It’s Mardi Gras, people. Time to party. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

There are celebrations being held all over the world, but the two best are Carnival in Rio and the craziness of America’s own New Orleans. By best I mean the most drinking, parades, and public nudity. You may have your own ranking system.

If you can’t get to Brazil or New Orleans there are plenty of other places to enjoy the celebration before Lent sets in (although, my personal experience has shown a lot more people seem to partake in Fat Tuesday than Ash Wednesday — go figure).

St. Louis throws a nice party as does Mississippi’s West Coast (both of which offer lots of family fun). Most cities feature some sort of celebration, although they tend to focus on Fat Tuesday (February 21) rather than weeks of debauchery. San Diego claims to have the best party out west, but I recall one Fat Tuesday in Seattle that brought out police in riot gear, which is always a sign that things are pretty wild (also a sign that it is time to duck down an alley and get the heck out of there).

If you want something that the kids will enjoy (not that they won’t get a kick out of the above, but the parents will probably have a nervous breakdown), then check out the rolling good times at Disneyland. Yes, Disneyland. Parades start tomorrow (February 10) and the fun runs from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in New Orleans Square (check link below for dates, subject to change).

Disney’s New Orleans Bayou Bash has all of your favorite Disney characters, street performers, food, and music, and runs well into March.

Unfortunately there isn’t any drinking at Disney’s party, but a quick walk through Downtown Disney, one of the Disney hotels or Disney’s California Adventure can wet your whistle quick enough. Please note, they do tend to frown on public nudity.

Party on!

Photo: Mark Gstohl via Flickr

Fat Harold's Beach Club

Myrtle Beach earns popularity for beach adventures and seafood delights but there’s another must do experience for the South Carolina hot spot. You can not leave Myrtle Beach without a good shag. Shag dancing, or the Carolina shag to be specific, is the state dance and there’s no better place to try it than Fat Harold’s. Read More »

Hops and Pie

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Owners Drew and Leah Watson opened Hops and Pie just over a year ago with a goal of having not just a great craft beer selection, but also creating artisan pizzas that paired specifically with the beers they served.

They bring a combined 23 years experience in the fine dining industry and were looking to take their destiny into their own hands when they chose to re-locate to Denver from the San Diego area.

In fact, it was while they were in San Diego close by to beer giant Stone Brewing Co, as well as Green Flash, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey and Alesmith, that their appreciate of what beer could be was born. Denver was a logical choice for opening up their own place.

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Goose Island holiday ale

Wine may be the more common seasonal libation, but Goose Island brewery provides another means to be merry.  Every month, Chicago’s premier craft brewery hosts a beer academy that allows participants to indulge in a range of custom blended brews.  This month’s workshop features the festive theme of holiday brews.

On December 28 at 6:30 PM, the Beer Academy kicks off at the Goose Island brewery on Clybourne.

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