Home of Mardi Gras

When I arrived at the hotel we were staying in near Mobile, I was surprised to see a Christmas tree still up in the lobby. Then I noticed that everything was decorated in purple, yellow and green or the colors used for Mardi Gras. I had always thought of New Orleans when I thought of Mardi Gras, but when I visited the very nice visitor center in downtown Mobile, I was told that it actually began in Mobile. The celebration there is much more family oriented than in other nearby cities. Sounded like a lot of fun with lots of parades. I began noticing beads and decorations everywhere. I saw old beads hanging in the beautiful windswept trees and on the many balconies that lined the street.

There was even a Mardi Gras Museum!....and Mardi Gras wreaths! The longer I stayed there, the more decorated the lobby of the hotel became. In the craft stores, there were all sorts of decorations in those colors. Well, of course I had to visit craft stores!

Even the flowers around town were....purple, yellow and green! Sounds like great fun and like something I would like to do one year.....but I want to see the azaleas first.....Mardi Gras another year! I would never go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras with all the drinking and such, but I think I would enjoy it in Mobile.....I hear they celebrate it in Paris also!