws are items thrown by crew members – doubloons, beads, cups, homemade trinkets, toys, stuffed animals, and coconuts (Zulu).

Kern Studios

In 1932, Kern Studios started as a float building company in New Orleans for parades. Since then, Kern Studios has become the premier builder working on Mardi Gras floats year round. During my tour, they were already working on float plans and creations for 2019. In addition to float building, Kern Studios also brings life to creative theming by custom props, advertising, and themed environments. Ever notice the Chic Fil-A cows or props at Disney or Universal. Yup, that’s Kern Studios. One of their many warehouses is located in New Orleans. Mardi Gras World is a 300,000 square foot working warehouse with a gift shop and event center. There are daily tours that you can learn the history of Kern Studios and see how the floats are built or recycled.

Touring Mardi Gras World

I did not realize how much detail and time went into building a parade float. Growing up, I was always in awe of the unique, beautiful floats. If you want to know more about the history of Mardi Gras and how floats are made, I recommend visiting Mardi Gras World. You even get a slice of king cake after the tour and take part of the king cake baby tradition. Whoever has the piece with the baby has to buy the next king cake!!

Here are some of my phots from the tour…

The magic begins here. The designs are uploaded into an imager…

…And pixie (the motorized sculpting arm) creates!

There were huge stacks of styrofaom everywhere.

Caught a worker in the paper mache station before the tour began, she was so helpful.

An actual float used in the Krewe of Orpheus parade.

I could not pass up the emblem of my favorite football team… Go Saints!!

One of the most interesting parts of the tour was the viewing of the Grand Oaks Mansion. The mansion was completely indoors. If you looked up at the ceiling, it resembled a starry night sky. Everything, except the water in the ponds, was completely artificial. Made out of styrofoam and paper mache. All inspired by a man’s vision for a casino that fell through.

Have you ever experienced Mardi Gras? If not, you need to experience it at least once in your life. If not New Orleans, at least one of the many other cities offering up their own version of the festive carnival.

Until next time….

Nadia

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Distillery

Detail has been placed in the layout and design of the distillery. The grounds have a pond filled with ducks, an old house that they are currently renovating, and a barn.

The Visitors Center contains a gift shop, tasting room, viewing room, and the distillery, which contains a lab, bottling room, and tall racks that contained barrels of aged rum. It is worth noting that the molasses and sugar, used to make the rum, is provided by a local sugar cane farm that has been serving Louisiana for the last seven generations.

It is worth noting that the distillery offers free tours and tastings, yes, free! All you have to do is sign up on their website or stop while passing through.

The Viewing Room

In the viewing room, they have unique pieces of art that tells the history of sugar cane in Louisiana. Here is an antique sugar cane press that was used in the past on sugar cane farms. Everything was done by hand.

Barrels can be purchased and used to age your own rum. They range in size from small to large, just like they use in the distillery for the aging process.

Production Room

You can see firsthand how Bayou Rum is made from start to finish with all processes from pasteurization, fermentation, distilling, and aging in its bottle storage. For each batch of rum, someone has the awesome of tasting each batch. Who knew you can get paid to drink on the job?!

After the tour, you are taken to the tasting room to sample each type of rum offered. You are only allowed to taste two types of rum at a time. I recommend that you bring someone with you. If you do, you can share the tastings and can taste all four: Select, Silver, Spiced, and Satsuma.

Their Spiced rum is good for baking as well. You can taste their Chocolate Satsuma and Traditional Spiced rum cakes, which is available to purchase. The final tasting consists of a mixed drink made with Satsuma rum liquor.

My Thoughts

This tasting made me realize why I do not like my alcohol on the rocks. I’ll stick to my lovely concoctions of my favorite spirit and mixture. The liquor was my favorite of all four. Hence my love for fruity libations. With the Spiced rum, you can really taste the spiced flavor which is why I see that it is good for baking the Traditional Spiced rum cake.

I recommend the Bayou Rum, Louisiana Spirits Distillery as a stop when traveling through Louisiana. Before leaving purchase your favorite Bayou Rum, clothing, drinkware and accessories, cakes and chocolates, or unique gifts. Happy Drinking!

