Halloween In New Orleans

My husband and I have been fortunate to visit New Orleans over 15 times since 2012 (I stopped counting after 15 visits). We've been in NOLA for every season and for multiple holidays. When we first decided to have a destination wedding in New Orleans, we wanted it to be during Halloween weekend in New Orleans, until we realized it's the most popular weekend to get married there and prices were sky rocket high.

In 2016, we visited New Orleans the week before Halloween and attended the Boo's Krewe Parade. While there, we saw the city decorated for our favorite holiday. However, we had no idea what to expect while in town last week which happened to fall during the same time as Voodoo Fest.

If you find yourself in New Orleans during the weeks leading up to Halloween, here are some suggestions on must see's!

Skeleton House on St. Charles Ave
Take the St. Charles Street car up to State Street and you will find yourself in the middle of one of the most creative and humorous Halloween display's you will ever see. This mansion located at 6000 St Charles Ave, has displays that change over the years. I have to wonder what their Christmas decorations look like, or how large their storage shed must be.

Ghost Manor on Magazine St.
Plan on visiting Ghost Manor located at 2502 Magazine Stat after sundown to witness one of the coolest light displays you will ever see. We took the St. Charles Street car back down towards downtown and got off at the 3rd St. and walked a 1/2 mile over to Magazine. The 2018 display showcased 4 skeletons who are choreographed (dancing, singing, etc) to a variety of songs. We were fortunate enough to see them preform Thriller. In between the skeleton acts, there are light shows in the windows. I honestly could have watched this house all night.

French Quarter Halloween Decor
All throughout French Quarter you will find houses decorated to the max. The weekend leading up to Halloween, you will find people dressed in Halloween costumes all through the Quarter. It was like a multi-day citywide Halloween party.

Halloween Friday Lunches
A variety of classic New Orleans restaurants host Halloween themed luncheons on the Friday leading up to the holiday. We scored a table for 2 at the iconic Galatoire's for their annual Yelloween party. I wasn't prepared for what we experienced, nor am I able to fully describe it. Let's put it like this - the who is who from New Orleans come in well before opening time to decorate their tables. I am talking full themes and costumes to match. Our server told us the attendees typically spend all afternoon at Yelloween, sipping on Vueve Cliquot by the bottle or glass (they sponsor Yelloween). Since it was just the two of us, we decided to dress up in classy skeleton apparel. We stayed in this get up all day - and couldn't walk 5 feet without someone stopping Gabe about his suit.

Voodoo Fest
We didn't get a chance to attend Voodoo Fest as we flew home Saturday. However, the city was in full swing when we departed. Next years festival will go from November 1-3 and Halloween falls on a Thursday. We already have plans on coming back next year and experiencing it all. The 2018 festival  was a variety of music - from Mumford and Sons to Marilyn Manson. They'll be announcing the lineup soon for next year!

photo from voodoo fest facebook

Krewe of Boo Parade
The weekend before Voodoo fest is a family friendly motorized parade called Krewe of Boo. As mentioned, we attended in 2016. It was really cool to see. However, coming from Tampa given the size of our Guavaween parade, I was a bit underwhelmed. Looks like we can beat NOLA at one parade!

We absolutely loved spending time in NOLA during Halloween time and I would suggest it to all the fellow Halloween lovers out there!

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The Play That Goes Wrong - Straz Center Tampa

When we were in NYC two weeks ago, we attended our first Broadway on Broadway show. We came away with a new found appreciation for Straz Center. We've always been impressed by the amazing shows Straz brings in every year but I had no idea how vast in size Carol Morsani Hall is! While in NYC, we attempted to get tickets for a show called The Play That Goes Wrong, which was co-produced by J.J. Abrams. I'm a huge fan of everything J.J. has done. New York didn't work out for us but this show happened to be coming to Straz as part of their Broadway in Tampa series and we had an opportunity to see it!

The Play That Goes Wrong is far different than any show we have ever seen. The best way I can explain it is that it is two shows in one. The cast is trying to put on a show and everything goes wrong, but they have to stay in their "actor" character.

Prior to the show starting, we had quite a surprise by one of the actors jumping up on the set of seats directly in front of me, screaming at one of the technicians. Everyone was in full character and we knew then, we were in for a show.

