Carnegie Carnival

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Mobile might be the birthplace of Mardis Gras, and New Orleans might be known for its amazing Mardis Gras celebrations on Bourbon Street, but the Carnegie Visual Arts Center in Decatur puts on one heck of a Mardis Gras party called Carnegie Carnival! There are events going on all through February to revel in this fun holiday.

Carnegie Carnival Parade

The main event is the Carnegie Carnival Parade, which is Saturday, February 18 at 6pm. There are lots of exciting, brightly-colored floats that entertain guests lined up and down Second Avenue in downtown Decatur looking to catch beads, Moon Pies, and other treats! You’ll see a full-size replica pirate ship and all the crews: Pirate Crewe O’Ye Crooked Goat, the Sirens of Achelous and Skeleton Crewe, Joe Cain’s Merry Widows, that wild and crazy Crewe of Chaos, the Majesties of Marmac, and the other-side-of-towners from the Southwest of the Border Crewe, plus many, many more for an unforgettable night of fabulous floats, music, dancing, and most importantly family fun!

The parade begins at Gordon Drive/Second Avenue and ends at Bank Street/Church Street. Make sure to get your spot on Second Avenue secured early because people line up early to see this fun event!

Real Queens of Carnival

Crewe of Chaos sponsors the annual Real Queens of Carnival at the Princess Theatre on Saturday, February 4. All your favorite “queens” come together to determine the next Real Queen of Carnival! 

Paint Your Pet

Don’t miss the Paint Your Pet at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center on February 5 from 5-8pm and February 11 at 9am-12pm. All you have to do is message the Carnegie with a headshot picture of your pet, they will trace it on a canvas, and you paint it. All classes are at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center ~ 207 Church Street. Proceeds benefit local animal rescue group Paws 52 and Carnegie Art Center.

Classes are $40 and payment is required to hold your spot. You can call Judy at 512-771-4982 or message us on Facebook with questions or to make your reservation.

Carnival Strut Your Paws Pet Fashion Show

Don’t miss the Carnival dogs as they show off their best on the cat walk on February 9 at 6:30pm at the Magnolia Room. $20 to enter your dog and $5 for entry with no pet entry. Registration starts at 6pm.

Cake Shake

Free cake for everyone at the Cake Shake on Friday, February 17 at 7pm at the Princess Theatre! Join Queen Lindsey, Queen Holly, King Doug, and King Wade in celebrating the Carnival Season. There will be cakes galore, dancing to tunes by Lydia Britton and the Royal Family, libations, and fun! Free.

Carnival Frolic 13.1

Grab your running shoes and meet at Founders Park at 7am on Saturday, February 18 to join in the Carnival Frolic 13.1. You can win cash, prizes, and a medal. If a 5K is more your speed, they’ve got you covered. $45-75 entry fees.

Prince & Princess Parade

Join CASA of North Alabama for a morning of free kids’ events and games, family entertainment, and art for everyone on Saturday, February 18 at 12:30pm. Stay for a parade fit for a prince and princess. Watch local children and teens parade via foot, bike, and float starting at Founders Park at the corner of Bank Street and Church Street and ending at the Farmers Market where the Carnival Prince and Princess are crowned.

Carnival Canines on Parade

Dogs of all sizes and breeds, dressed in their Mardi Gras best, will take to the streets of historic downtown Decatur for the most colorful pooch parade and dog walk you will ever witness on Saturday, February 18 at 2:30pm. Before the canine parade, the Carnegie Carnival 2023 Sir Bow Wow and Lady Barks-a-Lot will be crowned!

The Princess & the Frog

FREE Movie Presented by the Carnegie Visual Arts Center at the Princess Theatre at 3pm on February 18.
A young lady befriends a royal amphibian and a delightful adventure ensues.

Follow the Carnegie Carnival Facebook page for all the Spirit Nights to benefit the campaigns of the Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses.

Then after the fun is over, the AIM Program of Decatur City Schools collects used beads and then cleans and packages them to resell as a fundraiser. You can drop off your used beads to the Carnegie Visual Arts Center.

Top 5 Places to Visit Regardless of the Weather

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Don’t let a rainy day or a cold weather day keep you stuck inside all day! We have put together a list of places to visit that are perfect on those days when the weather is less than desirable! Let us know which one is your favorite.

Carnegie Visual Arts Center

The Carnegie Visual Arts Center in Decatur, Alabama opened in 2003 and has provided educational and cultural opportunities to the community. The Carnegie was built in 1904 as the Carnegie Library of Decatur and was one of the 2,509 libraries built by millionaire philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, so the Carnegie has a rich, unique history.

Not only does the Carnegie have beautiful collections and exhibits that are on display throughout the center, but they also have numerous programs for adults and kids to encourage and inspire through the arts.

Visit the Carnegie to see beautiful, unique, and inspiring art. Their exhibits change periodically, so it’s a new place every time you visit.

Cook Museum of Natural Science

If you love learning about plants, animals, space, and so much more, you need to visit the Cook Museum of Natural Science in downtown Decatur! This state of the art museum was opened in 2019, and it has quickly become a favorite attraction in the state and beyond.

One of the most popular features of the Museum is the 15,000 gallon aquarium that is home to several different types of fish. There’s also a Coral Tank with beautiful corals, fish, and some small crabs. You’ll be mesmerized by the Jelly Fish Tank, too.

In addition to the fish in the aquarium, there are baby alligators, a variety of turtles, snakes, a chuckwalla, an endangered hellbender, and an eastern collared lizard on display. You can go inside a replica cave just like the ones you’ll find in north Alabama and see stalactites, stalagmites, bats, and other things you’re likely to find in a cave. There are also exhibits dedicated to space, weather, rocks & minerals, and a Holo Sands Table that is incredibly popular with kids and adults!