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Located in Asheville, NC, the Biltmore Estate and Gardens is a marvel of excellence and charm. This luxurious home of George and Edith Vanderbilt, is as magnificent today as it was over a century ago.  Visitors can partake in self-guided tours of the home that spans 3 floors including the basement. Displays of vintage clothing, accessories, art, furniture, and more are available that tell stories and illustrate the lives of the Vanderbilt family, their guests, and employees. The Biltmore Garden is comprised of acres of formal and informal gardens. The grounds of the property can be observed at your own pace through their extensive network of trails. The Biltmore also has a winery, unique shops, and restaurants for your enjoyment. It is worth noting that photography of any kind is not allowed inside the Biltmore while touring.

Even though I could not take pictures of the inside of the home, I enjoyed exploring every room that the public where able to visit. In the rooms, you will find extravagant window coverings and walls covered in silk or velvet. My favorite rooms were the elaborate dining room with a massive library, kitchen, and washroom which held a large washer and space for dyeing and weaving their own textiles. The Gardens allows for beautiful views. You can see views of the Smoky Mountains in the distance. The Vanderbilt’s were truly living back in their time.

A massive greenhouse sits on the property filled with unique and exotic plants.  It was a little chilly outside, so a lot of the flowers were not in bloom.

I found this cute guy guarding the entrance of the greenhouse. Due to the season, none of the flowers were in bloom in the rose and sculpture gardens. This trip was my first trip that involved a heavy dose of nature and it would not be my last. If you are into history then I recommend adding this stop to your trip to Asheville.

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Downtown Hot Springs

Known as gambling mecca in its former life, Central Avenue is a must see. Take stroll down Central Avenue and explore eclectic boutiques and shops, unique restaurants, attractions, and bathhouses. Observe the architecture along Central Avenue. Many of the buildings were constructed as far back as the 1900’s. Many of the buildings have been renovated to house shops, art galleries, restaurants, venues, shows, wineries and museums. Visit the historic Arlington Hotel, Gangster Museum of America, National Park Aquarium, or Josephine Tussaud Wax Museum. Be sure to stop into Pour Some Sweets candy and ice cream shop. They have every type of jelly bean you can imagine from strawberry daiquiri to tabasco.

Hot Springs National Park

Few blocks from Central Avenue, tourists can explore the park filled with natural springs, water warmed to an enjoyable temperature. Fountains are available to collect natural spring drinking water, so bring your water container. Sour 1,200 feet above the downtown at the Hot Springs Mountain Tower overlooking Ouachita Mountain and surrounding areas. Make sure to have your camera.

Bathhouses

Constructed between 1892 and 1923, Bathhouse Row consists of bath houses- Lamar, Buckstaff, Ozark, Quapaw, Fordyce, Maurice, Hale, and Superior. You can take a stroll down Bathhouse Row and enjoy the beautiful, intricate architecture. Both Buckstaff and Quapaw are the only functioning bathhouses. The remaining 6 houses have been converted to museums, functional buildings, or closed.

Crater of Diamonds State Park

Take a quick drive to Murfreesboro and visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park. It is the 8th largest diamond park in the world. Families can try their luck and mine for diamonds. Visitors can bring their own diamond digging tools or rent them for a decent price. The park also provides tutorials on how to mine to increase chances of uncovering a diamond. It was enjoyable to see people of all ages, both young and old, digging for diamonds.

Magic Springs Theme and Water Park

Magic Springs is an amusement and water park located in Hot Springs. The park features roller coasters, water slides and family rides.

Oaklawn Racing and Gaming

For the adults, head over to Oaklawn and watch live thoroughbred racing from January through April, as well as a gaming room with electronic games such as slots, blackjack, craps, and poker.

Garvan Woodland Gardens

Enjoy the beauty of nature at the Garvan Woodland Gardens. Located on Lake Hamilton, the botanical garden of the University of Arkansas sits on 210 acres. Numerous attractions, such as the Anthony Chapel and unique landscapes, offer breathtaking sights and great photo opportunities.

National Park Duck Tours

A trip to Hot Springs would not be complete without taking a duck tour. The duck tour takes you through downtown Hot Springs pointing out key attractions and wades through Lake Hamilton pointing out famous residences and attractions.

As you can see, Hot Springs offers a lot activities that the whole family can enjoy.

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