HOMECATEGORIESLifestyle

The RVer's Guide to Celebrating Mardi Gras

Feb 18, 2022 | 9 min read

Who doesn't love a good party? Parade floats, live music, flying beads, king cake and creole cuisine are all staple sensations of Mardi Gras celebration. It's a great excuse to cut loose and soak in the spirit of the south. Whether you're planning to head through Alabama to dive into the thrill and clamour or want to host a themed gathering with your loved ones at the campground, we're setting you up with all of the intel you'll need for an amazing celebration.

This celebration guide for RVer's covers everything from sights to see and where to camp to a handful of family-friendly activities and delectable recipes for a more intimate gathering. The holiday is just around the corner, so let's get your party plans going!

Photo Credit: Visit Mobile Alabama

Mobile, Alabama: The Birthplace of Mardi Gras

If you're not a 'Fat Tuesday' aficionado, you may not know that Mobile is the true birthplace of America's original Mardia Gras festivities. Celebrating since 1703, Mobile is home to the impressive parades, vibrant floats, flying moon pies, and collectible doubloons that have long become signature to Mardi Gras festivities. From February 11th through March 1st, the downtown locale will be hosting over 40 parades and family-friendly revelries. You'll even see houses adorned with Mardi Gras galore as you make your way through the streets of Mobile.

Start your getaway with a visit to the Mobile Carnival Museum, highlighting the history of Mardi Gras with fourteen galleries, video presentations, and an interactive float space housed in a historic mansion. Explore the area between bouts of festivities and grab a bite to fuel your days. Catch a hearty brunch at the Ruby Slipper, enjoy a handcrafted cocktail at The Noble Southand stop by Spot of Tea, situated in a historic building dating back to the 1830s. The Mobile Botanical Gardens provide a serene stroll, housing roughly 100 acres of plants and aromatic flowers. If you're traveling with kids, check out the Medal of Honor Park for plenty of outdoor activities, from a playground to baseball, softball, football, soccer, and tennis spaces.

If you're looking to add some rest and relaxation to your itinerary, there are plenty of nearby RV parks and resorts that offer the perfect retreat from the downtown parties. Relax in rural settings and kick back with a lakeside view. You can bring along your swim gear, canoe, kayaks or fishing equipment for the days you wish to unwind with the family. There are also plenty of brilliant spots for bird watching, so don't forget your binoculars!

Where to Camp

    Things to Do in the Comfort of Your RV Campground

    Whether you're road-tripping to the south or want to enjoy Mardi Gras from afar, you can easily get in the spirit from the comfort of your home on wheels. If you're more for having a good time while avoiding the crowds, you can create a party of your own anywhere your heart desires. After all, that's the beauty of the RV life!

    Mardi Gras Fun and Games

    Have the young ones join in on the fun by getting their help to adorn the RV with hanging beads and festive ribbons of purple, green, and gold. You can print or purchase plain masks for the little ones to color and decorate with feathers. With some glue, loose beads and a couple of empty canvases or frames, the kids can also create a colorful, artsy mosaic. Get some fresh air by taking the kids out on a gold coin scavenger hunt around the campground. If you get your hands on a unique selection of beads, give one strand to each friend and family member and create a forbidden word such as "beads" or "mask". If you catch someone saying the forbidden word, you can take their beads. Whoever holds the most beads at the end of the evening is the winner (you can even include a prize like a crown and glow necklaces for the kids or a beverage for adults)!

    Photo and Recipe Credit: OurLifeTastesGood

    Delicious Mardi Gras Recipes for RVers

    It's not a party without great cuisine to sink your teeth in. This holiday is all about French-inspired sweets and savory creole combos. Prep the oven in your galley and bust out your cast iron for the campfire because this Mardi Gras is about to get mouth watering. Here are some of our favorite recipes you can coax up at the RV campground.

