Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina severed a vital rail link along the Gulf Coast, Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service is back — reconnecting New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama for the first time in two decades. In today’s episode, Wanderlust’s North America Editor, Jacqui Agate, takes us on the inaugural journey, following the tracks deep into the culture, history and landscapes of the American South.

From New Orleans’ musical pulse and Mississippi’s small coastal towns to Mobile, Alabama — the birthplace of Mardi Gras — this is a journey filled with music, history, food and more than a little bit of Mardi Gras fun.

But it’s also a journey about renewal, and how a train line, once lost, can become a powerful symbol of connection restored.

Highlights include:

• Riding the revived Mardi Gras Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, and why its return matters now.

• Tracing Mardi Gras from its origins to its modern expressions along the Gulf Coast.

• Exploring how places shaped by Hurricane Katrina continue to rebuild, remember and redefine themselves.

• Discovering Alabama through culture, history, wilderness and creativity — beyond the clichés.

• Reflecting on what slower travel reveals about place, people and connection.

FIND OUT MORE

Plan your journey to plan a sweet home from home at alabama.travel

Buy tickets for the new Mardis Gras train at amtrak.com

Connect with Jacqui Agate on Instagram @jacquiagate and jacquiagate.com

Read the accompanying article, and see the photos at wanderlustmagazine.com

• Get to the heart of the American South in Alabama

WANDERLUST: OFF THE PAGE
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CREDITS
This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.
Lyn Hughes and Laura Field introduce the show. Aaron Millar is the interviewer and script editor. Audio production by Charles Tyrie.