Weekend Getaway to Louisville, KY

Louisville was a city that had been on our radar for a while, but the time never felt right (hello muggy summers!) When we had a few extra days around Thanksgiving we opted to give this city a try. It's about a 7 hour drive from where we are located and so we packed up the car and headed East and what we experience was more than I bargained for!

Day 1: History and Horse Racing

On our first day in Louisville, to orient ourselves we decided to wander around a few areas of town and experience a race at the Churchill Downs.

Frazier History Museum

We got our day started with a visit to the Frazier History Museum. It was only an 8 minute walk from our hotel and was a great intro to Louisville.

This museum is broken into different levels; the top floor focuses on bourbon and the history of the area while the first floor focuses on famous Louisvillians, from folk legends to rock stars. We were lucky enough to arrive as one of the museum’s free tours was going through this floor and it really helped it come to life!

They have different tours on different days/times so be sure to check the schedule out before you go! 

This was my favorite display that showcased the special-edition decanters that were release each year.

Churchill Downs

After fully educating ourselves on Louisville, we decided to head out to the Churchill Downs, home of the infamous Kentucky Derby. We were lucky to visit during a race weekend where we got to experience a LIVE horse race! Boy was it ex It wasn’t the Kentucky Derby but it was still something we wanted to experience. 

The first surprise was how cheap our tickets were - I think we paid $10 bucks or less for our tickets (more money to gamble I guess!) It was kind of hilarious that we chose our seats with the tickets because so few people were in attendance that you really could kind of sit anywhere you wanted. We moved closer because it was a tad chilly in the shade. 

Tips for Betting and the Races

If you’ve never been to a horse race, here’s your crash course: When you enter you will get a booklet with all the stats on the horses for each race. The races are broken into series with different race lengths, etc. (much like track). The booklet also has a cheat-sheet on all the different bet types, you’ll need it as it can be a bit confusing! There’s loosely about an hour between races, which at first seems like a long time, but by the time you figure out your next bets, place the bets and get a nibble or mint julep it’s just about time for the next race.

Dress Code

The race we went to was at the end of November and we saw a variety of fashions. Of course there were several people dressed to the nines as if they were going to the Kentucky Derby, but there were also plenty of jeans and even some athleisure wear. Basically whatever you feel like wearing, you will blend in with some! 

I could see this being a very leisurely way to spend an afternoon if you lived there. But we had other things we didn’t want to miss, so after 4 races (and a measly $1.50 in winnings- darn!) we headed out.

Basking in Bourbon

Then, we had to experience a classic Louisville activity - going on a distillery tour and tasting. Bourbon is what this region is best known for and worth doing a tasting or tour at least once on your trip. 

We opted for Angel’s Envy Distillery - one because it was walkable-ish to where we stayed, just in case we got a little too caught up in the moment. And two because it was the only one that had times available. 🙃

Yes, these tours book up - our trip was in November and when we looked initially (around a month out) there were plenty of options at several distilleries so we didn’t think we’d have a problem booking on the fly to fit our schedule - not so! When we went to book the day before there were only 2 places that only had a SINGLE tour time available. Pro-tip: book early & make plans around your reservation. Whoops - we learned that the hard way! 

During one part of the process the Bourbon is at a high enough proof to use as hand sanitizer!

But, it worked out, the Angel’s Envy tour was great - we learned a lot about what makes bourbon, bourbon, as well as what set’s apart the Angel’s Envy liquors. Did we retain any of it - not really - but it was fun to learn this part of the culture of Louisville. Another thing to note is that these tours cost money - here in the midwest we’ve gone on a distillery tour here & there and they are typically free, so having to pay was a surprise to us, so make sure you plan ahead. 

Though the $28 cost was well worth it as we tasted 2 different bourbons & 1 whiskey and paired them with chocolates. This was part of their signature tasting and it was impressive - we learned ‘how’ to drink/taste bourbon. Which was helpful because we aren’t huge bourbon/whiskey drinkers and this drastically improved the experience. 

I know many people flock to Louisville to take part in the Bourbon trail that maps out 46 distilleries in the area, but we are lightweights and had a lot more to explore! 

