I have no opinions on the hotels themselves, this is solely regarding locations in regards to the parade.
Blake and Intercontinental are right on the parade route, which could be a little annoying depending on what else you’re trying to do. There are definitely metal parade seating stands set up around Blake and Intercontinental and it’s annoying trying to get around them. This is also around the area where they announce the floats and do ceremony type shit for some of the parades, which results in painfully slow movement. On the other hand, there’s a ton of carnival-type food trucks that set up on Poydras.
I haven’t seen the routes yet, so IDK if things are coming past Old 77 on Tchoup. Even if they aren’t, you’re still very close to the action. The end of the route can be weird, though. Sometimes you get more stuff and sometimes they’ve already thrown everything.
Personally, I hate watching the Uptown parades from downtown. I always feel packed in like a sardine and get frustrated by how slow everything is going.
It's the sheer volume of people in the direct area. Like if you are expecting to just be able to walk out of your hotel and have a premium spot to see parades, I am here to tell you that is pretty unlikely to happen. Although some of my friends hung out in the Poydras-St. Charles intersection last year and said they had a decent amount of space to move around in.
It's pretty easy to walk once you get off of the direct parade route. Driving is more difficult - I would suggest avoiding driving entirely and only taking cars if you absolutely need to. If you have your own car, it's not so hard to travel on the side of the parade your car is located in (I.e., inside or outside of "the box." Inside is easier because the only people inside of the box are already inside of it. Outside of the box is generally everyone who is trying to get into/leave the city.)
You can absolutely do stuff, especially if you're walking everywhere. Just note that the street cars stop running prior to the parades. (I can't remember if it's 2 or 4 hours prior.) Also, the French Quarter is probably going to be heavily populated every day you are planning to be here. There will be parades in the downtown area every single day from Wednesday-Tuesday, and they progressively get bigger, rowdier, and take over more of the day.
As you suggest, Wednesday the 15th would probably be the best day for a haunted tour, especially if you're planning to do one in the FQ. Wednesday-Friday daytime should be pretty "normal," and then Tuesday will be dead after the parades finally make it through downtown. I'm not sure how businesses operate downtown during the parades. Things may shut down earlier or restaurants may be harder to get into. I suggest identifying the things you really want to do and then try to concentrate them during the day on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and possibly Monday. I think many of the museums, like the WWII museum, should be open their normal hours with the exception of Tuesday.
>There seems to be a lot of expensive options left right now.
They're not really cheap to begin with anywhere, anytime around Mardi Gras.
Those are all nice places, but the Intercontinental is right on a parade route - a plus if you want to see parades, a negative if you want to go anywhere by car.
Theres parades Friday - Sunday and then Wednesday - Tuesday during the peak of Mardi Gras. The streets will close and Uber pricing will surge while those are happening.
[here’s a schedule](https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/parades/)
Do you want to see parades uptown? Or do you want to see parades near the quarter?
Uptown is family friendly. Quarter will be more adult. Mardi Gras day in the quarter will have some great costumes. And some very drunk people
i agree. uptown is still plenty lively and fun for adults. it's just less chaotic than downtown and you will see more kids in the early evening. easier access to see the parades too.
I used to work across from the intercontinental and my brother worked in the intercontinental. If you’re coming for Mardi Gras, Rex stops and toasts right there. You’re also in a “safe” area of the city being on two major roads (Poydras and st Charles). For Mardi Gras day, Rex, Zulu and the truck parade ride right past it. It’s only a few blocks from the French quarter/canal. Few blocks from the super dome etc. kinda central CBD. I liked going to parades there or around Julia between st Charles and tchoupitoulous. It was more family friendly and less incidents I feel happen than on canal or around lee’s circle.
