Happy New Year and welcome to my 45th State, Kentucky! Matt spent his bachelor party weekend on the bourbon trail outside Louisville, but we decided to head back for the long NYE weekend since I had never been to KY and it seemed like a fun place to spend a festive (aka drinking) holiday. We didn't exactly think it through properly though, because the distilleries in downtown Louisville were closed Sunday, and on Monday for the holiday. We had to pack all our whiskey tasting into one day! Some of the museums and activities were also closed Sunday and Monday, so we really had to be selective of what we waned to see. Unfortunately is was also super cold while we visited so I did not have the opportunity to wander the streets of Old Louisville, photographing the Victorian houses and Central Park. It was my top to-do in the city but I was just not up for it in the frigid temps. On the plus side, we had the time of our lives, so I can definitely see us traveling back to Louisville in warmer months.
We started our vacation at the Moxy downtown. It was the perfect location for walking whiskey row and visiting the museums. Because we decided not to visit Old Louisville this trip, we never had the need for an Uber and walked to all our activities and meals. If you've never stayed at a Moxy before, is basically fancy hostel. Haha, I'm not sure they would describe themselves that way, but that's the vibe we get when we're there. The lobby consists of a bar and lounge area with games and cocktails and tacos and a DJ. It is a very festive atmosphere to walk into and I actually loved having a drink at the lobby bar at the end of each night. Our flight landed around 10:30pm so it was the perfect place to grab a drink and some tacos before heading directly to bed. The rooms themselves are modern and kitschy and carry that hostel vibe only because they are quite small compared to all other hotel we've stayed. Our room had a great view so the small space felt more grand, thanks to the large windows.
On our first full day, it was time to explore, but you know what they say, but first coffee. Matt and I stopped for breakfast at the local favorite, Heine Brother's Coffee. This location was in the ground floor of an office building so it was pretty empty, but the coffee was delicious and even had a gluten free, vegan treat for breakfast!
After breakfast, Matt and I headed straight for a distillery. Since we only had one day to taste whiskey, we had to get started right away! At one end of whisky row is Peerless Distillery. We just happened to walk in right as a group was headed to the tasting room, but we did not have a reservation. One of the Peerless employees was extremely helpful and kind and made space for us in the group, telling us we could just pay him later. Talk about Southern hospitality! We tried a handful of spirits and checked off our favorites to buy once we were home.
After a successful first tasting, we headed down whiskey row to Buzzard's Roost. We grabbed a seat at the bar, just as it was filling up for a tour. We didn't tour the facility this trip but had a really informative talk with the bar tender, who also happened to make some killer cocktails!
After imbibing at two bars before lunchtime, it was time for us to eat! Around the corner from Buzzard's Roost was the happy burger joint, Mussel and Burger Bar. The bartender had told me the Seafood Burger was epic so I gave it a try and was not disappointed. And, whenever bacon wrapped dates are on the menu, I'm going to order them. These were no Avec bacon wrapped dates but delicious just the same!
Sitting at a table in Mussels and Burgers, Matt could see a smoke plomb rising from the hotel across the street. We decided to check it out and fell into the best ever hotel concept, 21c Museum Hotel. This chain of hotels each have a museum in the lobby, open 24 hours and free to the public. I haven't been to any other locations but this Louisville hotel museum was incredible. We wandered from room to room, across two levels, admiring all the modern art. A quick Google search showed locations in most major US cities. How have I never heard of this hotel!!?? In love.
I will admit that before visiting, I did not give Louisville enough credit for how creative and artsy it is. For a medium size city, it has a ton of museums, plus vibrant street art, crazy sculptures and beautiful architecture. After 21c, we walked across the street to the KMAC Contemporary Art Museum and then peeked in the windows of the Kentucky Science Center and the Frazier History Museum. We were sad that the Muhammad Ali Museum was closed as my parents told me that is magnificent. All along the way, we stopped to admire the murals and of course, the giant gold statue of David. For a conservative state, I was surprised to see a giant naked man in the middle of town :)
A very unassuming, yet highly recommended, shop on main street was Art Eatables. They are known for their homemade candies, especially chocolate and especially the bourbon truffles. Every distillery was represented, but we went with the Peerless small batch rye, and wow, were they delicious.
Finally, it was time for our 5pm reservation at Michter's and the Fort Nelson Bar. Matt was the most excited for this tasting and after a browse through the elaborate gift shop, we were whisked up to the 2nd floor bar. Matt and I were lucky enough to be seated at a high-top table, next to the windows, overlooking Main Street. The ambiance was magical and the service was wonderful. Matt started with a tasting and I went with one of their beautifully decorated cocktails. We had a few nibbles and viewed the distillery through the 2nd floor loft. This was certainly the most civilized of the tastings we enjoyed in Louisville.
