The Best Experiences in Louisville

The Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs is a must if you’re traveling to the Louisville area. We purchased tickets in advance for general admission along with the Barn and Backside Tour. Included with admission is a 30 minute guided walking tour. On the first floor of the museum, there are many exhibits as well as a theater where visitors can watch a 20 minute film titled The Greatest Race, which is an overview of the Kentucky Derby’s history. Additionally, the first floor has a gift shop along with a cafe and bar. The second floor of the museum has more exhibits, including a large showcase on Secretariat. There are also other displays and artifacts about jockeys and thoroughbred horse-racing on the second floor of the museum.

We browsed through the first floor exhibits for an hour, then watched the film prior to taking the guided walking tour. On the tour, our guide took us through a set of gates to enter Churchill Downs. We were able to walk near the Paddock area, then inside Churchill Downs. Throughout the inside of building, the guide provided information about the horse track and recent upgrades at Churchill Downs. Along the wall was a large mural with horses as well as a timeline of the fastest finishers of the Kentucky Derby. There was also a very long bar with beautiful chandeliers above it. This is the longest bar in Kentucky (and it’s right inside Churchill Downs)! The guide then took us out into the main grandstand area where we could see the entire track, including the finish line and winners circle, just as if we were attending the derby!

After the walking tour, we explored the gift shop and enjoyed an official mint julep of the Kentucky Derby inside the bar and cafe. And, of course we had to purchase a Derby Pie!

Next on the agenda was our Barn & Backside Tour. Our guide was incredible! She took us to the back of the horse track so we could see the barns and horse stables, including the one used by Secretariat. We were the only ones on the tour at this time so we definitely had a more personal experience!

Furthermore, we saw the winners circle and the Kentucky Derby gates up close. Fun Fact: The gates used for the Kentucky Derby are only used that one time a year. Other gates are used during horse-racing events throughout the year.

Towards the end of the tour, the tour guide took us around to the paddock area and explained it’s importance with the Kentucky Derby. It was interesting to learn what all goes on behind the scenes prior to the beginning of the race. We also learned that most of the time jockeys don’t meet the horse they are racing until race day. Wow!

After touring the barn and backside, we ventured to the second floor of the museum to explore those exhibits. Overall, we spent 5+ hours at Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum. We highly recommend a visit to this incredible place! And we hope to one day attend the historic, world-renowned event — the Kentucky Derby!

The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory is located in the heart of downtown Louisville. Visitors can enjoy the museum’s interactive exhibits and displays along with a tour of the factory. We enjoyed several hours exploring the museum!

Baseball enthusiasts can see statues and exhibits of some of the most memorable players in the history of the game. Names such as Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Roberto Clemente, and Ken Griffey Jr. were displayed in the Louisville Slugger Museum. Artifacts, such as official bats belonging to players, are on display. My husband was able to hold a Louisville Slugger that was owned by Babe Ruth!

Known as the Hillerich & Bradsby Co., the factory’s history dates back to the late 1890’s when Bud Hillerich made a baseball bat in his father’s woodworking shop. When Honus Wagner endorsed the Hillerich bat in 1905, business grew and the greatest players in the game of baseball chose the Louisville Slugger. The bat dominated baseball.

A guided tour took guests inside the factory for a birds-eye view of how each bat is made. Although the bats may be customized, they still require certain specifications so that they are within the regulations of professional baseball.

At the end of the tour, each person can choose a mini-bat to take home! Visitors of the musuem can also customize their very own Louisville Slugger. We created an original Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger!

Directly across the street from the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory is Michter’s Distillery. We participated in a one-hour tour of the distillery, learning about it’s history and it’s importance in the downtown Louisville area. My husband was even able to take part in a bottle-filling experience after the tour! We now have The Mann’s 2024 labeled Michter’s bourbon to enjoy at home!

After perusing the gift shop inside Michter’s, we indulged in a cocktail upstairs in The Bar at Fort Nelson.

The Frazier Museum is located across the street from the Louisville Slugger Museum and right down the street from Michter’s. The museum has various galleries and collections, with many focusing on the history of Kentucky.

Also in this area of downtown Louisville is the Muhammad Ali Center. The center has 3 floors of exhibits which tell the story of Muhammad Ali’s life and legacy. Unfortunately, the center was closed during our time in Louisville.

Ever heard of the Kentucky Hot Brown? Well, it was invented at the cafe inside the iconic Brown Hotel. We visited The Brown Hotel for breakfast at J Graham’s Cafe. Of course, we had to order the Hot Brown (and it was delicious)! After dining inside, we adventured around the first two floors of the hotel where we found several displays of artifacts and memorabilia. There is a biography of Mr. Brown, which tells about his life and the impact he had on Louisville. The hotel also a gift shop inside.