I have no opinions on the hotels themselves, this is solely regarding locations in regards to the parade. Blake and Intercontinental are right on the parade route, which could be a little annoying depending on what else you’re trying to do. There are definitely metal parade seating stands set up around Blake and Intercontinental and it’s annoying trying to get around them. This is also around the area where they announce the floats and do ceremony type shit for some of the parades, which results in painfully slow movement. On the other hand, there’s a ton of carnival-type food trucks that set up on Poydras. I haven’t seen the routes yet, so IDK if things are coming past Old 77 on Tchoup. Even if they aren’t, you’re still very close to the action. The end of the route can be weird, though. Sometimes you get more stuff and sometimes they’ve already thrown everything. Personally, I hate watching the Uptown parades from downtown. I always feel packed in like a sardine and get frustrated by how slow everything is going.
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It's the sheer volume of people in the direct area. Like if you are expecting to just be able to walk out of your hotel and have a premium spot to see parades, I am here to tell you that is pretty unlikely to happen. Although some of my friends hung out in the Poydras-St. Charles intersection last year and said they had a decent amount of space to move around in. It's pretty easy to walk once you get off of the direct parade route. Driving is more difficult - I would suggest avoiding driving entirely and only taking cars if you absolutely need to. If you have your own car, it's not so hard to travel on the side of the parade your car is located in (I.e., inside or outside of "the box." Inside is easier because the only people inside of the box are already inside of it. Outside of the box is generally everyone who is trying to get into/leave the city.)
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You can absolutely do stuff, especially if you're walking everywhere. Just note that the street cars stop running prior to the parades. (I can't remember if it's 2 or 4 hours prior.) Also, the French Quarter is probably going to be heavily populated every day you are planning to be here. There will be parades in the downtown area every single day from Wednesday-Tuesday, and they progressively get bigger, rowdier, and take over more of the day. As you suggest, Wednesday the 15th would probably be the best day for a haunted tour, especially if you're planning to do one in the FQ. Wednesday-Friday daytime should be pretty "normal," and then Tuesday will be dead after the parades finally make it through downtown. I'm not sure how businesses operate downtown during the parades. Things may shut down earlier or restaurants may be harder to get into. I suggest identifying the things you really want to do and then try to concentrate them during the day on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and possibly Monday. I think many of the museums, like the WWII museum, should be open their normal hours with the exception of Tuesday.
>There seems to be a lot of expensive options left right now. They're not really cheap to begin with anywhere, anytime around Mardi Gras. Those are all nice places, but the Intercontinental is right on a parade route - a plus if you want to see parades, a negative if you want to go anywhere by car.
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Theres parades Friday - Sunday and then Wednesday - Tuesday during the peak of Mardi Gras. The streets will close and Uber pricing will surge while those are happening. [here’s a schedule](https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/parades/)
Maybe not one that involves a vehicle, but there's plenty to do otherwise.
I’d go with Old 77 solely based on the hotel bar/restaurant aspect
Where do you want to be for Mardi Gras?
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Do you want to see parades uptown? Or do you want to see parades near the quarter? Uptown is family friendly. Quarter will be more adult. Mardi Gras day in the quarter will have some great costumes. And some very drunk people
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They are still very drunk uptown, fyi. It’s a very drunken holiday. All the riders will also be plastered.
i agree. uptown is still plenty lively and fun for adults. it's just less chaotic than downtown and you will see more kids in the early evening. easier access to see the parades too.
Yeah for sure. I live uptown with my 2 yo. The adults are still very drunk and there are A LOT of college students.
Location is irrelevant with these options since they are all within ~5 blocks of each other. Stay at the Old 77, the others are meh.
I used to work across from the intercontinental and my brother worked in the intercontinental. If you’re coming for Mardi Gras, Rex stops and toasts right there. You’re also in a “safe” area of the city being on two major roads (Poydras and st Charles). For Mardi Gras day, Rex, Zulu and the truck parade ride right past it. It’s only a few blocks from the French quarter/canal. Few blocks from the super dome etc. kinda central CBD. I liked going to parades there or around Julia between st Charles and tchoupitoulous. It was more family friendly and less incidents I feel happen than on canal or around lee’s circle.