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

Like a blast from the past!

The Fourth of July is this Sunday, and as such there will much in the way of fun and fireworks.  Whether you and your friends and family are enjoying the big, fancy celebrations that occur all across America, or the small town parades that consist mainly of dogs and candy (like this one in Issaquah, WA — that’s Jak’s in the photo), it’s our holiday, America. Enjoy it.

For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays.

Photo by Whit Honea

Dragons will celebrate the year of the tiger at Argyle Lunar New Year Parade

Enter the year of the tiger during the annual Argyle Street Lunar New Year parade  in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Chinese New Year was already celebrated in the Chinatown community but the Asia on Argyle district holds its parade the week after, so revelers can attend both.  Experience the vivid colors and sounds of a traditional Chinese New Year’s celebration with dragon dances, lion dances, elaborate  floats, martial arts teams and a marching band.  And for the first time in years, all important firecrackers will deliver the bang in the festivities. Firecrackers are illegal in Chicago unless a licensed pyrotechnic company and permits are used.  The organizing committee went the extra mile to make sure that firecrackers can be used to push out the bad spirits of the old year and usher in the good, new ones. Read More »

Aloha, hula!

Hawaii puts its rich cultural history on display for visitors in many ways, but once a year, they really pull out all the stops with the Aloha Festival.

On my recent visit to Oahu to explore the island and experience the festival, I was hosted by the very friendly and laid-back representatives of the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau, so I had a bit of an inside look into how Hawaii is faring these days.  It was hard to tell that tourism is down.  Everywhere I looked there were tourists, and most of those were happy and smiling.  With perfect weather, lush surroundings, and gracious staff at almost every place I visited, how could one not be happy?

(Don’t forget, you  can enter to win a trip to Hawaii until October 23rd.  Details here.)

For a busy mother of two, this trip held lots of promise of down time and relaxation.  But.  Once I got to Hawaii and there was an undiscovered delight lurking around every turn, I found I couldn’t stop my mind from spinning even when my body was exhausted.  I only had just over three days there.  “I’ll sleep on the plane,” I told myself. Read More »