Another cool exhibit at the Museum is the “Big Tree” that is modeled after Alabama’s State Champion tulip poplar tree of the same name that you can find in the Sipsey Wilderness of Bankhead National Forest. You can even climb up in the tree to the second floor. There’s another replica tree there that has a cool bridge to cross to get the treehouse!

After your trip to the Museum, visit the awesome Museum Store for the perfect souvenir. The Museum Store is also a great place to go pick up a gift for friends and family or for yourself! And don’t forget to visit Nature’s Table for lunch, a delicious smoothie, or an acai bowl. The best part is that you don’t have to have a ticket to the Museum to enjoy the Museum Store or Nature’s Table; you can visit any time you want!

U.S. Space & Rocket Center

Since opening its doors in 1970, nearly 16 million people have toured the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The vast majority of those visitors have been from out of state or from foreign nations. Many of the more than 550,000 annual visitors are school students on field trips to their future. Dozens of interactive exhibits encourage visitor participation, prompting one official to note: “Here, everyone can be an astronaut for the day!”

Home to Space Camp® and Aviation Challenge® Camp, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) is the most comprehensive U.S. manned spaceflight hardware museum in the world. Its large rocket and space hardware collection is valued in the tens of millions of dollars. From America’s first satellite, Explorer I, to next generation space vehicles like Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser, the museum showcases the past, present and future of human spaceflight.

The USSRC is more than just artifacts! Experience the physics of astronaut training like never before in simulators like Space Shot and G-Force. Our Spacedome IMAX® Theater transports you to different worlds with amazing documentary films like Hubble, and live demonstrations in the Discovery Theater will have you seeing space science in a whole new light. There’s always something happening at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center!

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

Motorcycle Heaven exists, and you’ll find it in Birmingham, Alabama. Upon entering the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, you’ll understand why motorcycles and cars are considered art. The stunning five-story Barber Museum is home to the largest collection of motorcycles in the world according to Guinness World Records. With more than 1,600 motorcycles, 59 vintage Lotus cars, eclectic art, and a 2.38-mile racetrack, the Barber Museum is truly a motorsports paradise.

Located at the 880-acre Barber Motorsports Park, the 228,650-square-foot Barber Museum has motorcycle and car exhibits on each of its five floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows surround the building, which is anchored by an active restoration area that is visible to guests from each level.

The museum’s motorcycle collection spans more than a century’s worth of production, offering interesting views into the evolution of engineering. You’ll see examples of some of the oldest motorcycles in the world, such as a model of an 1867 Roper Steam Velocipede, as well as the museum’s oldest running motorcycle, the 1902 Steffey.

There are Harley-Davidsons, Hondas and Indians on exhibit alongside less familiar makes, like Cannondale, Jawa and Laverda. The museum has rare motorcycles like the 1996 Britten V1000, which is one of only 10 ever built. There is an exhibit of motorcycles built by Eric Buell, a collection of scooters and a dirt bike exhibit that will make you feel moved. With such a diverse collection, you may see an example of the very first motorcycle you ever rode.

Read more: excursionsgo.com/blog/2022/01/13/motorcycle-heaven. (by: Kelly Stewart)

Vulcan Park & Museum

A trip to Vulcan Park and Museum is a must for every visitor to the Birmingham region – in fact, it’s the best place to get started. In addition to seeing the iconic colossal statue, visitors gain an understanding of the region’s history and culture, and can learn more about other cultural, recreational and entertainment offerings at an onsite Visitor Information Center managed by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Vulcan is the world’s largest cast iron statue and is considered one of the most memorable works of civic art in the United States. Created by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti, Vulcan was cast from local iron to represent the state of Alabama at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Vulcan has overlooked Alabama’s largest city from atop Red Mountain since a 1930s WPA project created his permanent home and namesake park.

After decades of exposure to the elements, by the 90s, the 50-ton statue was in desperate need of repair. Recognizing Vulcan’s importance to the region’s history and persona, community leaders formed Vulcan Park Foundation, a nonprofit organization which oversaw a $16 million project that returned the statue to his 1904 grandeur. The meticulous restoration of Vulcan and his 124′ sandstone pedestal, completed in 2004, received numerous awards including the highest honor awarded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Embracing the personality of the community Vulcan symbolizes, the park grounds and museum offer a dynamic edu-taining experience. Standing for Birmingham Alabama’s rich industrial history, the diverse cultures that settled and built the community, and the story of Vulcan are recounted in both indoor and outdoor exhibits.

from EXCURSIONS GUESTBOOK HUNTSVILLE, MADISON & DECATUR 10th Anniversary Edition by EXCURSIONS BY CITYVISION

Carnegie Visual Arts Center

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from EXCURSIONS GUESTBOOK HUNTSVILLE, MADISON & DECATUR 10th Anniversary Edition by EXCURSIONS BY CITYVISION

The Carnegie Visual Arts Center in Decatur, Alabama opened in 2003 and has provided educational and cultural opportunities to the community. The Carnegie was built in 1904 as the Carnegie Library of Decatur and was one of the 2,509 libraries built by millionaire philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, so the Carnegie has a rich, unique history.

Not only does the Carnegie have beautiful collections and exhibits that are on display throughout the center, but they also have numerous programs for adults and kids to encourage and inspire through the arts.

One fundraiser the Carnegie has each year is the Carnegie Carnival that takes place during the Mardi Gras season. They have several events leading up the the big event – the Mardi Gras parade along Second Avenue! You’ll see elaborate floats and get lots of beads.

Visit the Carnegie to see beautiful, unique, and inspiring art. Their exhibits change periodically, so it’s a new place every time you visit.

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