If you are gonna be in Baton Rouge, the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade is not to be missed. While you are in B.R., you should try to get to My friend Kent's Jam Session in Gonzales. We get together every Wed night from 6-10pm. About 10-12 people or so.
Here is my email if you want to get in touch.
cadien@hotmail.com
I live in BR so if you have any questions about events or music in town, drop me a line. Boutin's Restaurant has live music every night. Unfortunately my band played our last gig there last week but Al Berard is now playing in our place on Tues. nights.
Hope you have fun while in town.
Let me know if you need anything while here.
Layne Zuelke
Last year was my first SW La Mardi Gras experience. I tried to get to as many places as possible, and it was all good. No matter where you go or which parade, your 4 year old will come away with more beads that you can carry. A couple observations: Lafayette - tons and tons of beads, floats, and a little more urban. Eunice - horses everywhere, Church Point - local community fun, boudin cooking on every corner. Didn't see the Iota parade, but the festivities, lots of home cooked food, local musicians. No matter where I went, I saw nothing you wouldn't want a four year old to see.
Check out this link:
http://www.arnb.org/Mardigras.php
I used it last year to plan my week around who I absolutely had to see. Have fun!
Steve
In Lake Charles, the saturday before Mardi Gras, they have the Childrens Parade. As a matter of fact, the entire weekend before Mardi Gras is very family oriented here. Gumbo cook-off($5 gets you all the gumbo you can eat from about 75 different cooking teams), Krewe of Barkus parade(Dogs dressed up in Mardi Gras costumes: the kids love this one), Taste of Louisiana, Daytime cajun and zydeco dances without alcohol, etc....I have 2 kids, ages 4 and 7, and we've been evey year to everything. Their Daddy even took third place in the gumbo cook-off a couple years ago. At the childrens parade, tons of throws and candy, they kind of tone down the horns from the Trucks pulling the floats, and the parade route is at least 6 miles long with plenty of places to set up.
I don't know off the top of my head, but all you have to do is find Ash Wednesday on the calendar, and you will know that Mardi Gras is the day before that.