Recently, my husband and I traveled to Louisville, Kentucky as his Christmas present to hit up the bourbon trail. Spending two days in Louisville made for the perfect weekend away and a great present for a bourbon lover like my husband.
Disclaimer: Special thanks to the Winter Woods Spectacular for hosting me on my trip to Louisville! As always, all thoughts and opinions remain my own. This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no cost to you!
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History of Louisville
Louisville is named after King Louis XVI of France and was founded in 1778. It is one of the oldest cities in the Appalachians. Throughout the 1800s, the city began to grow as more people were influenced by riverboats. In the 1850s, the area turned a bit violent as there was a lot of conflict between races. The first Kentucky Derby was held in May 1875 and has become a popular event since then.
The 1900s saw a great migration of people to the area, especially African Americans. The area was then zoned based on race. Throughout the 1900s, Louisville continued to grow despite many natural disasters (tornados and floors) that hit Louisville.
When to Spend Two Days in Louisville
Louisville is a fun place to spend time any time of the year, it just depends on your weather preferences. If visiting in the summertime, it tends to be more hot and humid, but more things may be open. The wintertime is much colder but there are fewer crowds.
How to Get to Louisville
Louisville contains one airport that has flights from many places in the United States. Flights here usually cost an average of $250. If coming from another country, you will have to connect through a major US airport.
Transportation in Louisville
Downtown Louisville is a pretty walkable area. Visitors can also hop on the TARC (buses) to get around. There is no need for a car unless you want to visit some of the distilleries outside of Downtown Louisville. I highly recommend doing this as my favorite distilleries were all located outside of Louisville.
Where to Stay in Louisville
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Louisville hotels here!
I recommend staying in Downtown Louisville, so you have the option to walk to all of the sites. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown which was a couple of blocks off the main street. You can also stay at the following options:
- Hampton Inn Downtown
- Hyatt Regency Louisville
- Holiday Inn Louisville Downtown
- Courtyard Louisville
- Residence Inn Louisville Downtown
- Hampton Inn Louisville Downtown
What to do During Two Days in Louisville
Day 1
Biscuit Belly
Cost: $$
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 7:30am-2pm
Biscuit Belly is the place to go for people who like biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, and big breakfasts. They are known for their biscuits sandwiches all of which looked SO good. I recommend sharing them because they are very big.
Makers Mark
Cost: $20 Tour and Tasting
Hours: 10:15am-3:30pm
Start your first of two days in Louisville with a day trip to Maker’s Mark. It is a little over an hour’s drive, but it is well worth the trip. Visitors can opt to go on a one-hour tour and a tasting of 5 bourbons for $20. You can also opt to forgo the tour and do your own tasting at the cafe. At the cafe, they have specialty pours as well, so I recommend going there either way. They also serve a few light bites to eat. Plan to spend most of the morning here.
Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
Cost: $18
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9am-5pm, Sun: 10am-4pm
This afternoon, drive back to Louisville and head downtown to the Louisville Slugger Factory. Visitors can view the museum for free, but I highly recommend paying to go on the tour. The tour takes you through the factory and you learn the process of making a Louisville Slugger baseball bat. You get to see the process from start to finish.
In the museum, visitors learn about the history of the Louisville Slugger. You can also hold the bats from some of the baseball players who had Louisville Sluggers.
Another fun thing to do at the Louisville Slugger Factory is to hit up the batting cages. Here, you can bat with replicas of famous players’ bats such as Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. It costs $2 for 10 pitches. I highly recommend doing this experience during your two days in Louisville.
Art Eatables
Cost: $
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10am-5:30pm, Sun: 12pm-5pm, Closed Tuesdays
After the Slugger Museum, you must go across the street to Art Eatables to grab some of the infamous Kentucky Bourbon Balls. These are chocolates that have different types of Bourbon on the insides of them. You can get most of the Kentucky Bourbon flavors. You will not be sorry for grabbing bourbon balls during your two days in Louisville. Thank you to Alex of East Coast Contessa for this recommendation!
Angel’s Envy
Cost: $21.20
Hours: Mon-Wed: 3pm-8pm, Thurs-Fri: 3pm-9pm, Sat: 10am-8pm, Sun: 1pm-7pm
Next, head to Angel’s Envy, a distillery that should be part of any two days in Louisville. Angel’s Envy offers three different tours, but I recommend the Welcome Tour if you have never been before. This is a 45-minute tour where you get to sample their two bourbons as well as get a tour of the facility.
Rabbit Hole
Cost: $25
Hours: Tues-Sat: 10am-5pm
Around the corner from Angel’s Envy is Rabbit Hole. This was a super-modern Kentucky facility. You can opt to take a tour here, but I recommend trying to get into the bar for a tasting. If not, you are allowed one free sample in their downstairs store. It is the perfect way to end your first afternoon of two days in Louisville.
Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse
Cost: $$$
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 5pm-10pm, Fri: 5pm-11pm, Sat: 7am-2pm, 5pm-11pm, Sun: 7am-2pm, 5pm-10pm
Tonight, grab dinner at one of the best steakhouses in town, Repeal Steakhouse. They have an assortment of delicious steaks and a few other entrees. Everything we had was delicious and it is the perfect place to go out to a nice dinner. I really liked that they had a ton of different sauces you could choose for your steak and yummy popovers to start your meal.
Day 2
Wild Eggs
Cost: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri: 6:30am-2:30pm, Sat-Sun: 7am-3pm
Start your second of two days with breakfast at Wild Eggs. Wild Eggs has a ton of egg dishes (shocker!). They also have a rotating seasonal menu and usually have some specialty pancakes. Everything on their menu looked delicious.
Four Roses
Cost: $18 Tour and Tasting
Hours: Wed-Sun: 9am-4pm
My favorite stop during two days in Louisville was a tour and tasting at Four Roses. Visitors have three different options for experiences: a guided tasting, a tour and tasting, or a single barrel tasting. I recommend the tour and tasting because the facility is gorgeous to see. This will take about 1.25 hours. I also recommend grabbing a drink at the bar after. They have some limited release pours that are
Kentucky Derby Museum/Churchill Downs
Cost: $17
Hours: Mon-Sat: 8am-5pm, Sun: 11am-5pm
This afternoon, head to the Kentucky Derby Museum. This is located at Churchill Downs where the infamous Kentucky Derby happens every year. If you spend two days in Louisville in May, make sure to attend the Derby! The museum goes over the history of the Derby and gives a lot of background information on it. You can also opt to go on a tour of the facility.
La Bodeguita de Mima
Cost: $$
Hours: Mon-Thus: 5pm-9:30pm, Fri: 4pm-10pm, Sat: 12pm-2:30pm, 4pm-10pm, Sun: 12pm-2:30pm, 4pm-8:30pm
Tonight, grab dinner at a delicious Cuban restaurant, La Bodeguita de Mima. They have a ton of fun Cuban dishes and everything we tried was delicious. I really liked the chicken rice dish I got.
Iroquois Park and the Winter Wood Spectacular
Cost: $35/car
Hours: Varies by night
If you visit Louisville during the Christmas season, make sure to stop by the Winter Woods Spectacular in Iroquois Park. This awesome drive-through event is decked out in lights and Christmas decorations. It is great for the whole family, especially because you pay per car, and a fun way to get in the Holiday spirit.
Have more than two days in Louisville?
If you have more than two days in Louisville there are a ton of other things you can do to fill your time.
Visit other Distilleries
If you have more than two days in Louisville, opt to add some more distilleries to your itineraries. You can check out some more distilleries in this post. Peerless, Michter’s, and Copper and Kings were some other fun stops.
Louisville Mega Cavern
Cost: Varies by activity
Hours: Thus-Mon: 9:30am-8pm
The Louisville Mega Caverns are a popular spot for adventure seekers. The caverns were once a limestone quarry with miners. Later, it became a storage facility. Eventually, it turned into a sport for fun activities like zip-lining, hiking, and a few other activities.
Silver Dollar
Cost: $$
Hours: Mon, Thurs, Fri: 5pm-12am, Sat-Sun: 10am-12am, Closed Tues-Wed
If you are looking for another place to eat or want to sample a variety of bourbons and whiskeys, head to Silver Dollar. The food is filling and provides a good base to have before trying some of their flights.
Waterfront Park
Cost: Free
Waterfront Park is a popular spot during the warmer weather. A ton of public events are put on here or you can enjoy a stroll along the walking paths. Make sure to check the website for more information about special events.
Day Trip to Mammoth Cave National Park
Cost: $8 and up for cave tours
If you have more than two days in Louisville, there are a ton of options for day trips. Read more about some of your options here. One of my favorite options is visiting Mammoth Cave National Park. Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest cave system. Visitors can opt to go on several different tours inside the cave. There are also over 60 miles of hiking trails. It is a little over an hour from Louisville, which makes for a fun day trip.
Other fun things to do during two days in Louisville include the Old Louisville ghost tour or the Phantoms of Prohibition tour.
Total Costs of Two Days in Louisville
- Airfare: $200/person (but second person free with our companion pass)
- Hotel: 3 nights at $113/night ($339 total)
- Rental Car: $111 total
- Total Cost: $650 total or $325/person
Louisville is a fun destination for bourbon lovers. Spending two days in Louisville is a great part of a midwest road trip. If you have more time, you can add on time in Nashville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, or Chicago.
