I visited Louisville, Kentucky for a conference. While there, I was able to visit a friend of mine from college who had recently moved there. I was pleasantly surprised at how much there was to do in Louisville, and definitely would go back and visit again. I had a wonderful time, but of course Dessie’s company made for a lot of fun!
Accommodations
I visited Louisville, Kentucky for a conference that was held at The Brown Hotel. It was centrally located to visit a lot of the sites if Louisville, with lots of delicious restaurants nearby, and was beautiful in its own right. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the conference facilities were excellent. I had no complaints about The Brown.
Things to Do
Visitor’s Center
I definitely recommend checking out the visitor’s center in Louisville. It’s within walking distance of The Brown Hotel, and many of the other sites. There is all kinds of good information about what to see and do while in Louisville, as well as some neat items about Louisville’s history.
Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
This is, in my mind, a must see of Louisville. Even for someone like me who isn’t a huge baseball fan, it was interesting to learn about the history of bats, how their made, and a bit more about baseball in general. And how can you go wrong with a giant baseball bat?!
The facility also had a really interesting exhibit about pop culture, with baseball cards, movie and television show costumes, and other interesting memorabilia. This was my favorite part of the museum.
Architecture
On the walk from my hotel to the Slugger Museum, I noticed some of the beautiful architecture of Louisville, including quite a bit that appeared to be under renovation. It’s always exciting to me, and maybe even more so after renovating a historic building of my own, to see these types of places being lovingly cared for and restored to their former glory. It certainly made for a pleasant morning stroll.
Riverwalk and Belle of Louisville Riverboat
I didn’t have the opportunity to go on a riverboat ride while in Louisville, but would have loved to. I strolled past the Belle of Louisville while walking along the riverwalk, and it looked like a gorgeous old riverboat, complete with a huge wheel. So interesting. Maybe on a future trip to Louisville, I can try this.
Palace Theatre
The Palace Theatre is just down the street from The Brown Hotel. The location was so incredibly gorgeous, and worth seeing! And they have both live events and old black and white movies at the theatre. We saw The Lady from Shanghai, which was fantastic, if a bit cheesy in its 1947 composition. But we loved it! I would love to go back to this wonderful place!
Fourth Street Live!
This is a fantastic venue for concerts, has a ton of fantastic restaurants, and is just a fun place to hang around and pass some time. I went to dinner one night at one of the restaurants with my college friend Dessie, then went to a dueling piano bar (Howl at the Moon) in this area. I also filled a couple of hours just relaxing on the patio with a hard cider one afternoon after my conference. It’s worth checking out.
Street Rod Nationals
This event apparently happens annually in Louisville, and is enormous! I’ve been to quite a few car shows, as my family and I are car buffs. I’ve even showed my Pontiac GTO in a car show and won second place in my class. But the car shows that I’ve been to before cannot compare to this one. I visited with a couple of other folks from Nebraska attending the conference. We walked for hours, and only saw a fraction of the cars at the show. So worth the admission fee, but it would take several days to see everything there was to see.
Dining
J. Graham’s Cafe
This is one of the restaurants at The Brown Hotel. The food was quite tasty and fresh. Although I chickened out and didn’t try the Hot Brown, I enjoyed this elegant location for my quiet breakfasts.
Nancy’s Bagel Box
A walk up location, I found the bagels and hot drinks to be quite tasty. The prices were reasonable, and this is a great option for a quicker breakfast option.
Safier Mediterranean Deli
Oh. My. Gosh! So amazing. This gem was recommended to me by the guy who owns the little convenience store near The Brown Hotel. And it definitely warranted the recommendation. I had the shawarma plate, and discovered that I love shawarma. The only other time I’d even heard of shawarma, was in The Avengers movie, and was intrigued. If you ever have the opportunity to go here, definitely do! Reasonably priced, large portions, and sumptuous.
8UP at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown
Dessie and I checked out this fun rooftop bar before heading to our movie at The Palace. Great views of Louisville, and a really hip vibe. But the service was quite slow and left a bit to be desired.
Sicilian Pizza and Pasta
Also just down the street from The Brown, I ate here on my second evening out with Dessie. Hearty portions, reasonable prices, a relaxed atmosphere, and tasty food. It did not disappoint.
Overall, I had so, so much fun in Louisville, and can’t wait to go back and visit again!
