You will be in town for the best part of Mardi Gras. Saturday night is the Endymion parade which is probably the best parade of all. By all means go if you don't mind crowds. It is simply beautiful. If you like antiques/unique items, definitely take a stroll down Magazine St. Lots of antique and specialty shops and great places to eat. We have a pretty nice zoo which is on St. Charles and depending on where you stay you can take the street car down St. Charles right to the zoo. Lots of beautiful homes and mansions on the way. We have a nice aquarium too which is in the Canal St. area. You can go to the aquarium and walk down the riverfront, walk through the French Quarter and take a break at Cafe Dumonde... beignets a must. There is Central Grocery Store in the French Quarter which is known for its muffaletas... get one and go sit on the river to eat it. Also there are two quilt stores in the area. The Quilted Owl is on Jefferson Hwy. (about 15 minutes from downtown). Mes Amis quilt store is on Spanish Fort Blvd. which is near the lakefront. You can visit the quilt store and then drive along the lake (Lake Pontchartrain) and maybe have a little picnic. I'm sure you'll have an unforgetable time. We have great food, great music and lots of sites to see. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.