Louisville - Day 2

Our second day in Louisville started out with clear, blue skies and heat. We'd been told that September can be hot in this part of the country and it's true! By the time we set out, it was 28 and humid. That quickly climbed into the mid 30s. Luckily, our morning/early afternoon was a guided tour of the city. A small school bus arrived to pick us up before 10 and we joined about 8 others on a really fun and informative ride around the city. The bus was new to the company so decorations were duct taped on!

The tour was given by two very engaging women who had an amazing amount of knowledge about the city. As we travelled around, we would see the sights and get out to take closer looks, sample food or see demonstrations. There was also a good supply of beer, wine and mixed drinks on the bus. Not sure if this would work in staid Toronto, but it was a great addition to the day. 

Our first stop was at a 123 year old mom and pop candy shop. They have been featured on a few tv shows and they continue to run the shop even though they could be retired. We got a lesson on how the candy is made and watched as a batch was being processed. They use a single machine to mold each piece of candy.

Here's the shop:

This copper kettle has been in the store from the beginning and makes one batch at a time. 

I was intrigued by all of the different molds that they had to make a variety of candy shapes.

This is the boiling sugar after green colour has been added.

There was a steady stream of customers coming in to buy candy when we were there. I believe we also purchased a few things.

Our next stop was across the Ohio River for a view of the Ohio River Falls and the Louisville skyline. The falls used to be a big deal in the 1800s because they impeded ship travel. Now they have been largely shut down and replaced by a dam.

Next, we visited a glass blowing studio where we watched them make a fancy bottle. The air conditioning in the studio viewing area was quite nice compared to the bus which had started to heat up a bit!

By that time we had sampled some wine and maybe beer so things were going well on the bus! A choclatier was our next stop. The owners were making a favourite in Kentucky called bourbon truffles. They have recipes that use different brands of bourbon in such a way that you can distinguish which bourbon was used. We sampled some and bought some to continue to refine our bourbon palates! I don't think that the ones we bought will be surviving beyond the next day or so. 

We had a chance to see more of the city as well when we stopped. This is a clock that sometimes has moving figures. The figures are famous Kentucky citizens who race around as if it was the Kentucky Derby.

Throughout the city there are art installations that are used as bicycle locking stations, benches etc. 

We next visited a place called the Butchertown Market. It's an old stockyard related building that now houses a group of stores and cafes. There was shopping available but my main concern was the bourbon sampling and the pimento cheese snacks!

Our final stop was Churchill Downs Race Track where the Kentucky Derby runs. Not being major horse race fans, we didn't know too much about it. But, it was an impressive building with a lot of history. I was hoping to get out to see the actual track but that didn't happen. We found out that people in Kentucky take the derby very seriously and the celebrations go on for a week. 

We did a quick turn around at the hotel after we were dropped off and headed out into Bourbon Country.  Our first distillery was the Jim Beam complex in Clermont, Kentucky. It was a massive place and the visitor centre was beautiful. And there was so much bourbon! The prices were tear inducing as many of the better bottles were at least $20 cheaper than we can get at home. 

 

There were also fields full of rack houses where the barrels are stored. The houses are not climate controlled as the bourbon ages best with changes in temperature. 

We visited the Bourbon Heritage Centre in Bardstown. It was a more historical place but also sold bourbon. As we were driving quite a bit more I didn't do any sampling. We really wanted to see the Makers Mark facility and headed off to Loretto. The drive was quite thrilling for me as it was a very narrow, hilly and winding road for most of the way. Afterwards, I found out that Marilyn didn't enjoy the ride quite as much. Too much like my video game I imagine! The sad part of this story is that we got there at 4:40 and the place closed at 4:30. Who closes a place at 4:30? This was all we got.

 

The trek back to the city was not as much fun as getting there. We decided to go and find dinner in Louisville rather than a small town. But, we went to a supposedly up and coming area and found very few people. I don't like being the only one in a restaurant! So, we headed back to the area near our hotel and found a microbrewery that produces German style beers. They had a bit of an eclectic menu and we ended up with jambalaya and a California cobb salad flatbread!