You can try on dozens of different costumes, wear a giant Marilyn Monroe mask, and even climb on some of the floats from last year's parades and pretend to toss beads, cups, and other throws into the crowd. On the grounds of what is now Chalmette National Historical Park, the bloody Battle of New Orleans was waged on January 14, 1815. Ironically, the battle should never have been fought, because a treaty signed 2 weeks before in Ghent, Belgium, had ended the War of 1812. But word had not yet reached Congress, the commander of the British forces, or Andrew Jackson, who stood with American forces to defend New Orleans and the mouth of the Mississippi River. The battle did, however, succeed in uniting Americans and Creoles in New Orleans and in making Jackson a hero in this city.
Few cities can boast a thriving float-making industry.
New Orleans can, and no floatmaker thrives more than Blaine Kern, who makes more than three-quarters of the floats used by the various krewes every Carnival season. Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World offers tours of its collection of float sculptures and of its studios, where you can see floats being made year-round. You can try on dozens of different costumes, wear a giant Marilyn Monroe mask, and even climb on some of the floats from last year's parades and pretend to toss beads, cups, and other throws into the crowd. It opened so soon after the end of the war that many of the donated items are in excellent condition. You'll see personal effects of Confederate Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard and Confederate Pres.