State Museum offers peek inside facility in N.O.

What better way to get in the Mardi Gras mood than to tour the Louisiana State Museum’s Carnival Collection in New Orleans.

The Friends of the Cabildo is presenting Hidden Treasures of the Louisiana State Museum: Carnival Edition on Tuesday and Thursday, Jan. 17 and 19. Tours start at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. as visitors are led through the museum’s storage facility, 1000 Chartres St. in the French Quarter. Wayne Phillips, curator of costumes and textiles for the museum, is the guide, who will give a glimpse of Carnivals past through and area usually closed to the general public.

The cost is $15, or $10 for Friends members. Reservations are required and space is limited. To make reservations, call Rebecca Duckert, [phone]. In other Mardi Gras news, The Foundation for Historical Louisiana is sponsoring its annual Lagniappe Tours excursion to celebrate and experience Fat Tuesday on Feb. 21.

Both FHL members and guests can take a luxury motor coach, enjoy exceptional reserved parade route seats, and a buffet dinner.

Tour participants will see the world-famous Krewes of Rex and Zulu, as well as the marching clubs and truck parades, from their reserved seats. At mid-afternoon, the party moves to Le Pavillion Hotel, known as “the Belle of New Orleans,” for a Creole buffet. As a Lagniappe Tours passenger, you will have access to the hotel’s facilities throughout the day. Lagniappe Tours’ guides also travel with the group providing insights and information.

The motor coach will depart from the Mall of Louisiana (Macy’s) parking lot at 6:45 a.m. and will return at 7 p.m. The cost for FHL members is $150 per person, and the cost for guests is $175 per person. This price includes the bus, guide, grandstand tickets and lunch at the Pavillion.

An individual or family membership is $50, so if a membership is bought with 2 or more tickets, the membership pays for itself. For reservations or inquiries, call the FHL offices at (225) 387-2464, ext. 11. Space is limited.

ON THE INTERNET: http://www.fhl.org

Drinking to that

The Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St. in New Orleans, will unveil its newly renovated and expanded Carousel Bar and Lounge starting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25.

The joint event with Tales of the Cocktail also will officially kick off the six-month countdown to the 10th Anniversary Tales of the Cocktail. The five-day cocktail festival run July 25-29. Following the grand reopening and countdown ceremonies, jazz singer Robin Barnes will perform from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public.

Get in parks free

All 397 national parks across the country are offering free admission Sunday and Monday, Jan. 15 and 16, to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The National Park Service also says the nearest national park can also help one keep that New Year’s resolution, whether it is to get more exercise, spend quality time with family and friends, try a new sport, learn some history, expand one’s horizons, or enjoy the natural world. Activity choices at the parks include snow shoe hikes, canoe trips, campfire programs, film festivals, battle reenactments and music jams.

The NPS will also waive admission fees on 14 other days in 2012 – National Park Week (April 21-29), Get Outdoors Day (June 9), National Public Lands Day (Sept. 29), and the weekend of Veterans Day (Nov. 10-12).

ON THE INTERNET: http://www.nps.gov

Weather office open house

The New Orleans/Baton Rouge Weather Forecast Office will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21. Residents can tour the redesigned operations area, meet the new emergency response specialists, and learn how weather forecasters track storms and issue warnings.

Outside of the forecast office will be booths and exhibits including a tornado simulator and a marine weather buoy as well as hands-on activities for children. Weather balloons will be launched throughout the day. Remarks and ribbon cutting for the operations area begin at 12:30 p.m. The New Orleans/Baton Rouge WFO, provides weather, hydrologic and climate forecasts and warnings to 2.9 million people in 22 parishes in Louisiana and eight Mississippi counties.

The office is located at 62300 Airport Road in Slidell. The event is free and open to the public.

Forest passes available

The Kisatchie National Forest offers two passes for those who utilize the KNF on a regular basis. The annual Trail Use Pass and the annual Day Use Pass, both are now available for purchase at any ranger district station or the Forest Service Supervisor’s Office in Pineville. The Annual Trail Use Pass ($50) and Annual Day Use Pass ($30) are both good for a calendar year. KNF has some of Louisiana’s best trails and recreational opportunities throughout its five ranger districts spread over seven parishes.

The Annual Pass costs $80 and is good for a whole calendar year and provides visitors with access to overnight camping, developed boat launches, swimming sites, specialized interpretive services and more. The senior annual day pass is $10 and entitles visitors 62 and older with a 50 percent discount on camping, boat launches, and at sites charging per person fees. For those with a permanent disability a lifetime pass is free and gives a 50 percent discount on the same amenities as the senior pass.

Monies collected and returned to the KNF are used to maintain and improve all visitor facilities and recreational sites. Purchasing passes in January ensures maximum benefit for the whole calendar year. Passes can be purchased at any ranger district station or at the Kisatchie Forest Supervisor’s office located at 2500 Shreveport Highway in Pineville across from the VA Medical Center or call [phone] for more information.

Seniors to Missouri

A senior citizen bus trip to Branson, Mo., is planned for April 15-21. Cost of $595 includes transportation, lodging, 10 meals and admission to seven Branson shows.

For more information, call Leslie Tassin, [phone].

The Friends of the Cabildo, The Foundation for Historical Louisiana, the Monteleone, the National Park Service, the New Orleans/Baton Rouge Weather Forecast Office, Kisatchie National Forest and Leslie Tassin provided items for this column. Louisiana Travels is a biweekly column about travel destinations and events in Louisiana. Email items for Louisiana Travels to [e-mail] or [e-mail] or fax to [phone].