We took two weeks to drive through central/southcentral America this spring. Along the way, we saw lots of history, ran two races, drank more than our fair share of bourbon and beer, and ate wonderful local food. Here are my notes shared on Instagram, so I’ll always have them handy.
In my opinion, you’re missing a piece of your soul if you haven’t eaten at least one meal at Lamberts, home of the Throwed Rolls (and servings the size of your head). And when you make the trip to fill this missing part of your soul, make it to the original in Sikeston, Missouri. Just remember to take cash, because they’ll throw a roll at you but they won’t take credit.
We headed from Sikeston to Louisville. Our first stop in Louisville was at Peerless Distilling. Once a major player in the Kentucky’s bourbon market, it closed during Prohibition. Now, after being shuttered 75(ish) years, the family decided to restart. Their bourbon isn’t ready yet (still in barrels) but their rye whiskey is already pulling in awards. This is a distillery to watch. Visit summary: Tasted 4, Bought 0.
While people were planning their Derby parties, we ran the Derby Marathon/Half Marathon. It was a fun race. We took it easy and enjoyed the sites – the race route took us through the infield of Churchill Downs! This year I’m working on enjoying races again. (How Type A is “working on enjoying?”) So I told myself to go slow and gave myself permission to stop and take lots of photos along the way.
We stayed at the Galt Hotel, a historic property that was also hosting the fighters for a professional boxing match. That was an interesting mix for sure! But it was a great close-to-the-race place.
After the Derby Marathon, we refueled at a half-hidden restaurant called Sidebar. The food was amazing and worth the roundabout walk to find it.
Another fun stop in Louisville was the Old Seelbach Bar, located inside the Seelbach Hotel. Since its opening in 1905, the hotel has played host to a number of politicians, celebrities and gangsters – including Al Capone. It also was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for The Great Gatsby, and scenes from the 2013 movie were filmed here. PS – they have a excellent and well-priced bourbon collection.
Before we left Louisville, we had breakfast at Wagner’s Pharmacy. This 1920s diner is as much a part of Churchill Downs as the thoroughbreds. There’s nothing quite like watching your breakfast cooked in front of you, sitting at the bar next to jockeys and horse owners.
You know the story: Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in the woods of Kentucky. We had to stop and visit his birthplace. In grand American tradition, a memorial was built on the site looking much like a temple to worship a fallen god-like ruler. Inside is a log cabin. Not his log cabin (as historians discovered) but one thought to be his for many years. This another excellent park managed by our National Park Service. Start your visit in the visitors’ center to watch an informative movie about Lincoln and tour the exhibition before heading over to the birthplace memorial.
After visiting Lincoln’s birthplace, make the short drive to Lincoln’s boyhood home. There’s not much to see here – a neighbor’s log cabin was moved to the site for you to tour – but this property has never been developed. As a result, when you walk the property’s boundary lines (because you should, you drove here after all), you’ll see what Lincoln saw as a boy. It’s a trip back in time not to be missed.
We toured the Four Roses distillery on a previous trip, but because of a snow storm we didn’t make it to the warehouse and bottling factory. We remedied that oversight on this trip. Four Roses is one of the few distilleries with separate locations, and especially with such a distance between them. We did the tour – why not? Visit summary: Tasted 3, Bought 1.
And we were surprised to discover there are wineries in Kentucky.
Our AirBnb in Elizabethtown was the best. THE best. Lots of space, very comfortable and very quiet. Plus the owners left us a sampling. Next time we’ll come back to the area we’ll definitely stay here and stay longer.
Must-do tour alert!! We love to watch how stuff is made. A hard to book but worth the effort tour is the Independent Stave Company (Kentucky Cooperage) in Lebanon, KY. They offer tours 3x daily Monday-Friday for just 20(ish) people at a time. Barrels are used for all sorts of things – including bourbon (naturally) – and manufacturing is still largely done by hand. No photos allowed of the process and we promise you can’t take your eyes off the amazing work going on. Tickets are $10 each and reservations are highly recommended.