Between our reservation at Michter's and our reservation for dinner, we had a couple hours to kill so decided to check out the all glass conservatory bar in the Galt House hotel. While the vibe was a little bit high school cafeteria, the view was incredible. After a quick freshen-up at the hotel, we dined at Repeal Oak Fired Steakhouse. It was a Saturday night and the place was hopping, even at 9pm when we arrived. We snagged a seat in the bar area and enjoyed more bourbon cocktails and freaking amazing food. While it was, by far, the most sophisticated meal we devoured on the trip, it was also the best. Perfectly cooked petite filet, fluffy mashed potatoes, spicy tuna tartar, creamed spinach, bourbon peppercorn sauce, and did you take a look at that bread? I didn't get a photo of the restaurant, but it was gorgeous. All around, fantastic meal.
Day two in Louisville was just as legendary as the first. We started the day with bunch at Proof on Main (also inside the 21c Museum Hotel). This space was incredible. The wallpaper, the colors, the art! It was a feast for the eyes and I could not stop looking around and snapping photographs. The food also happened to be wonderful, so it wasn't just another pretty face! Matt had a MASSIVE cookies and cream cinnamon roll that I wish I had photographed because it was insane.
Lucky for us, one of the museums that was open on Sunday was the iconic, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. I am a fan of baseball and was excited to see the place where the magic happened. The tour is fantastic. The tour guide brings guests right into the factory and takes you through all the stages of the process, from forest to the MLB. Matt and I both kind of got into it. It's always interesting to see behind the scenes.
It was New Year's Eve day and we still hadn't decided where to ring in the holiday. We had ruled out the Galt House but decided to check out the set-up for the biggest New Year's Eve celebration in the Midwest! While the balloon confetti and the neon lights did look like fun, it also looked like Downtown Tempe, AZ or Navy Pier. Not quite the vibe we were going for.
While we came to Louisville for urban bourbon trail, what happened next, was the start of one of the most fun nights out we've had in a really long time and an afternoon/evening that really made the trip outstanding for us! We decided to canvass the Nulu (New Louisville) neighborhood, which was only a 20 min walk from our hotel. Along the way we passed more incredible murals and a number of super cute shops. Unfortunately Angel's Envy wasn't open when we walked by. That would have made a very interesting detour!
If we were looking for a vibe, this neighborhood had it. Most of the shops were closed since it was a Sunday of a holiday weekend, but the storefronts were festive and inviting anyway. We stopped in Please and Thank You to warm up with a hot chocolate and the self proclaimed, "best cookie in Louisville". The chocolate chip cooking was amazing but the hot chocolate tasted like lukewarm bath water. Next time we'll stick to coffee.
For an early dinner, we headed to Feast, another highly recommend restaurant on all the travel sites. We're big fans of BBQ (we did live in Austin after all) so were excited to try out a Louisville favorite. I was blown away when I saw they had smoked tofu on the menu. I mostly eat a plant based diet now days (minus that massive steak I had last night, whoops) so was pretty excited to enjoy the BBQ without the meat. We both enjoyed our meals immensely and will be some of those people highly recommending Feast BBQ!
While walking back through Nulu, we noticed a few people at the bar in this beautifully decorated establishment. It was dark outside and bright and happy inside, so we decided to stop in for a drink. Come to find out, the bar wasn't even open yet - their grand opening wasn't for a few days, but they decided to turn on the lights and mix some drinks and get in some practice on this big night out. It was only 5pm when we sat at the bar (dressed in boots and sweaters and casual jeans, no less) but this is where we spent hours, chatting with the bar tenders/owners, meeting locals out on the town and ringing in the new year. The bar tenders at Seven made us classic and inventive cocktails from their new menu as well and all our favorite that we threw at them (bees knees, paper planes, gold rush, etc.). It was so much fun! I can't believe I rang in 2024 wearing my fuzzy black sweater I wear twice a week and my winter boots! I was not dressed up enough for a space this beautiful. But the best part was, I didn't care and no one else cared and we all just had a really good time :)
You would think we'd be lying in bed all day after all those fancy cocktails, but since we were passed out by 12:30 (and soaked up all the alcohol with late night tacos from the Moxy), we were up and ready to explore on our last day in Louisville. We started the day with coffee and breakfast sandwiches at Falls City Market, a fun food hall and market a few blocks off main street.
This is when we would have taken an Uber to Old Louisville if it wasn't so cold and everything wasn't closed for the holiday, so instead we decided to rough the fresh air and walk along the river and waterfront park. There is no love lost between us and Indiana, but it was pretty cool to look over at another state. On a warm day, we would have walked the bridge and back but for today, we were okay with just the view.
Well, Louisville was a blast and is sure to be on our rotation of cities we visited regularly (I'm basically a bourbon cocktail drinker now). And in the age old debate of whether Louisville is Midwestern or Southern, my take is the people are Southern (how could they not be with those sweet Southern accents?) and the city is Midwestern (it was freaking freezing - way too cold to be the South). Haha. Until next time KY!
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