Day One in Louisville

What a weekend!  Eric and I headed to Louisville on Thursday morning to enjoy an extended weekend celebrating his big 5-0 birthday.  His choice to go out of town to celebrate made me both happy and sad.  Happy that I didn't have to plan a big party and sad that I didn't get to plan a big party.  But going on a little trip was perfect and we had a great time.

We drove straight to Churchill Downs on Thursday and arrived early afternoon.  Louisville is a four hour drive from St. Louis but is on Eastern time and we were coming from Central, so we lost an hour.  Last year we had stopped at Churchill on our way home from Asheville, North Carolina but had to rush through so fast we knew it deserved a repeat visit.  

The Kentucky Derby Museum is worth checking out and is very family friendly.  It is located at 704 Central Avenue and is attached to the racetrack.  Their hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. 

Various tours are available.  We choose the basic $15 General Admission tour which included a 30-minute historic walking tour of Churchill Downs Racetrack, The Greatest Race 360 degree media experience, and two floors of family-friendly interactive exhibits. 

Going to the Kentucky Derby has always been something that intrigued me.  Getting all dressed up and wearing one of those spectacular hats just sounds so fun!  The minute you walk in the museum there is a wall of hats to check out.  Also clothes worn my some race day celebrities.  

TLC's Monte Durham attire from the Derby in 2016

The walking tour takes you behind the scenes of Churchill and walks you through a race from the time the horses enter the paddock to their nose crossing the finish line.

You can't help but feel the history of Churchill when you gaze up at the twin spires.  This place has held the famous Run for the Roses for the last 143 years!

From Churchill we headed to our hotel to get checked in.  Since we were celebrating a special occasion, I booked us at a special hotel -- The Brown.  This AAA 4-star hotel has a rich history in Louisville and is located in the heart of downtown.  

The minute you step in to this hotel, you can feel the history.  From the ornate woodwork to the sounds of the piano playing in the lobby, you can feel yourself stepping back in time.  

We got settled in our room and then headed out to get dinner.  Several people had recommended Doc Crow's so we walked there from the hotel.  The food was fabulous!  I'll let the pictures do the talking ~
  

We left with our bellies full and our hearts light.  The walk back to the hotel was a nice way to finish off the day.  We were getting up early the next morning to venture south east to Taylor Made Farm and Maker's Mark distillery.  I'll be recapping those spots in my next post.