Mardi Gras, museums, muffelata and music!

Like many Canadians, we decided to drive south to escape the cold Canadian winter for a few days. Our destination was the south coast of America on the Gulf of Mexico. We stayed the first night at a historic hotel on the Ohio River, The Lafayette, in the charming town of Marietta, Ohio. Of the ten places I booked , eight were historic places...and since I am known as the frugal fiddling tourist--most were less than 100 dollars (US) a night. Our accommodations averaged 103$ a night, all but one stay included a free breakfast. Travelling off-season has advantages.

I want to return to this magnificent hotel again. In the summer months riverboats dock by the landing and the town of Marietta has a riverboat festival.

Early room service contraption! A call bell system. The hotel is full of antiques.

If you notice above the bar in the hotel's lounge is a replica of a steamboat. The hotel is full of interesting artifact and ship models. Historic photos line the hallways.

Notice that the chandelier hangs from an authentic riverboat wheel. Impressive. The size is 11 feet across..

Riverboats like this model docked at Marietta when it was an important travel hub for Ohio river navigation.

The rooms are furnished with antiques; the beds were quite comfortable.

Three authentic phone booths in the hotel lobby. The days before cellphones!

We drove from Ohio to Nashville, Tennessee and stopped by McNamara's Pub to take in some Irish traditional music.

A great evening of Irish music. We loved this place. That night we stayed at a fabulous bed and breakfast, The Magnolia Plantation.

I loved that our room had a fireplace. The house was once the main house of a 5,000 acre plantation. When the civil war broke out the house became a Confederate hospital, tending the wounded and dying Confederate soldiers.

The elegant dining room. We had an outstanding breakfast here.

The owners breed horses, the paddocks are behind the home. When the owner bought the historic home, she and a friend walked the property and when they entered the horse paddock, the friend said she felt a feeling of unease. Subsequently, researchers from Vanderbillt University studied the property because of it's connection to the Civil War. On the spot where her friend had sensed ghosts the researchers found eight graves of Confederate soldiers.

We loved our stay at the Magnolia Plantation in Tennessee. The next day we travelled all the way to the south coast of Alabama to the town of Fairhope. I try to book historic inns on my travels, but this time I booked a new hotel as it was only a five minute walk to the Irish session held every Sunday.I liked how the new hotel was built to be sympathetic to the historic downtown with the iron balconies. Across the street are two historic buildings, one the former town hall (now a museum) and the other now the visitor centre.

The visitor centre (above) and the old town hall (below).

The session was delightful; the other musicians were so welcoming. It is the longest going Irish session on the south coast.

The tulips look so pretty outside the McSharry's pub. Spring is here!

The next day we drove along the coastline towards New Orleans. We stopped at Beauvoir the home of the first (and only) President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. The home has a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico.

We were delighted with our bed and breakfast in the French Quarter in New Orleans (above and below photos). The Banana Courtyard is named for the banana trees on the property. This quirky ,eclectic inn was once a bordello. If these walls could talk! We stayed three nights here.

On Royal St. the Silk Road restaurant hosts a weekly Monday Irish session. This was the second time I have been at the session. We first visited two years ago. It was nice to see familiar faces.

We visited several museums in the French Quarter- all were free because we had a NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum) pass. Membership with our local art gallery in Owen Sound allowed us to have free admissions . The Jazz Museum is located in the old Mint building.

The Beauregard-Keyes house is significant because of two famous residents. The first General Beauregard, the Confederate leader and the second novelist Frances Parkinson Keyes whose most famous book "Dinner at Antoine's" is set in New Orleans. The courtyard is a relaxing spot away from the bustle of the French Quarter.

The gorgeous iconic balconies of the French Quarter are festooned with Mardi Gras decorations.

There is music everywhere in New Orleans. The best musicians perform here, sometimes on the street corner.

The best bargain in the French Quarter is the Antoine's lunch special. Three courses for $20.19 (because it is 2019). It was this restaurant that inspired the setting for the book "Dinner at Antoine's"

And cocktails for a quarter. Yes. Twenty -five cents!

The restaurant has many dining rooms, full of collectables and photos of famous people. The 1840 room is the setting for the book "Dinner at Antoine's". Visiting this place is both a dining experience and a museum experience!