    Skillet Jambalaya Dip

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/4 cup fine diced onion
    • 1/4 cup fine diced green pepper
    • 1/4 cup fine diced celery
    • 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
    • 1/2 cup fresh chopped tomatoes
    • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to your liking)
    • 1 pound shrimp, peeled, cleaned, and chopped
    • 6 ounces fully cooked Andouille sausage, diced
    • 1 tablespoon Zatarain's Creole Seasoning
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
    • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese mixture)

      • Recipe

      1. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over mid-high heat and saute 1/4 cup finely diced onion, 1/4 cup finely diced green pepper and 1/4 cup finely diced celery until the vegetables begin to soften (about 3 minutes).
      2. Add 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1/2 cup freshly chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce. Stir to combine.
      3. Toss in the shrimp and Andouille sausage and sprinkle on 1 tablespoon Zatarain's Creole Seasoning. Cook for about 3 minutes until shrimp is pink.
      4. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
      5. Add two 8 ounce packages of softened cream cheese and stir to melt the cheese and combine. Take another taste to make sure it is seasoned to your liking and top with 1 cup of shredded cheese.
      6. Place the skillet on the middle oven rack under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted to your liking. Remember when broiling to leave the oven door ajar and watch it closely. It will burn quickly!
      7. When cheese is melted as you like it, remove from oven and garnish with sliced sausage, chopped tomatoes, shrimp, and parsley if you like.
      8. Serve with chips or sliced baguette pieces and enjoy!
        9. Photo and Recipe Credit: CountryLiving

        Cajun Sausage Puffs With Bourbon Mustard

        Ingredients

        • All-purpose flour, for work surface
        • 1/2 (17.2 oz) package frozen all-butter puff pastry, thawed
        • 8 fully cooked andouille sausages
        • 1/2 cup whole-grain dijon mustard
        • 2 tsp bourbon
        • 1 tbsp honey
        • 1 egg (whisked)

          • Recipe

          1. Preheat your oven to 375degF.
          2. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Unfold pastry onto floured surface; lightly flour top. Cut pastry crosswise into 16 (1/2-inch-wide) strips with a large chef's knife or pizza wheel.
          3. Working one at a time, spiral strips around sausage (pushing the ends of a new strip to the old strip when you come to the end) until sausage is covered. Repeat with remaining strips and sausage. Chill 1 hour and up to 2 days.
          4. Meanwhile, combine mustard, bourbon, and honey in a bowl.
          5. Brush pastries with egg. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and then slice into 1-inch pieces with a serrated knife.
          6. Serve with mustard sauce alongside.
            7. Photo Credit: Eric Wagner
            Recipe Credit: SouthernBite

            Sweet and Easy King Cake

            Ingredients

            • 2 x 17.5 cans of jumbo cinnamon rolls with icing
            • 2 oz cream cheese
            • sugar crystals in purple, gold, and green

              • Recipe

              1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a Bundt or tube pan with non-stick cooking spray.
              2. Pop open the cinnamon roll tubes and remove the icing. Then line the bottom with the rolls. You may have to squeeze them in there.
              3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls are no longer gooey.
              4. Turn out onto platter to cool.
              5. In the meantime, mix the two icing packets with 2 oz of softened cream cheese.
              6. Once the cake is has chilled, spread the icing and decorate with alternating sugar colors.

                7. Speaking of treating the family, if you're looking for a RV getaway with your restless four legged best friend, we've scouted the best spots you may have yet to discover. Check out our Top 10 Pet-Friendly RV Campgrounds for a round up of destinations your fur baby will be thrilled to explore.

                Recent Articles

                Lifestyle

                A Comprehensive Guide to RV Maintenance

                Aug 9, 2024 | 2 min read                Lifestyle

                Exploring the Types of Towable RVs: Travel Trailers, Fifth Wheels, and Toy Haulers

                Aug 2, 2024 | 4 min read                Lifestyle

                Understanding the Different Classes of Motorhomes: A, B, and C

                Jul 26, 2024 | 6 min read