While in Lebanon to tour Independent Stave Company, drive 5 minutes up the road to visit Limestone Branch Distillery. The in-depth tour will take a couple of hours, or you can just do a tasting. This small batch producer is owned by the Beam family. Visit summary: Tasted 5, Bought 0, Should have bought 1 because we can’t find it anywhere else.
We highly recommend stopping in Lebanon’s historic downtown for a blue-plate special at Hennings. They’ll also make a homemade shake for you, if you’d like – any flavor ice cream.
We made a quick stop at Willet Distillery. Depending on the direction you’re driving, it can be a little harder to spot the sign to the off-the-beaten-path craft distillery. They’re in the midst of a huge expansion, so we just did a quick tasting and petted the distillery cat.
Visit summary: Tasted 3, Bought 0.
Tired of distillery visits yet? No? Then drive 5 min down the road from Willet to Barton 1792. It’s part of the Buffalo Trace family, making it one of the oldest distilleries in Kentucky. Visit summary: Tasted 3, Bought 1.
We headed off the beaten path to visit one of our National Parks: Mammoth Cave. And we really went off path! We took a different route in than the normal tourist highway, resulting in a private, leafy drive through the Kentucky woods and a two-car-at-a-time ferry ride across a river. This was Kelly’s first visit to Mammoth Cave.
We took the Frozen Niagara tour at Mammoth Cave and it was as spectacular as the brochures promised. Not only did we see outrageously beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, complete with curtains, ruffles and candlesticks, but Kelly spotted the Park Rangers’ first bat siting of the season. Trip regret: Not planning two days here to do more exploring.
I pause this vacation story to show you the cutest Airbnb we’ve ever stayed in: Pinky’s Cram-a-lot Inn.
This nondescript store front is like Narnia’s Wardrobe. Open the door to find yourself inside a rustic chic farm-to-table restaurant, complete with an expansive draft beer menu, amazing salmon tacos, Brussels sprouts you’ll dream about and the largest/most varied bourbon collection we’ve seen outside of our friend Tanner’s restaurant at home. And did we mention the goodness that is The Wrigley Taproom is located in a town with fewer than 7,500 residents? It was so good we ate there twice in as many days.
Every town should have a coffee shop as cute as Corbin, KY’s You and Me Coffee and Tea. It’s an insta-dream, from the tin ceiling and repurposed tables, to the clever artwork and community pay-a-cup-forward board. I have my fav independent coffee shops on the east and west sides of Plano, but I need someone to recreate this place close to my house in central Plano, stat. And make sure this pressed ham-and-cheese with tomato jam breakfast sandwich is on the menu, too.
While in Corbin, KY you must visit the Sanders Cafe. Why? It’s where restaurant Col Sanders perfected his chicken recipe. No, it’s not the first #KFC. What you’ll learn stopping in was Col Sanders was an entrepreneur at heart. Gas station attendant turned cafe and hotel owner, he recognized the impact of highways on American travel. He turned one cafe and motel into a chain – and included a model motel room right inside the cafe so women could inspect the quality before booking a room. Later when the interstate bypassed Corbin, Col Sanders began selling his spice mix to franchisees, starting what we now know as Kentucky Fried Chicken / KFC. The cafe is on the National Historic Register. You’ll see the original dining room, model motel room, kitchen, as well as business and family artifacts. Plus you can grab fried chicken and a biscuit, which are still made the old fashioned way.
One thing you must do in Kentucky is visit Natural Bridge State Park. Located southeast of Lexington in the middle of the Daniel Boone National Forest, the natural sandstone arch spans 78 ft, is 65 ft high and 100% awesome. There are two ways to get there: You can take the sky lift or hike the trail. We hiked because we’re the Hayleys. The original trail is only a mile long but is a hike that’s both doable and challenging (cardio-wise, not footing-wise). The trail ends right under the bridge and you then take some very narrow rocky staircase to get to the top. Once on top you have an AMAZING view of the valley and surrounding mountains. You can’t help but marvel knowing people have crossed this bridge for thousands and thousands of years. Take a bit of time and walk all the way across, circle the sky lift and head over to a nearby lookout cliff. You can see back to the Natural Bridge and again have a great view of your surroundings. Maybe better than from the bridge itself.
