Articles

Mardi Gras isn’t a day; it’s a season. Okay, officially Mardi Gras is specifically the Tuesday before Lent begins in the Catholic liturgical calendar, but it’s the culmination of carnival, a period of

LESLEY KENNEDY

Some claim the earliest Mardi Gras celebration was in Mobile, Alabama, not New Orleans, but it depends on a few technicalities—and who's answering the question.

If you thought Mardi

An expert shares tips on how to celebrate Mardi Gras

BY DANA FORD- NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Our Expert Cart Blackwell is curator at the Mobile Carnival Museum, the oldest such museum in the United States.

Valerie Fraser Luesse

We usually associate Mardi Gras with New Orleans and all the parade revelry in the French Quarter and Uptown. But the oldest carnival celebration as we know it—parades, masked

Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in America, and it remains a city that celebrates the occasion in a variety of ways, making it a terrific choice for adults and kids alike. With roughly 40

The cellophane-wrapped sugar bomb hurtled toward us in the Alabama night. Jostling for position, I boxed out the 7-year-old boy to my right, lunged in front of the grandmother to my left and snagged

New Orleans has a cousin, and her name is Mobile. She’s cool and quirky, artsy but down-to-earth, and has a love of fun times and good food that is true to her French roots.

Located 150 miles east of

Mobile, Alabama is a gracious city. Cordial, polite, hospitable, well-mannered. It's also a fun place that knows how to throw a party. That's right, y'all, Mobile is the original Mardi Gras City. (If

The first time I had a beignet is probably, for many people, they first time they’ve ever had a beignet–in New Orleans. I ate my first one (and second and third one…) at the legendary Cafe du Monde in

Mobile, Alabama, is one of those genteel southern cities with a storied past, a fabulous foodie scene and enough outdoor water activities to keep just about any family happy. A weekend visit is enough