Vacation in Louisville? Where to visit. (Lexington, Bardstown: suburban, yard, arboretum)

[creeksitter]

Well Peter, I did feel that your post # 14 was a bit over the top. Consider that if the OPs are coming from the southern tip of Ohio they may be driving right past Lexington. They are free to ignore the Lexington area suggestions. I myself will take in some of the Harrodstown attractions in my 5 day trip. Not interested in casinos, baseball (gasp) or horses. What i like are older neighborhoods, bike trails, nature parks and gardens.

Thanks for the restaurant suggetions. I will look them up on hotbytes.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Well Peter, I did feel that your post # 14 was a bit over the top. Consider that if the OPs are coming from the southern tip of Ohio they may be driving right past Lexington. They are free to ignore the Lexington area suggestions. I myself will take in some of the Harrodstown attractions in my 5 day trip. Not interested in casinos, baseball (gasp) or horses. What i like are older neighborhoods, bike trails, nature parks and gardens.

Thanks for the restaurant suggetions. I will look them up on hotbytes.

I can assure you there is not a place in KY that can come close to meeting the historic walkability, parks, arts, food, and culture that is in Louisville's urban neighborhoods. So there you go.

[creeksitter]

What about Covington/Newport?

Nevermind, I can form my own opinion.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

What about Covington/Newport?

Nevermind, I can form my own opinion.

That area is nice. But that is Cincinnati. Different animal. And no, it is not urban and walkable to the degree that is Louisville. Covington (not so much Newport) is a very pretty, rejuvenating area though. The best part of Covington is not downtown proper, and certainly not Newport on the Levee, but rather, Mainstrasse:

MainStrasse Village Association

Much as Cincinnati has Covington, Louisville has New Albany, which packs some great restaurants, a good wine spot, and coffee in a rejuvenating "small town" suburb atmosphere.

[MissingIndiana]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

I myself will take in some of the Harrodstown attractions in my 5 day trip. Not interested in casinos, baseball (gasp) or horses. What i like are older neighborhoods, bike trails, nature parks and gardens.

If you have a chance to stop by Bernheim, please do. It's a great spot with a wide variety of trees/plants and hiking trails. It's a good place to bring the bike too. Given your interests, I would say to stop by the Old Louisville neighborhood while you're in town and take some sort of an architectural tour. You can do guided or self guided and they have ghost tours around October which are kind of fun and you still get to look at the architecture. (Walking Tours of Old Louisville) or (Louisville Historic Tours - Historic Old Louisville Kentucky)

I would also say you could check out the historic building facades along west Main St downtown and maybe walk along Waterfront Park to get that Ohio River "ambiance" and walk out across the river on the pedestrian bridge.

Restaurants with entrees under $20? Here is a variety, but there are certainly many others as well:

Varanese (Varanese | Eclectic Mediterranean Restaurant | Louisville, KY)
Dragon Kings Daughter (Dragon Kings Daughter :: Sushi in Louisville, KY)
Silver Dollar (The Silver Dollar - Louisville, Kentucky)
Taco Punk (http://www.tacopunk.com/menu/TPMENU_3FOLDCLR_S13.pdf)


And as long as were talking about making extended day trips, I have to pimp out my home county a little bit. It would honestly be a shame to miss out on some of the things there if you are interested at all in history or historic buildings. It's in Indiana, but a still little closer than Lexington. Not that there's anything wrong with that, haha. Things to Do in French Lick, Indiana - West Baden Indiana and http://frenchlick.com/

I hope you have a great trip creeksitter! I'd skip the IKEA though. I honestly don't see what all the hype is about on their furniture and I hear they put horse meat in the meatballs

[creeksitter]

Thanks, I do plan to visit New Albany - I hear they have a great bike trail.

[MissingIndiana]

The bike trail I know of is along the river and is part of the Ohio River Greenway I mentioned. Is that the one you're thinking of? It's in good shape but not very long yet for biking. It will be pretty great once it's all done. They do have a couple decent bike lanes in town.

[Dayton Sux]

What i like are older neighborhoods, bike trails, nature parks and gardens.

I second the excursion to Bernheim Forest if you are a nature lover. This is a very nice mix....aboreteum/decorative plantings & lanscaping in one portion of the park, with hill country nature preserve hiking in the 'back 40'. One of the nicest spots in the region, and easy to get to from I-65.

Closer in you can visit the Jefferson Memorial Forest. Start at the visitor center on Mitchell Hill Road, and they will give you maps and recommendations for hikes. This is more a true forest preserve vs Bernheim, which has both the 'garden' and thje 'nature preserve'.

[Dayton Sux]

BTW, Peter is right about Hillbilly Tea. Ive only been for breakfast, but they have great breakfasts!

[Dayton Sux]

What i like are older neighborhoods, bike trails, nature parks and gardens.

I agree with the otherrs about Old Louisville.

If you see only one older neighborhood, it should be the St James Court/Belgravia Court portion of Old Louisville, directly south of Central Park, west of 4th St, btw Central Park and Hill St. Just walk St James & Belgravia, walk these streets to capture the heart & soul of Louisville, the "heart of the city" both geographically and in spirit.

It is not to be missed.