The Art Of Celebrating Mardi Gras At Virgin Hotels New Orleans

With its glittering seas, colorful harbors and beaches filled with primary bright umbrellas, the French Riviera is a visual treat most everywhere you look. For an even more vivid mise en scène, head to the Côte d’Azur in spring, when this ribbon of revered coastline hosts numerous spring festivals, and towns pull out the stops to celebrate a cherished local bloom or fruit.

A major draw of being in New Orleans during the weeks of Mardi Gras parades—now underway ending with the Big Day on February 13th-is, naturally, sampling the restaurants in the city. But for those who can’t make it to the Big Easy during this stretch, or simply miss it and want to relive the dining experiences at home, it’s easy to get signature dishes from some of the city’s most famous eateries and bakeries shipped to points around the U.S. Various New Orleans establishments have partnered with Goldbelly and the shipments arrive in refrigerated or frozen form with instructions on how to defrost and heat them, bringing them close to on site restaurant form. (When scanning the city’s offerings, though, be warned that they’re not always grouped together. Type “New Orleans” and keep scrolling; other cities may be mixed in.)

Everyone knows Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. But smaller cities and towns around the world put on epic parties of their own. The events—which mostly began as a sort of pagan late-winter celebration in Europe and morphed into a global kind of Catholic last hurrah before the austerity of Lent—are lively, colorful and often steeped in tradition. UNESCO has put many of them, both in Europe and in its former colonies, on its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

It’s no secret that New Orleans, the 300-plus-year Louisiana port town situated along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River is known for it’s spirited revelry, jazz music, butter-rich food, buzzy cocktails (the Sazerac was born here) and annual Mardi Gras celebration — commencing this February. For leisure and business travelers looking for a quiet respite, you’re in luck. Below, the best of Crescent City’s outdoor spaces, leafy parks, natural beauty boutiques, healthy eats, spas and hotel offerings.

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Perhaps no other sport rolls out the red carpet for festive activities more than skiing. After all, skiers as a whole are an active group who enjoy spending time outdoors either by being part of the action or as spectators watching spirited competitions and special events take place. As such, ski resorts present a wide variety of activities designed to thrill and entertain. The following ski resort events and activities are sure to draw large and enthusiastic crowds.

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Beads at the ready – Mardi Gras is just around the corner.

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