Visiting Louisville - suggestions and recommendations? (Frankfort, Bardstown: low income, real estate, apartments)

[norcal_trvlr]

I will be traveling to Nashville and then driving on to Louisville in late April for a little R&R. I am looking for budget conscious recommendations and suggestions while on our adventure. We plan to attend the opening day at Church Hill Downs and I have also noticed that the Derby festival is going on during our stay. I would love some insider feedback on this event.

We are in our late 20's and love going out to restaurants of any ethnicity and find ourselves in pub style establishments for the "night cap" (the other half loves IPA's so any pubs with a good selection would be great). We are also avid wine drinkers. Not so much into the dive bar or club scene. It would be nice to play a round of golf and do enjoy outdoor activities (i.e. - riding horses, maybe fishing or other lake centered activities). Most of all we want to experience the local environment and be able to enjoy ourselves without the worry of where or what to do next - we would like to walk out the door and within a walk or shorter cab ride be in the center of things. I have noticed there are a lot of B&B's in Old Louisville. Is this an area that will cater to our style? What parts of Louisville will best for us to spend our time in? We will be in town for 3 full days so we want to make the most of it without over-packing our schedule.

Any suggestions on any of the above would be appreciated!

Thank you

[gman5431]

See if the Louisville Bats are in town. They are definately an affordable brand of entertainment and play in an absolutely beautiful ballpark. Also, the Louisville Slugger Museum is nearby.

G Man

[missymomof3]

There are tons of free things to do during the Derby festival. Depending on when you are here: Kentucky Derby Festival - Event Listings

[stx12499]

Based on your criteria, I believe there are five parts of the city to explore, and they are all within a 20 dollar can ride of one another. Louisville is fiercely neighborhood oriented and it has some great ones. I will provide you with A FEW (too many good places to even pick from) restaurants and or bars, shopping and hotels I think you will like that will let you explore these areas. If you dont like the spot I suggest, it will always be within walking distance of tons of other stuff.

1) The Highlands www.thehighlandsoflouisville.com: The beat of Louisville, its soul, and what makes it a great city. A bit of Haight-Ashbury in flavor but with a southern/midwestern twist. This neighborhood is only appreciated on foot, walking its spine of Baxter Avenue and Bardstown road. Park at www.mollymalones.com and walk south, to the left of KFC. A FEW places that will help you explore:
http//www.lynnsparadisecafe.com/
run or walk through cherokee road, willow ave, and cherokee park http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroParks/parks/cherokee/
http://www.dundeetavern.com/
http://www.spinellispizza.com/
http://www.cafe-360.com/ (my vote for dirt cheap 24/7 food)
http://www.palermoviejo.info/
http://www.clayandcotton.com/shop/
http://www.herbimport.com/pages.php?pageid=1
http://www.asiatiquerestaurant.com/ (ask about their lounge "A" and late night menu)
http://www.ramsiscafe.com/
http://www.kizito.com/
http://www.whylouisville.com/
http://www.uptownlouisville.com/
http://www.dotfoxclothingculture.com/
http://www.heinebroscoffee.com/
www.keeplouisvilleweird.com
www.louisvilleoriginals.com
many of the small retail boutiques will close early by rush hour, but the coffee shops, restauarnts and nightlife on this strip rock late (at least til 3 or 4 am so many bars dont pick up until almost midnite, especially on the 900 block of Baxter Avenue).

2) Downtown/Butchertown/Phoenix Hill http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Downtown...wnActivity.htm
Not too impressive as downtowns go, but overall very solid, with an excellent urban Park
http://www.louisvillewaterfront.com/
Hotel Louisville Kentucky :: Downtown Luxury Lodging (and its restaurant)
lots of museums near there in the largest district of cast irons outside SoHo NYC. I'd stay at 21C as my pick if not a B&B. There's also a nice B&B in historic downtown Jeffersonville across the bridge.
http://www.actorstheatre.org/
Historic Homes Foundation (Washington st and Franklin st are interesting as they mix historic homes in the nation's largest remaining urban meat packing district)
http://www.firstfridaytrolleyhop.com/ (many boutiques and restaurants here open outside the gallery hop, which is great fun if you are in for it the first friday)
http://www.seelbachhilton.com/hoteld...heoakroom.html
http://www.jeffruby.com/louisville.html
http://www.myspace.com/derbycityespresso
http://www.louisvillepalace.com/
You probably won't like fourth street live based on your tastes, but it is a pretty happening nightlife district after 11 PM on Saturday especially (bars open til 4 am)

3) Crescent Hill/Clifton in the Frankfort Avenue commerical corridorhttp://www.frankfortave.com/home/index.php http://www.fatfridayhop.org/

http://www.bourbonsbistro.com/
http://www.landnwinebarandbistro.com/
http://www.basarestaurant.net/
http://www.varanese.com/
http://www.maidosakebar.com/
http://www.northendcafe.com/
http://www.gosarisari.com/
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...ndID=323122782

