MOBILE, ALABAMA, USA -- Mention "Mardi Gras" and it will almost automatically conjure up the craziness down in New Orlean's French Quarter. However, for 2003, if you happen to be passing through Mobile, Alabama, any time between February 14 through March 4 (or within that general time perdiod any year), you will discover that not only is Mardi Gras celebrated with all of the festivities and fun associated with New Orlean's big party, but locals will be quick to inform you that Mobile is where it all began.

Mardi Gras actually started in Mobile in 1703 when it was a colony of French soldiers. After having survived a particularly nasty bout with yellow fever, they decided to celebrate, but since party favors were few and far between in the New World, the men opted to paint their faces red and just act crazy for a few hours. They must have had fun because it became an annual event.

Mardi Gras was transformed into a parade event in 1840 by a group known as the Cowbellion de Rakin Society, the first of many of Mobile's so-called mystic organizations who journeyed to New Orleans in 1857 to help a group there set up a Mardi Gras celebration.

Don't let the word "mystic" bother you. No black magic or wide-eyed cultists here. These are civic groups just like the Jaycees or Rotary, only their main purpose is to Laissez les bon temps roullex-- Let the good times roll. Let some of their names speak for themselves: The Knights of Revelry, The Maids of Mirth, The Polka Dots, The Krewe of Merry Mates and The Comic Cowboys. Oogum-boogum, indeed!

After the Civil War, Mobile was occupied by Federal troops, and it was not a fun place. Hostilities had long since put Mardi Gras on hold. However, in 1866, a man by the name of Joe Cain felt it was time once again to bring back the merriment of Mardi Gras and decided to do his part to put life back into the town. Cain decked himself in full Chickasaw Indian regalia, proclaimed himself Chief Slacabamorinico, climbed aboard a coal wagon with six spirited (figuratively and literally) friends calling themselves "The Tea Drinkers," and road his one-mule, one-float parade through the town.

Mobile during the Festival of Lent has never been the same since.

This late winter party has just become bigger and crazier. Now, for thirteen days, the city is a bacchanalia-on-the-bayou complete with parties, balls, coronations of kings and queens, parades and just plain silliness. Where else will you find hulking ruralites in jeans, checked shirts and Peterbuilt hats fussing with each other over which beads look the best with their outfits?

Throw Me Something!

Beaded necklaces are the symbol of Mardi Gras. Everyone wears them, and everyone tries to get even more from the partiers on parade floats who literally toss out tons of the trinkets to onlookers as they wind their way through the downtown streets. Beyond the beads, float riders also let fly candy, toys, stuffed animals, souvenir cups and, as an appropriate salute to southern cuisine, moon pies.

The crowds, although large (70,000 to over 100,000 on Mardi Gras Day), are still not the crush that has started to spoil New Orlean's celebration. Police line the entire route and are forgiving and even accommodating to the crowds.

They only have one strict rule: Do not jump the barricades while a parade is passing by. Transgressors hopping over the rails to retrieve trinkets just out of reach are arrested and fined. It is automatic and irrevocable--no ifs, ands, buts or beads.

The trick for more treats is to study the parade routes beforehand, looking particularly for where a parade might pass within a block of its return route. For example, some of the parades will go east on Church Street but then reverse course to the west just a block over on Government Street. So, you can catch as much as you can on Church Street and then run (don't walk--the locals know about this plan, too) over to Government Street in plenty of time to be bombarded again.

Parade Central

Ground Zero for the parades is a section of downtown that hugs the waterfront next to Mobile's new convention center. Three hotels, Adam's Mark (1-800-444-ADAM) on South Water Street, Holiday Inn (1-800-692-6662) on Government Street and Ramada Inn (1-800-333-3333) on Government Street, are located right in the middle of the merriment and are choice crash sites for partiers in between parades, so early reservations are a must.

There are twenty-two parades, with at least one parade each day during the two weeks leading up to Mardi Gras Day, but the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before, the excitement begins to build up with two to three parades each day. The crazy crescendo is Fat Tuesday when six parades turn Mobile upside-down for the day.

Amid the costumes, craziness and southern culture on the skids in the late winter, it is worth noting the observation of Gordon Tatum of the Museum of Mobile that "Mardi Gras is just an illusion."

An illusion it is, and at the stroke of midnight on Fat Tuesday, it all goes away. But it will be back next year, because as early French colonists and ol' Joe Cain discovered many years ago, enjoying the unreal, getting a little bit crazy, if just for a brief time, is a great way to deal with the real.

For more information on Mardi Gras in Mobile, go to the web site www.mobile.org/html/links/mardi_gras.php.

While in Mobile

USS Alabama (334/433-2703). This big boat located on Battleship Parkway is a dreadnought not to miss, and it has plenty of company. The USS Drum, a World War II submarine, is moored along side the battleship, and on the surrounding dock, it is heaven for boys who like big toys. Twenty-two airplanes ranging from a P-51 Mustang and a B-25 Mitchell to a B-52 and an A-12 Blackbird spy plane are on display, as are various tanks, field artillery pieces and other bits of military memorabilia. Open 8 am to 5 pm (except Christmas).

Bellingrath Gardens and Home (1-800-247-8420). Take a break from Mardi Gras in 65-acres of floral beauty. Daffodils by the thousands will be showing off by mid-February, but they will be getting stiff competition from the many blooming camellias. A tour of the elaborately adorned house is also worth adding to the visit. Open 9 am to 4 pm.

Museum of Mobile (334-434-7569). On Government Street, this is a great place to learn the history of this 300-year-old town. Also, don't miss The Queen's Room, an exhibit of costumes worn by past Mardi Gras queens. Admission: free. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 1 to 5 pm (except on holidays).

Magnolia Grove Golf Club (334-645-0075). As a part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama, it is one of the best courses in is the state. Located on Lamplighter Drive, it is a 54-hole course.

Cotton Creek West (1-800-327-2657). Located on Cotton Creek Drive, this 18-hole challenge is an Arnold Palmer-designed course.

TimberCreek Golf Club (334-621-9900). This 27-hole championship layout designed by Earl Stone is located on TimberCreek Boulevard just off of Mobile Bay.

In the Nearby Area

• The 10 Best Things to Do in and Around Mobile, Alabama
• RVing and Camping at Dauphin Island
• Making Award Winning Ribs at Saucy Q

More on Mardi Gras!

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LA Jackson is a freelance writer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. When he's not having adventures like this one, LA specializes in gardening.