The Old Ursuline Convent (below) is the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley built in 1752. It is now a museum.

The Saint Louis Cathedral (below) dominates Jackson Square, the heart of the French Quarter. Flanking the Cathedral are two historic buildings. The Presbytere is now a museum with Mardi Gras exhibits and Hurricane Katrina information. The Cabildo is a museum of Louisiana history.

A view of Jackson Square. The Cathedral is centre, the Cabildo to the left and the Presbytere to the right. A statue of Andrew Jackson is in the middle of the square. On the two sides of Jackson Square are the Pontalba buildings. When they were built it was the most fashionable place to live. One of the apartments is restored and now a museum. The first floor of the Pontalba buildings are shops and restaurants. A woman, Baroness Pontalba, a wealthy Creole who married a French nobleman, was responsible for the development. I had rice and beans at one of the restaurants on Jackson square. It is a dish traditionally eaten on Mondays in New Orleans.

A photo of the lavish home we visited in the Pontalba block (below). The 1850 House museum was also included with our NARM pass, but the admission is very reasonable ---only three dollars a person. It is a must-see place for visitors to get an idea how glamorous the Pontalba block residences were that faced Jackson square.

Another house museum was the Hermann-Grima House. The tour guide invited us to try the kumquats which grow in the courtyard. They are eaten like grapes, rind and all. Delicious.

The French market has so many interesting stalls. Of the cuisines enjoyed in New Orleans, the two most popular are Creole and Cajun. The French Market had many Cajun food stalls. Want to try alligator meat? Go to the French Market!

New Orleans is passionate about their sports teams. When the bad call ended the Saints dreams of getting to the Superbowl, the fans were very upset. One Mardi Gras balcony had a voodoo referee decoration.

Ah the food. Jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish, shrimp etouffee, poboys, oysters raw and charbroiled. New Orleans is a foodies paradise. I loved all these dishes. A popular sandwich is the muffuletta, invented at the Central Grocery deli in the French Quarter. Olive spread is the ingredient that makes them so tasty.

Realtors have a sense of humour here! Below is a carriage pulled by a mule, a common site in the French Quarter.

Mardi Gras! The colourful costumes, ornate floats and marching bands made it a memorable parade, (my first Mardi Gras parade ever). The weather was sunny and warm. People on the floats threw beads and other small gifts to the delighted crowd lining the parade route.

This parade was in Slidell, a town just east of New Orleans. Below is the huge amount of "throws" collected from the parade. The yellow flag in the centre represents the penalty flag the fans of the New Orlean's Saints should have been thrown when they lost the game because of a controversial missed call.

King's cake is the traditional dessert of Mardi Gras. The "baby" is inserted in the cake and the person who finds it in their potion buys the next King's cake. The purple, yellow and green colours of the King's cake represent the three colours of the Mardi Gras season.

Our visit to New Orleans was too short. We did not see all the museums and sites we wanted to, so we definitely will return someday. We started our way home north and stayed in Thibodaux , Louisiana at the grand Dansereau House.named after Francois Philip Dansereau the doctor who owned the mansion. There is a Canadian connection to this historic home. Dr. Dansereau studied in Montreal Canada and moved to Louisiana to open a practice there. He fought in the Confederate army as a lieutenant and survived the Civil War.

Our room opened to the huge wrap-around second floor balcony. The next night we stayed at the Magnolia Grove bed and breakfast. in northern Mississippi. The owner Tom was a high school friend of Elvis. He knew Elvis before he became famous.

Our room (above) had a fireplace, I loved it. Below ,written in fountain pen is the yearbook where Elvis wrote that Tom was a "swell guy".

We had a four course breakfast in the morning! Continuing north we stayed in Cincinnati and we had supper at the Ludlow Garage. The converted garage has a huge theatre below the restaurant. Every Tuesday there is an Irish session. I enjoyed meeting the Cincinnati traditional players. It was a great time.

One last session! We crossed the border and went to the Richmond Tavern in London, Ontario to check out the weekly Wednesday session the tavern hosts.

This last session was a great way to end our vacation.

We stayed at the Idlewyld Inn in London, the original home of London's first mayor built in 1878. A great place with a sumptuous breakfast. Our trip is over and the fiddling tourist ended it on a high note. Now it is back home...to plan another adventure!