mardi gras museum of imperial calcasieu

Small museum located in an old school. A little hard to find, but once you do, you're glad you did. This is an outstanding collection of costumes and gear from past Lake Charles mardis gras events. The beautiful colors, sparkles and creative ideas are just amazing. Museum curator was charming and told us many facts about the costumes and krewes that you wouldn't know. Great collection and well worth the minimal cost. Highly recommended!

Oh my gosh, I am not sure how to describe things, I was nearly in tears, this place was absolutely STUNNING,, this was a self guided tour, and the lady said to ENJOY and to take pictures, OOOOH I know I could visit this place 10 times and not see the same outfits, oh my gosh , poor hubby trailed behind, he had never seen anything like it before, I think he was a bit in awe himself ( he is not about to admit it tho LOL ) I just wish I was allowed to try on just one outfit and one of those feathered head dresses,, oh wow,, yes folks if u love Mardi Gras or the costumes or just imagining being in the crowd screaming at the costumed characters to THROW YOU SOMETHING :-) this is a MUST SEEEE

Started with one room years ago and has grown to many on both sides of the floor. You can really experience Mardi Gras on this self guided tour. It is not your average museum tour so bring your camera as you will be in awe. You could make several visits and still see something you missed the time before. Hundreds of costumes donated by Kings, Queens and other royalty from various . Krewes. Lots of history, pictures, instructions on how costumes are designed, a section dedicated to the popular Children's Day event. Let your imagination run wild as you can be photographed in action on a float as you imagine the crowd screaming to you "Hey Mister, Throw Me Something"! I believe this is touted to be the largest museum of its kind in Louisiana. $3 or $2 for Seniors is well worth the visit. Laissez les bon temps rouler(Let the good times roll)

I took my wife to this because it is right up her alley. As for me, it was okay. It is located in an old school on the second floor. After we realized it was in the school, it was easy to find. Parked in the back and made the short trip up the stairs after talking to the security guard. My wife enjoyed every minute we were walking around. They have packed a huge number of costumes in numerous old classrooms.. the hallway was just the beginning. It is obvious that they take the Lake Charles version of Mardi Gras seriously! It was something fun to do for about a half hour. You could spend a lot more time if you listen to all of the animated machines that talk to you along the way. My wife would go again just to look at the costumes!

There are over 50 Mardi Gras krewes (organizations) in Lake Charles. This is an amazing number of people who all share the love of carnival from 12th Night (Jan. 6th) through midnight Mardi Gras night. Many of the krewes observe formal balls with kings, queens, duchesses, dukes, debutantes and other royalty. Others observe a more casual approach and still others celebrate the rural traditions of Courir de Mardi Gras when people costume in more rustic attire and go door to door seeking ingredients for a community gumbo.A trip through the museum is a fabulous walk through various eras of Mardi Gras krewe costumes. Expect feathers, satin, and exquisite costume design along with your tutorial on all things Mardi Gras.The museum is located on the second floor of the old Central School near downtown Lake Charles. The history of the school and its current use is also of interest to those who enjoy adaptive re-use.

Something too do. You have to have respect for all the work people have put into these costumes. Very flamboyant and colorful. Just keep in mind you are going to be looking at it for an hour. It was also very cold in there.

Visited today and the wife thought it was fantastic....I don't want to seem a killjoy but it just wasn't my thing. The displays are well laid out and some of the costumes are magnificent but in hindsight I should have let the wife visit whilst i did some fishing or drinking or sport or.................

This museum has limited hours. I arrived during their scheduled hours but found only a few costumes in the hallway, not what the brochure described. In checking offices on the second floor where the museum is located I found a gentleman in an unrelated office who had a key. He opened the rooms for me and I could not believe what I saw it was so incredible. There is much to see in a small space. For someone like me who has never been to a Mardi Gras, I learned much about the history and was amazed at how elaborate the costumes are. It would have been helped if someone had been on duty as there was a parade float experience mentioned in the brochure that I could not find and I had some questions I would have liked to ask. The man who opened the door said he just has keys in case no one is available to open the museum, but beyond that he has nothing to do with the museum or the exhibits. I marvelled at the stunning costumes. Someone put a lot of time and effort into this project and I enjoyed it immensely.

The number and variety of the costumes is amazing, but I have mixed feelings. There's almost too much to see. Most of the costumes are displayed cheek by jowl with little room between. If you see a costume that you particularly like, and there are plenty, it's difficult to get a good pictue because of the tight quarters. I'm not a great photographer, so judge for yourself. I must say it is definitely worth the price of admission.

All the work they put into everything was amazing. You have to see it to believe it. The money, time, effort, creativity, imagination, talent, is just incredible to see, it is great La. history.

We must have missed something. We went around 2PM on a Wednesday, when it should have been open according to the schedule. However, this was just a short hallway with some costumes in it. The brochures made it sound like much more, and also said there was a fee for admission - we could not find anyone to pay, despite trying to open and knock on the doors, so we saw it for free....If we missed something - it may be better. If we did not miss anything - then I don't think it is really worth visiting. We spent about 6 minutes here. Costumes were interesting though.

The Mardi GRAS museum is very nice. They have a very large selection of past costumes from area Krewes that have been donated. You can get up close and personal and note all the detail and work put into the costumes, and gowns. Quite a bit of history stuffed into a small place! If you are not familiar with our Mardi Gras tradition, this is a must to see.

Great costumes on display along with rooms devoted to explaining Mardi Gras customs and traditions. Entertaining and informative. Its located in a large cultural center with galleries and artist studios.

Very imformative, interesting. Beautiful costumes!

Museum was closed on Monday, but they have lots of costumes in the hallway to view. Located in the old Central High School, so it was pretty unique.