If you like parades, you'll want to take this tour. It's slightly pricey, but everything in NOLA is. You get to see floats close-up without all the screaming and flying beads. It's very interesting to see the large blocks of foam being sculpted into different characters and shapes.

The first stop: you get to slip into some one-sized costumes and pose with a character. This will be a big hit with all of Facebook!

And if you are a tuba player, the MGW souvenir T-shirt depicts a parade with a marching band.

Well it wouldn't be much without the Blaine Kern company and the floats and decorations they make. The warehouse/factory is now on the New Orleans side of the river. They offer free pickup from the Canal Steet area and French Market. Just ask any local or flag them down. The tour lasts about an hour and a video at the beginning tells about Mardi Gras and how they make the beautiful parade floats. Then you go to the warehouse and see the real artists at work. Consider it wellworth the money spent to take this tour.

This was one of the best tours that I've done anywhere as far as learning new information about Mardi Gras itself. It's a working warehouse and there were artists working as we toured. You get a free slice of king cake at the end and they have a bar. I highly recommend the frozen coke with rum! Also the free shuttle picked us up at our hotel and dropped us off at the French Market. This is a must-do if you are new to NOLA.

Trying on the costumes and taking pictures was fun. They made the best drinks... The floats were great to see up close and the movie was informative.