You know this is going to be a fun tour as soon as you arrive. Colorful Mardi Gras props, like a gigantic jovial jester, fiercely realistic alligators, and a gorgeously exciting Marilyn Monroe with skirt flying greet one and all to this amazing fantasy factory.

You will even view the most awesome floats ever built for carnival - the Orpheus 140-foot triple-tandem sea monster "Leviathan" and the 240-foot quintuple-tandem "Captain Eddie's S.S. Endymion," with tens of thousands of fiber optic lights.

After a brief introduction by a knowledgeable guide and a spirited video about the history of Mardi Gras and the company, you can dress up in authentic, ornate carnival costumes.

Visitors tap into their imaginations, as the ladies don sequined headdresses, gowns, and the gentlemen wear regal coats of armor, imagine yourself as a noble king or queen of the ball!

During the self-guided portion of your tour, you'll enter a maze of amazing props of all sizes. In one area, heaps of props await repair, and you'll see artists, painters, and sculptors creating before your very eyes. A 15-foot torso of the lovely and captivating Cleopatra stands nearby.

Follow the yellow arrows to next "den" (float artists' warehouse). It's a big carpentry and paint shop, where workers build and decorate sensational floats. For each "krewe" (club), artists paint each float with brightly-colored themed scenes. Gold and silver foil on the sides of the floats glisten and flutter in the breeze.

The floats appear as colorful and animated as any imaginative Hollywood movie, with strings of lights tracing their outlines to illuminate them at night.