Before the show began, the stage was full of people trying to repair the set. Things kept breaking and before you knew it, the show had already started. Then we realized one of the balconies was lit up and had a set of it's own - it belonged to the AV tech, which was part of the show.

The story is a classic "who dunnit", a Murder at Haversham Manor. From start to finish, things went from bad to disaster and the entire night was full chaos and mishaps.

This show has received rave reviews. The New York Times called it a “a gut-busting hit”, The Daily Beast called it “a riotous explosion of comedy”, and HuffPost called it “the funniest play Broadway has ever seen”. I laughed so hard during this show, my abs hurt the next day.

Expect things like an AV guy who messes up constantly through the night, the leading lady goes unconscious multiple times and has to have tech's jump in to cover her, a dead body who refuses to stay still, sets that break through the night, and total chaos from the second you take your seat.

It was a fun night out and we enjoyed seeing this show! Showtimes are running through Sunday, October 21st.

Click here to buy tickets for The Play That Goes Wrong
Wednesday, October 17, , 2018 | 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 18, 2018 | 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 19, 2018 | 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 20, 2018 | 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 20, 2018 | 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 21, 2018 | 2 p.m.
Sunday, October 21, 2018 | 7:30 p.m.

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Getaway 5K and 10K St Pete Discount Code

I have not ran since March (more on why below). Now that I have that awful secret off my chest I am excited to announce that I am going to lace my shoes back up and start training for the Getaway 10K in St. Pete on November 4th. I helped spread the word of the 2017 Getaway series when it came to town last year but was unable to race it due to another race conflict. I had many friends who ran either the 10K or the 5K last year and loved it. I also have a discount code for either the Getaway 5K or 10K which will save you $12 off registration: irun4winesp18.

I will have to start training from scratch which will be interesting to see how I mentally handle that. Will I go into this, constantly doubting myself since I know I can't run a mile straight right now? Or will it make me more determined? Time can only tell but I only have 4 weeks to get my act together.

I could have chosen from many different races to get me over the hump. The reason I chose Getaway 10K was that it is a friendly race series that not only celebrates runners & walkers, it has a beach-themed post-race celebration with vendors, music, food & beverage and a play area for kids. The Getaway 10K and 5K swag is also fantastic. All 10K and 5K finishers will receive a specially designed finisher’s medal. All 10K finishers will receive a 1/4 zip, sweat-wicking pullover jacket, (with thumbholes!!) and all other race participants will receive an event t-shirt.

10K Course
The Getaway 10K course is a timed run with the start and finish line at Albert Whitted Park. Runners will race through downtown St. Pete, pass the Dali museum and run along the water before returning to Albert Whitted Park for the finish line and the post-event party.

5K Course
The Getaway 5K course is a timed run with the start and finish line at Albert Whitted Park. Runners will race through downtown St. Pete  while running along the water before returning to Albert Whitted Park for the finish line and the post-event party.

Race Details
click here to register
Registration Fees:
Early Bird:
9/17 – 10/21 10K $45 | 5K $35
Full Price: 10K $50 | 5K $40
Kids Fun Run (12 under): $15
Save $12 off with the Getaway 5K discount code: irun4winesp18

If you are wondering why I haven't been running, there are reasons (and excuses). The reasons: In March, I got sick the night before a half marathon and ended up with my only DNS. I thought I had the flu and when I eventually went to the Dr., testing began. They believed I have had something called silent acid reflux for many years which has caused major havoc on my stomach. So although I never thought I had heartburn or acid reflux, my body was secretly suffering for many years untreated. This has now taken a more severe route and I've been to multiple Doctors to find no answers or relief. Seven months later, after thousands of dollars in Dr. bills and being put on 10 different medications, I still don't know what is wrong with me. I have to follow a gluten free diet and cut many other things out of my life. The past seven months have been a frustrating mystery. I finally got in with a GI Doctor and I have an endoscopy scheduled after the race. I will also be getting my esophagus stretched while I am under anesthesia since I have been choking on food & liquids. So while I know people run with way worse things than what I am going through, the few times I went out there was absolute torture. That's my reason for not running. My excuse is that it was too damn hot in FL to run over the summer with my ongoing issues..

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