I just hosted my inaugural Mobile Mardi Gras Party and we had a fantastic time! I stumbled across a great little inn downtown Mobile that was perfect for hosting a Mardi Gras party - the Fort Conde Inn. It is in the heart of downtown with beautifully restored historic houses in a neighborhood with brick streets, gas street lights and huge oak trees. Stay there, if you ever get a chance. Here are my pictures and stories from the weekend.
I actually started the weekend at home on Perdido Key. My mother and sister came down Thursday. Friday morning, Momma cooked breakfast for us all - homemade biscuits. Thanks Momma!
Friday afternoon, April and Momma went downtown Pensacola for Pensacon. I had bought Momma tickets for Pensacon so that she could see William Shatner. I had work to do before I could join them. They looked to be having a great time from these photos although everything was not exactly perfect.
By the time I got to the convention center, the line to get in was pretty long although April assured me I had it easier than they did.
April had to calm Momma down because the tickets I bought got them into Pensacon, but getting an autograph from William Shatner would cost another $80. Momma complained about it A LOT but April eventually bought her a ticket in the autograph line (Thanks April). April and I sat on the floor across the hall while Momma went through the line. I did try to get a picture of Momma with Shatner, but pictures were not allowed. I had taken one photo but the security guard made me delete it immediately - even before my Google cloud could back it up. Sorry Momma. I did get a photo of the Captain (which I'm waiting for his lawyers to contact me), but Momma was not in the photo.
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| Shatner & Not Momma |
Momma got Captain Kirk to sign a book. She had written down what she wanted him to sign, but he ignored that and just signed his usually "Boldly Go" tag line. Plus, he kept her pen. Momma was happy though.
After Shatner, we loaded up and headed to Mobile for our Mobile Mardi Gras Party Weekend. The hotel, Fort Conde Inn, was great. Pam met us there. Mike and Maureen had already checked into their room. I got our rooms and we waited for Kayla.
Getting to the hotel, however, did present a couple of obstacles. April took a wrong turn and ended up leading the Mardi Gras parade. She freaked out and parked on the other side of downtown in a parking garage. I had to walk to her and Momma after the afternoon parade finished. Kevin had been directly in front of my car when we all got to downtown Mobile, but he took a wrong turn too and got mixed up in the parade as well. He freaked out more than April and left Mobile and drove back home. Maureen and I could not convince him to join us so he was out for the weekend.
Pam and I walked to the corner of Fort Conde and watched as the night parade rolled through downtown. We met the golf cart people who all park their RV's a block or two away for Mardi Gras every year. We caught a few beads and a few moon pies. Then we went back to the hotel to meet Kayla.
Pam, Kayla and I walked to meet Momma and April at the Battle House Renaissance Hotel which was near where April had parked. We all ate at the corner restaurant, the Joe Cain Café. We ate plenty and I think Kayla was most impressed with Momma ordering the same drank as I ordered - a Maker's Mark and Coke. We all thought it was pretty unusual. Luckily, we rode back to the hotel in April's car.
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| Kayla, April and Pam in hotel party room. |
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| Me and Momma |
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| Cheers! |
Saturday, Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama
Saturday was a busy day for all of us. Mike, Maureen, Pam and I had breakfast in the big house with a guy who was staying in the party house with the rest of us. Breakfast at Fort Conde Inn is a buffet-style breakfast with plenty of food and Mimosas and Bloody Mary's (probably more, too).
After breakfast, Maureen and I Ubered over to Winn Dixie to pick up food and drinks for our house party. The grocery store was not very far away. It is on Government Street adjacent to downtown. We picked up our food, drinks and party extras and Ubered back in a pick-up truck - perfect for all of our party groceries.
By the time we got back to the Fort Conde Inn, more of our party had shown up including Chris and Shelly, Brendan, Kevin, Karen and Mike. The house party was great. We all went to the 2pm parade. Then we hauled all of our beads, moon pies and cups back to the hotel for more food and drinks and costume changes. Maureen, Mike, Chris, Shelly, Pam and I got ready for our Mardi Gras ball with the Mobile Mystics. April, Brendan, Kayla, Kevin, Mike and Karen went bar hoping while we went to the ball.
The ball was fun but crowded, very crowded. Amanda Wade met us there with a friend of hers. I saw a couple of people I knew from Gulf Shores. We all met the rest of the crowd after the ball at Saddle Up and we bar hopped to the cigar bar (we left because there were no servers) and then to the firehouse (no food there as it was too late). And we all made it back to Fort Conde Inn without incident. I think there was a limo involved at some point. Probably a limo from the ball to the Saddle Up Bar, but I'll have to get someone else to confirm that.
Want to go to a Mobile Mardi Gras Ball?
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Laissez les bon temps rouler! Yes, you can go to a Mobile Mardi Gras Ball. Most balls are open to anyone, even if you are not members of the Mardi Gras krewe. Just find a contact person on their website or facebook page and contact them to buy tickets. Make sure your tuxedo or ball gown meets the dress codes and follow all of the rules for the ball you pick. Go. Drink. Party. Enjoy.
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| Here are only a few of the Mobile Mardi Gras Krewes: |
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| Brendan, Kayla, Kevin |
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| Brendan & Kayla |
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| Kayla, Brendan & Kevin |
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| Momma catching beads |
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| Kayla, Momma and Noah on party house porch. Night parade behind us. |
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| Shelly Chris, Noah & Pam |
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| April, Noah & Momma |
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| Amanda & Shelley |
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| House Party on the Porch |
Sunday, Mobile Mardi Gras
Sunday was check-out day. Some of us had breakfast. Some of us slept late. Everyone left by 11am. Pam, April, Momma and I packed up our cars and walked to Daphine's for lunch but we could not get in because we did not have a reservation (bummer). We ended up eating at Sylvia's in Fort Conde. It is a great little place inside Fort Conde and open to the public, very casual. Fort Conde is a great addition to any trip to Mobile. This fort has a ton of history and the staff is glad to share information with you and show you around the walls and interior. Plus, Sylvia's has great food!
After lunch at Fort Conde, April headed home. Momma, Pam and I headed back to Perdido Key and that wrapped up our Mobile Mardi Gras Party Weekend. We'll have to do it again.
Thanks, everyone, for joining us this weekend. Keep in touch and let's do this again next year. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
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