Nothing hits the spot after a morning of hiking like good bbq. We stopped at a local joint in Winchester, where we found a smoker sitting on the sidewalk out front and scratch cooking inside. Fries were peeled and cut in front of us, sauces were house-made, and the owner was kind and friendly. We stayed longer chatting than we did eating. In our opinion, travel is as much about meeting new people as it is about new places, new things and new food.
Our trip took a decided turn when we arrived in #Lexington. Less nature and small town feel, more history meets urban environment. In Lexington, we stayed in a loft located in a historic (1800s) women’s college converted into an Airbnb. And we walked…a lot. Our first stop was at Country Boy Brewing, a popular Kentucky craft beer. They had a ton of variety and a super-fun taproom.
Just a bit of historic Lexington, discovered on our walks through the city. Mary Todd Lincoln grew up in a mansion! Amazing to then marry a man who grew up in a log cabin.
DYK there’s an award-winning craft bourbon distillery in #Lexington? Every distillery does things a bit differently. Bluegrass Distillers makes a tasty bourbon with blue (instead of yellow) corn. They also do single barrel bottles a bit differently – fill it yourself! Visit summary – Tasted 4, Bought 0.
The craft beer scene in Lexington is really hopping (see what I did there?). We loved West Sixth Brewing, one of the oldest brewers in town. But the real hidden gem at West Sixth is the tiny restaurant tucked away inside the brewery. It may be easy to overlook Smithtown Seafood, but you’ll never forget their catfish tacos – delivered right to where you sit near the West Sixth taps.
Then there’s Blue Stallion Brewing. Brewing on site and offering a collection of their own medal-winning beers.
Hello Cincinnati! The Ohio River separates northern Kentucky from southern Ohio, but the cities on either side of the river are quite different. Cincinnati is busy, with skyscrapers, fancy old buildings and history. Covington is functional – travelers’ hotels, inexpensive eats and residences. We stayed on the Kentucky side but spent a lot of time exploring the Ohio side … as well as running our second race while on vacation.
Then there’s the time you find a place to enjoy some pre-race pasta and realize you’re sitting right where scenes from Rain Man were filmed. If you’re in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area, you should stop in Pompilio’s in Newport, KY to enjoy good food, a brush with film fame and an interesting tale of Prohibition-era infamy.
The Flying Pig is not an easy race, thanks to the many hills throughout Cincinnati, but it is a race with a great sense of humor. Spectators line the streets everywhere – even on the bridges – with cheer signs celebrating the pig, like “You’re bacon me sweat.” Aid stations get in in the fun, too. My favorite was the BLT station – it offered the “Best Little Towel.”
I read about Hugh Baby’s in Garden and Gun magazine. That magazine is really a thing y’all, like Horse and Hound, but for lovers of what Southern Living used to cover and with far better long-form writing and photos. (I digress.) They wrote about the greatness of Hugh Baby’s, and it was right off the highway, so we stopped. It was…amazing. I could eat another of their burgers right now. And even though we’re in the midst of summer heat I would eat it outside, where the covered patio with its AstroTurf floor makes for a picnic-like feeling in the middle of the city.
Graceland. Beloved home of Elvis, but did you know he didn’t name it? The original owner was named Grace and her family referred to the property as “Grace’s land”…eventually just shortened to Graceland. The home is actually smaller than you’d expect but the crowds – even on a slow day – are larger than you’d expect. Thankfully you’re not at the mercy of a tour guide. John Stamos narrates the audio tour, played via iPad with photos offering additional details. Your tour will take you through the lower levels of the house – including the famous Jungle Room, a mirrored stairway to the basement and a yellow-infused tv room. Honestly while the decor was over the top, it felt oddly familiar as a child of the 70s. Shag carpet, yellow and green tones (hello “avocado green”), big box microwaves and themed wallpaper. Elvis did things big, but he wasn’t that out of step with the style outrageousness of the decade. And no tour is complete without seeing his grave, planes and wall of milestone records.