In the heart of Whiskey Row in downtown Louisville is Angels Envy. We participated in a Whiskey Round Table educational experience here, where chocolate was paired with their bourbon. My favorite part was the orange chocolates that we sampled. They were delightful! We even purchased some to take back home with us! And, I must mention that the gift shop here has a great selection of books and items for making cocktails at home.

After our we concluded the tasting at Angels Envy, I enjoyed sipping on a hot cider in the upstairs lounge.

Directly across the street from Angels Envy is the Louisville Slugger Field. The field is home to the Louisville Bats, which are a triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The stadium would be a great place to catch a game during baseball season!

Just 20 minutes south of Louisville is the small town of Clermont, Kentucky where the historic James B. Beam Distilling Co. is located (also known as Jim Beam). Beam family distilling dates back to over two centuries. We took a tour of the facility and learned the importance Kentucky’s limestone water plays into making bourbon.

The tour also gave us the opportunity to select a bottle and follow it through the bottling process. At the end, we both put our thumbprints on the black wax seal at the top of the bottle. Following the tour, we arrived back in the gift shop where we had our bottle engraved, Travelling Mann’s 2024.

Dining

Known for it’s biscuits and southern fare, Biscuit Belly is a great breakfast or brunch spot! We enjoyed dining inside the NuLu location, where you order at the counter and coffee bar area. I delighted in a cinnamon mocha while we muched on bonuts to start. I also ordered the pancake corndogs while my husband had a breakfast sandwich.

Another excellent breakfast place in the NuLu area is Butchertown Grocery. The coffee, baked goods, and Danwich breakfast sandwich were perfect beginnings to our day!

Across the street from Butchertown Grocery is Quill’s Coffee. The roastery has several locations throughout Louisville.

On New Year’s Day, Morning Fork has a pajama brunch. Although we didn’t wear our jammies, we went comfy to enjoy a delicious breakfast here. The banana french toast was amazing!

We enjoyed a variety of restaurants in the evening, including a fine-dining experience at Swizzle Dinner & Drinks on the 25th floor in the west tower of the Galt House. We had a window view along the rotating floor, with a panorama of the Ohio River and the downtown Louisville area.

Outside the other Galt House tower is a tribute to the winning Jockey’s of the Kentucky Derby. Each winning jockey has a plaque with their name. So cool!

On our first evening in Louisville, we started on Whiskey Row where we ventured into Sidebar for drinks and an appetizer. If you are a fan of whiskey sours, Sidecar has the best! Afterwards, we walked around the corner to Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar. We opted to sit at the bar and share oysters rockefeller and salmon.

Bar Vetti and Feast BBQ are among some of Louisville’s favorite dining establishments in NuLu!

Bar Vetti is located in the same building as the aLoft hotel and it’s menu features pizza and pasta. It has a phenomenal caesar salad – definitely one of the best I’ve had! We shared the salad along with a fancy pepperoni pizza and the spicy grilled broccolini. All items were freshly prepared and tasteful.

Known as Louisville’s home of the best BBQ and bourbon slushies, Feast BBQ is an order at the counter restaurant. Feast BBQ offers bbq sandwiches, bbq plates, and scratch sides. We placed our order and shared a bourbon slushy while we waited for our food. Service was prompt, though! Out came my plate with bbq chicken, potato salad, and baked beans. My husband’s plate included the pimento pork stacker sandwich with a side a potato salad. Mmmm….scrumptious!

At District 6 we enjoyed Vietnamese-inspired cuisine. The Pho was perfect for this cold evening!

And, at Dragon Kings Daughter we enjoyed sushi.

Volare serves authentic Italian cuisine and has been in business for over 20 years. We made a dinner reservation in advance for a Saturday evening while we were in town. Live music was playing in the bar area when we walked in, and the place was bustling with guests dining inside. We both chose traditional Italian dishes – lasagne and chicken parmigiana. But, the highlight was the heath cheesecake for dessert – it was heavenly!

And last but not least….if you have a sweet tooth then a stop in Muth’s Candies will satisfy! For over 100 years, the Muth family has been making candies. They are known for their modjeskas, a marshmellow dipped in caramel. Of course we had to try these famous modjeskas! We also purchased a few of Muth’s Bourbon Barrel’s (old fashioned bourbon balls).

Where to stay?

Louisville and the surrounding towns have a variety of accommodations. From boutique hotels to bed & breakfasts, and apartments and guest-homes – you’ll find a perfect place for your needs. We travel with our pups, so having a furnished home with a fenced-in backyard is a priority for us.

Other destinations we explored throughout Kentucky include: Bardstown, Frankfort, and Lawrenceburg.

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