NuLu District

After the tour we headed to the NuLu district (short for New Louisville) full of interesting shops, hip eateries and you guessed it - bourbon bars! We were lucky enough to be wandering through on Small Business Saturday so many of the local shops had deals or snacks as you shopped. In my opinion, that was the way to do it! ;)

If I were to do it again - I would split this up where we didn’t go right after drinking so that we would’ve experienced a bar or two in the area. As it was, we were feeling dehydrated from the bourbon tour and didn’t really want to add insult to injury. 

Where to Eat

We eventually stopped for dinner at Guaca Mole - a modern Mexican joint. We opted to share their Guacamole trio among other things and it was to die for! I’m not sure if they do this only on weekends, but they had a live Mariachi band that went around taking requests which just added to the vibe! There were these Instagramable swing-chairs at some of the tables, so if that’s more your style be sure to come early!

We also stopped at Please & Thank You to try their best-selling homemade Oatmeal cream pie! It was best-selling for a reason, it was delicious. They have a few different locations in the area, but this one was fun to pop into while we were exploring the Nulu District.

Day 2:

On our second day we still had so much on our list to explore! Thankfully we had a city tour booked to help us maximize our time.

Louisville Slugger Museum

The next day we started early with a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum. If you are heading to the museum, you really need to plan according to one of their tours. The tours are included with admission and run every 10 - 30 minutes depending oh the season. The tour takes you through the factory to get up close and personal with the process of making a Louisville Slugger Bat - plus you'll come home with a mini-bat at the end of the tour for a pretty neat souvenir!

The tour and museum were super cool to see and learn more about what all goes into making bats for the pros and the different regulations. The museum itself is great for families with young children and is interactive.

On your way out, stop by the Bat Vault where there are 3,000 original bat models for baseball legends.

Main Street

We had a little time to kill so we wandered down Main Street a bit and came across this super-cool chocolate shop - Art Eatables. It was started as a candy company and after an overwhelming amount of requests to make bourbon balls, the rest is history! The chocolates are not only tasty, they are beautiful too - so they'll make a great souvenir or gift from your time in the bluegrass state. 

All along Main Street there are all kinds of museums, restaurants and art! There's even a place you can make your own signature Bourbon blend!

Take a Tour

There are so many different kinds of tours you can take around Louisville, and we simply couldn't decide between them all, and thankfully we didn't have to with the Fun City Tour! This tour gives you a taste of many of the delicacies that Louisville is known for and some whiskey pairings to wash it all down, all while you are exploring the highlights of Louisville! It was easily my favorite thing we did while visiting Louisville.

Our first stop took us across the river into Indiana - betcha didn’t know you were that close to the hoosier state (at least we didn’t) to Jeffersonville. In this quaint downtown we had time for a bit of antiquing, window shopping and the main event - Schimpff's Confectionery. This mom & pop shop has been cranking out sugary confections since 1891! You can even catch a glimpse of them in action in the back! 

Then we headed back to the downtown strip where we more time to explore before heading to had more time to explore shops,  the Old Louisville Victorian Houses. This area has the largest number of restored Victorian-era homes in the US.

And then we were on to the Brown Hotel to brush up on our history and try a twist on the classic Hot Brown in pizza form! I have to say, I think I would prefer this to the MASSIVE hot brown served at the Brown Hotel.

Our last stop was to the Kentucky Derby Museum! I forgot to mention earlier, but you are able to visit this part of the Churchill Downs without a race going on. They even offer tours that get you up close and personal! Of course we had to finish off this tour with a slice of Derby Pie! Yum!

Getting derby ready during our tour!

As we parted the tour we got some recommendations to do with the rest of our time in KY. We opted to see the Cave Hill Cemetary where many famous Louisvillians/Kentuckians are buried. We found the final resting sites of Colonel Sanders of KFC fame, Muhammed Ali and many more, plus the grounds there were gorgeous with the autumn leaves.

Final Thoughts on Louisville, KY

After being on our radar for many years, Louisville surprised me with the variety of activities available - from food, culture and one-of-a-kind activities! It's a place I definitely won't say no to in future travels.

What do you think? Will you add Louisville to your travel bucket list after hearing about our experience?