Louisville

Louisville

Where To Stay

I went on a bachelorette party in Louisville and we stayed at this Airbnb in Cherokee Park. Cherokee Park is a beautiful part of Louisville and easily accessible to Barnsdown Road & The Highlands. This Airbnb is centrally located and easy to get to all of the fun neighborhoods and just a quick 15 minute uber to get downtown. Our host was very helpful and the Aribnb was charming, clean and spacious. It had a massive back yard & patio with furniture as well. Definitely walk over to Cherokee Park if you stay here. I recommend staying in this neighborhood (Cherokee Park) , Nulu or The Highlands.

Where To Eat

River House ♡♡*: Really nice restaurant along the Ohio River with a beautiful view. Great for sunset.

Noche Mexican BBQ ♡: this is in an old converted church! Really great Mexican with really cool /fun decor, excellent cocktails! Perfect spot for a group dinner.

Le Moo ♡♡ : I can’t say enough about this place - we went for a brunch and it was incredible. Food, decor, breakfast cocktails and service were all on point. Can’t wait to go back here!

Varanese ♡ : Great Italian/American sport - we go here often when in town! They sometimes have live music which is really nice - food is consistent and delicious.  

Feast BBQ  : Fun, casual Southern BBQ spot in NuLu.

Ciao  : Adorable Italian spot in the Highlands. Perfect spot for a group dinner or a date.  

Mayan Cafe : Amazing food here (in NuLu) - I have only had it catered and it was phenomenal.

Havana Rumba ♡ : Great cuban spot - they have a few locations!

Irish Rover : A Hickey Family favorite restaurant. An traditional Irish pub/restaurant that serves excellent Irish food. It is extremely cozy inside and family friendly. The front is a pub and the back is a nice sit down restaurant.

Things To Do

Go out on Barnsdown Road/Highlands ♡ : fun area with restaurants, bars and shops. The funky new neighborhood is Nulu which also has a ton of restaurants/bars etc

Churchill Downs ♡ : If you have a chance, definitely make it over to Churchill Downs to watch some horse racing, even if its not for the Derby. The Derby is an absolute blast & something everyone needs to do in their lifetime (it is quite pricey so if its not an option, go to a regular race, its a blast). Downs After Dark is actually super fun to go with a group of friends, sit in Millionaire’s Row and eat, drink & bet on horses for the night! Another option is renting a few boxes next to each other and catch some live music in the paddock!

Bourbon Trails / Bourbon Tastings: Full Disclosure: I have never been to these distilleries, these are recommendations from my husband/in-laws who are from Louisville.

  • Kentucky Peerless  : High-end whisky distillery downtown

  • Evan Williams  : We have only heard good things and have a tasting room downtown

  • Angels Envy : Really really good whiskey, they have a tasting room downtown (one of my husband’s favorites).  

  • Woodford Reserve : My inlaws love Woodford - their distillery is about 1 hour from downtown Louisville.

  • Castle & Key : I have had their Gin / Vodka, it is really really good- very botanical! I’ve been dying to take a trip out to visit the actual distillery - about 1 hour from downtown near the bourbon trails (& Woodford) !

Bars:

  • Hell or High Water  : speak easy downtown, super fun with great cocktails!

  • The Brown Hotel ♡♡: Gorgeous old hotel downtown. This is a great place to start or end the night for drinks. They also do a great brunch, home to the famous Hot Brown.  

  • 4th Street Live : Bar/restaurant area downtown. Touristy but fun! There are good spots to grab drinks and/or food.  

  • Garage Bar ♡: Trendy, cool outdoor bar in NuLu that is an old car wash - one of my favorite spots in Louisville.

  • O'Shea's : Fun Irish bar with a ton of outdoor seating. It can get a bit rowdy/young after 10:00 or so but always fun for a drink!

Waterfront Park : nice park along the Ohio River downtown - there is a nice walking path

Taste Fine Wines & Bourbons ♡♡ : We went here with a group for a wine & bourbon tasting. I can’t say enough about how great our experience was. They have a beautiful/floral back patio that they reserved for our group (can fit maybe 10 comfortably?). The service was amazing and the patio was so cozy and perfect for our group. The front just looks like a wine / bourbon shop with small tables for tastings but the back was really amazing! Can’t wait to go back.

Louisville Slugger Museum : Fun family friendly thing to do. You can take a photo in front of the massive bat, buy personalized gifts for family & friends or take the tour of the factory where the famous Louisville Slugger Bats are made. It’s a fun thing to do.

21c Museum : If you’re downtown and looking to kill an hour, pop into the 21c Gallery & Hotel. In the hotel lobby, there is a really cool contemporary art museum and I believe its free. Its easy to walk through in 30-45 minutes or so. There is also a cute restaurant/bar in the lobby where you can have drinks & apps.

* ♡ = a favorite

♡♡ = a must do