Well, if you know where the best baseball bats and bourbon are made, then you know where I ended up!! Had no plans to stop in Louisville, but as I got closer to the city, decided to spend a few hours and then be on my way. Well a few hours are ended up to be a few days. Once I started looking up all the things to see and do here, I knew I was going to need more time.
I woke up early this morning to go for a run to and over the Big Four Bridge (a now footbridge from Kentucky over the Ohio River to the Indiana side. Pretty cool to run from one state to another. Met up with a fellow runner, who unintentionally challenged me to a faster pace. We enjoyed a mile together speeding up til the other end of the bridge. Thank you Mr. Runner for pushing me to a 9:12 minute mile. My heart was sure pumping on that one!!
Decided since I was already out on foot, that I might as well take my own walking tour. No need to pay for a tour, when I can walk myself around and read all the placards. Downtown Louisville is very walker friendly. I took lots of pictures of bridges and the KFC Yum Stadium where the Cardinals play, but I won’t post ALL of them here. Seems the bridges and stadium just fascinated me. Also passed by the Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville Slugger Field, an Abraham Lincoln statue, a few steamboats, and a statue of Clark and York (the explorer and his slave),
After my walking tour, headed back to my room to freshen up for my distillery tour. I actually booked it yesterday, when I first got into town to ensure I had a spot on the tour. This tour was so cool (best distillery tour I have ever had) and that’s why it will get it’s own post!!!
After the tour, kept on walking around the area and taking in all that I could. Stopped by the Visitor Center to get my Urban Bourbon Trail passport!!! That will get a post all it’s own as well. The whole point though, is to stop in to all these bars and/or restaurants, order a drink or food, get a stamp, then after at least six stamps, turn it back in to the Visitor Center for a cool, limited edition Urban Bourbon Trail shirt. I got three stamps. Need three more! That is why I have to stay a second day.
Next stop was the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. I wasn’t really sure what to expect here, but when you have a 120 foot bat outside, you know it must be good. I was not disappointed. In fact, I really enjoyed learning not only how the bat is made, but the history behind it all.
So much to do in Louisville, so if you visit, and I suggest you do, make sure you give yourself two to three days (especially if you love bourbon).
Louisville Slugger
Do you know who Pete Browning is? If you go to the Louisville Slugger Museum, you will soon find out. Okay, I will tell you here too: Pete Browning IS the Louisville Slugger. So, if you like baseball or the science of “how it’s made”, the Louisville Slugger Museum would be well worth the visit. I wouldn’t classify myself as a baseball fanatic, but I have watched baseball on occasion, even have gone to several major and minor leagues games across the country. What fascinated me the most about the museum was truly the science behind how the baseball bats are made. The fine detail that goes into each customized bat for Babe Ruth, Joe Jackson, Evan Longoria, Ryan Zimmerman and so many more was amazing to see. The coolest part of the museum was the behind the scenes tour of the Life Cycle of Bats. First the wood is selected very carefully (you can watch a video on how this happens and where), then you go to the bin of wood posts that have been identified for a specific player and ready to be shaped into the bat. After shaping, there is shaving, dipping, burning the logo, sealing, and shipping. I could tell that love and care was put into every single bat. Then, at the end of the tour, you receive your own miniature slugger and get a chance to swing the bat of the greats. I chose Babe Ruth!!!! Who wouldn’t?
Copper and Kings
Like I said, I booked it on Saturday night for a Sunday tour, just to make sure I had a spot reserved (as I have had many a lost opportunity by waiting til the last minute). So great, toured booked at noon, gives me a chance to run the Big Four Bridge in the morning, walk about a bit, then head over to…drum roll please…Copper and Kings!!!!!! I just randomly picked this distillery online as it had a tour available on the day I was here and a time I could go. BUT who knew this would be fate that led me to this day and this time. LOL
I walked over since I was only 1.3 miles away and wanted to keep my legs stretched (plus I am in several step challenges this month, so need all the steps I can get). I got there early (about 10 minutes early). Didn’t see any other cars for the tour, knew it didn’t open until 12pm anyway, so just walked around a bit more (the wall art from the last post). Walked back up to the big orange container as instructed by email, still didn’t see anyone. Now, it is a few minutes before tour. Headed to the waiting area for tours and I saw no other guests. Oh my, is the tour really happening or did I just pay and they are closed and have been closed!!
Right on time, at the top of the hour, boom, pops in Dion!!!!! He told me I was the only one on the tour, and maybe thought I was sad that no one else would be joining us. In fact, I told him, this will be like a private tour then. The next hour plus is hard to describe except to say, Dion and I were like two old friends catching up after many years apart. We laughed, we joked, we talked football, we talked about growing up in Kentucky, about South Africa, about life, scars, love, friendships!!! Oh, and of course, Bourbon and Brandy. Definitely talked about Bourbon and Brandy. I learned quite a bit from the tour (the bridge is yellow to represent the color of corn – corn being 51% of the bourbon process), the containers came from South Africa, the flood of the 1920s being inspiration for a label (Floodwall American Craft Apple Brandy). But I don’t want to give you all the details of the tour, you will need to just take the tour yourself to find out all the cool facts about Bourbon and Brandy at Copper and Kings.
I want to share more about the experience I had: a total sit back and catch up with a friend experience. Since it was just us two, which if you read my Pictured Rock story, you will know just how much I like being the only client!!! Asking as many questions as I wanted without annoying the others is awesome, cause they were no others. But I do implore all to take the tour. They are open for business and wanting of all to stop on in.
Here we go, walking through the distillery, just chatting it up about Bourbon and Brandy facts, learning more than I would have ever learned in a group, and enjoying music (it’s for the aging process of the spirits). Once we got to the tasting room, we had become best friends, so here I am sitting with a good friend telling me all he knows about the spirits (every bottle was very tasty but I especially liked the Destillaré Intense Chocolat and the Mistelle Luxury Dessert Wine).
As we wrap up the tour and Dion leads me upstairs for a city view dining experience, I was sad to have our time end, but so happy that I had the best tour guide ever!!!
Go where you want, when you want, for as long as you want:
Alli L
For all the photos, go to @TheSoloTraveler50 on Facebook