24 hours in Louisville, Kentucky

Why Louisville, Kentucky, a friend asked. For the bourbon and Kentucky Derby, of course! We did neither. The Bernheim Arboretum and the Mammoth Cave National Park were on our list of places to visit, and Louisville is just half hour from the former. Why not visit all three destinations? 

Louisville, largest city in Kentucky

While searching for a place to stay, we learned that Indiana is just across the Ohio River from Kentucky. We chose the charming 1851 Pepin Historic Bed and Breakfast so we could visit two states in one trip. Woo hoo!

A four-hours drive got us to the arboretum just in time for a picnic lunch. There were tons of picnic tables all over the place.

Spirit Nest, part human-sized bird nest, part treehouse

Lotus pond at the Edible Garden

After exploring the garden and walking a few short trails, we arrived at our B&B just after 3 pm. We were anxious to find out whether our room has a bathroom. After we had made the reservation, we read a review that said there was no bathroom in the suite. It was a non-refundable reservation. Imagine our surprise (and relief) when we found an attached bathroom in our "Barth" suite!  

The Pepin Historic Bed and Breakfast, New Albany, IN

Happy with our room and the B&B, we went to check out Louisville downtown. Fourth Street Live!, the dining and entertainment district was deserted on this lovely Sunday evening.

We read about Four Pegs Smokehouse in Southern Living magazine (Nov 2022) and headed there for dinner. We drove through questionable neighborhoods to get there. Smoked wings were popular, but we went with the brisket and pork belly burnt ends which were just ok. 

Next stop: the Big Four Bridge, an old railroad bridge revamped into a pedestrian bridge. The waterfront park and playground below were bustling with people on this beautiful sunny day. Both the sunset and the illumination of the bridge at dusk were beautiful.

people swaying to music

After a scrumptious breakfast, we checked out of the B&B to explore the Ohio River Greenway and the Falls of the Ohio State Park, both minutes away.

View of Louisville skyline from the Ohio River Greenway

Falls of the Ohio State Park Visitor Center

statue to commemorate the Lewis and Clark expedition

The visitor center was closed, but you could walk around the area to admire the falls and take the stairs down to the edge of the river to look for fossils. Did you know that Lewis and Clark met here to begin their expedition of the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest? 

Back in downtown Louisville, we strolled around. There are bourbon bars, shops and distilleries galore.

at the history museum

We swung by the Slugger Museum and Factory. You can do a tour to see how the baseball bat is made. You can even test your skill in a batting cage!

World's biggest bat, at 120 feet long

We had a fabulous lunch at Mussel and Burger Bar. The building and the name of the restaurant caught our eye as we were looking for a parking space. Once inside, it felt like you're in a bistro in Paris. The PEI (Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia) mussels were plump and juicy soaked in the French meuniere sauce/broth. They were so good! The classic American burger and the fries were superb. Highly recommended.

Mussels Meuniere

How could we leave without stopping to ogle the impressive Victorian mansions in Old Louisville? 

By the time we got to Mammoth Cave, we had run out of time to do a tour. We'll have to come back another time. We had fun and learned a lot about Louisville. Hope you enjoyed the post.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday and Random-osity.

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