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Published: July 18th 2014
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Outside of the trail my father and I took the opportunity to see what else the great state of Kentucky has to offer. Horse racing and bourbon go hand in hand in Kentucky. While we were unable to catch a race we were able to tour Keensland and The Churchill Downs. The Downs is where the Kentucky Derby is held and they have a great museum of the sport. We enjoyed a traditional Mint Julep at the Derby Cafe and got to see where the millionaire rows were. My sister would have really enjoyed the downs. I could picture her strutting around with her fancy hat drinking a julep.
While we were in Louisville, we enjoyed the Urban Bourbon Trail, which basically was a pub crawl that takes you all over the city. It was fun. There are many bars that participate, including the 4th street experience, which is a pedestrian only zone that has a bunch of different bars and restaurants. There was also Bardstown Road, which was where all the hipsters lived. We enjoyed some of the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale there. You don't have to order a bourbon at each place you just have to purchase something but
truthfully why wouldn't you? There were some great classy choices, like the Brown Hotel, which offers the original hotbrown sandwich. This thing was a piece of heaven. I don't think that my father and I spoke one word to each other while eating it. There were also some out of the way places too. We ate at a real good bbq place called Doc's Oyster Bar. There my week long search for the Pappy Van Winkle was complete. I almost didn't ask as every place I went it was sold out, but my father insisted and wouldn't you know the bar actually had some left. We heard that the Pappy can go for as high as 100 a shot, but we were able to split a shot for 40 dollars. After the tasting I will say that if you enjoy bourbons it is worth the money. If you cannot appreciate the difference between a Jim Beam and Maker's Mark then I would say save your money until you develop your pallet better. Ironically, afterwards we saw the Pappy at almost every bar we went too!
While we were in Louisville we toured the Louisville Slugger factory. It was interesting
to see how they build the bats for the MLB. I actually didn't realize there was so many different ones. We also spent one night in Bardstown which was voted America's number 1 small town...and for good reason! It really did have a small town feel to it with a main street and american flags out. It was famous for the Old Talbot Inn which was a decent tavern that many famous American's from Daniel Boon to Abraham Lincoln have been in some form or fashion. The food did not blow us away, but it was decent. If you are into historical stuff I would recommend it as it has a historic and even a spooky feel to it. Overall, this was a very enjoyable vacation. I got to try numerous types of bourbons and a ton of delicious food. However, the most enjoyable part was just spending time with my father. We were always close, but this trip was a special experience that I will always remember. Nothing crazy just the little things like talking about life while on the road, or enjoying live music over a bourbon at the bar. I am not sure where my life will
be in a year, or even where I will be. However, I am on my way and I can go forward with no regrets knowing that we were able to share something that many people never get around to doing...enjoying quality time together with their family.
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