4) Old Louisville. Lots of B&B's, some nicer than others. St James and Belgravia courts are worth walking for their beauty. The largest historic victorian preservation district in the US. A mix of students, professionals, gays, and low income people. It is not as walkable as the top three districts, but has some well hidden gems www.oldlouisville.com
http://www.bucksrestaurantandbar.com/
www.610magnolia.com (highly worth it, wouldnt be out if place among the nicer places in SF)
http://www.amicicafelouisville.com/
http://louisville.metromix.com/resta...497546/content
http://www.thirdavecafe.com/

5) The Heart of St Matthews: this is the "downtownish" area of an inner ring suburb, NOT the mall with the same name further east.

http://www.brendanslouisville.com/ (very popular with young professionals)
http://www.60westbistro.com/
http://www.saintspizza.com/
http://www.clodhoppers.com/
http://louisville.metromix.com/bars-...497643/content

6) Germantown: A cool neighborhood all its own, a mix of working class people in old school southern shotguns to new age hipsters, hanging out at one of the better indie taphouses in town (a bit divey in a kitchy way though):

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...ndID=167548389

I am out a breath, but this is part of a tour and city guide I am putting together. There are many great things to see and do outside of these hoods as well. My five favorite, affordable eats outside these districts are:
www.larositagrill.com
http://www.myhavanarumba.com/
http://www.mojitorestaurant.com/
http://louisville.metromix.com/resta...498358/content
http://www.crackinwildeggs.com/main.html


helpful sites:

youve seen me reference metromix, and while cheesy, its helpful, especially for mapping local eats and geting numbers:
www.metromix.com
www.leoweekly.com
www.louisvillehotbytes.com (especially the free forum)
www.consuminglouisville.com
www.backseatsandbar.com
www.brokensidewalk.com

Sorry, should mention more authentic microbreweries:

Cumberland Brews
New Albany Brewing Company- a bit of a drive, and a generic location, but one of the higher rated brewpubs in the US.


With regards to Derby festival, you need to be specific as to days you will be in the city, and I can advise on events to attend. It is a massive, two week event drawing millions to the city. It kicks off with the largest fireworks show in the United States, Thunder Over Louisville (attendace usually around 750,000), and of course ends with Derby which has crowds over 150,000 alone. If you will be coming any time anywhere near Derby or Thunder, you need to book a hotel....NOW.

www.kdf.org

[censusdata]

The main areas of interest for you would be basically a triangle from Downtown south to Old Louisville east to Bardstown Rd and back to Downtown. Each area is only a couple miles from the other

There are several bed n breakfast places in Old Louisville
Old Louisville Bed and Breakfast Inns

[Off Topic]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Based on your criteria...

Holy smokes, I don't think I've ever seen a post with so much good information!

Stx, we need to get you a hobby! You've got too much time on your hands.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by Off Topic

Holy smokes, I don't think I've ever seen a post with so much good information!

Stx, we need to get you a hobby! You've got too much time on your hands.

Those posts are variants I have saved. usually takes me 5-10 minutes to write. I think this is a great city and others should discover it. Without guidance, they will not see what makes it cool. Trust me, I have PLENTY of other hobbies including working way too damn much!

[norcal_trvlr]

AWESOME! Thank you for the great info! We have decided to stay in the Highlands area and just need to book our hotel now. We will be there April 24-27 for any derby festival tips

Thanks again!

[wrx04]

stx, you are THE MAN. Thanks for all the info you posted here about louisville, it has been extremely helpful. I am gonna be making a trip down there March 13-15th for a couple job interviews, and you have given some great ideas as far as places to check out. I wanted to ask if you knew of any places similar to Bycks lofts downtown. Those looked like they were more my style, and i like the fact they are downtown. If i end up there, i'm going to stay in the low 200k price range.

Also, if i live in louisville, do you think a daily commute to elizabethtown would be unbearable?

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by wrx04

stx, you are THE MAN. Thanks for all the info you posted here about louisville, it has been extremely helpful. I am gonna be making a trip down there March 13-15th for a couple job interviews, and you have given some great ideas as far as places to check out. I wanted to ask if you knew of any places similar to Bycks lofts downtown. Those looked like they were more my style, and i like the fact they are downtown. If i end up there, i'm going to stay in the low 200k price range.

Also, if i live in louisville, do you think a daily commute to elizabethtown would be unbearable?

Welcome to Central Park Lofts
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Old Louisville, near UofL campus:
CoolSpaces.com

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Louisville to Etown isnt bad. 45 minutes. you will be coming opposite traffic, so you should never hit traffic.