There were a lot of reasons we wanted to go to Cleveland. Mainly, we are on a quest to see all 62 National Parks, and Cleveland is home to one of them: Cuyahoga Valley National Park. But we were also excited to explore the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the house from A Christmas Story. With everything to do in Cleveland, how bad could it be?

I’m happy to report that Cleveland did not disappoint! And because I am so thrilled with our Cleveland vacation, I’m ready to share with you everything you need to have the best two days in Cleveland.

Two Days in Cleveland

Odds are you’ll be flying to get to Cleveland. I highly recommend having a car during your visit, as things are fairly spread out.

If you need more information about renting a car while traveling, check out my post: How to take a Road Trip in a Rental Car.

Day One in Cleveland

Fly into Cleveland early Saturday morning. Grab your rental car, and head straight for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This park can get pretty crowded, especially on the weekends, and you’ll want to get here early to avoid the crowds and to get a parking spot. Pack your lunch so you don’t have to leave the park mid-day. Now, you’re ready to dive on in.

Waterfalls of Cuyahoga Valley National Park

One of the best things about Cuyahoga Valley National Park are all the waterfalls! They are perhaps the park’s biggest attraction, so check them out early. You’ll especially want to get to Brandywine Falls early, as it is one of Cuyahoga Valley’s most well known Falls. The hikes to the waterfalls are easy. Here are a few of our favorite waterfall trails:

• Blue Hen Falls Trail (0.5 Miles)
• Brandywine Gorge Trail (1.5 Miles)
• Bridal Veil Falls and the Buckeye Trail (0.2 Miles)

There are lots of hikes you could do in Cuyahoga Valley, and you can read about a few of my favorites in my post Two days in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. For a trip where you’re trying to see Cleveland and Cuyahoga Valley National Park, you’re going to be limited to shorter hikes in order to see more.

Biking Tow Path Trail

There are so many places that you can rent bikes around Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This is great news for everyone who flies into Cleveland to visit this park! We rented our bikes at a place just off the Tow Path and were able to quickly hop on the trail. This path is very flat and easy to ride. It is a great bike trail for all experience levels. When you can’t ride any more, catch the train back!

Don’t forget to stop somewhere along the way and grab a bite to eat from that lunch you packed earlier, you won’t regret having that along the way!

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

Cuyahoga Valley National Park has it’s very own public transportation! Whenever you ride your bike as far as you can, hop aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad! The best part is, tickets are discounted for bikers! (As of 2019, tickets were $5 per person when boarding with a bike!)

Dinner in Cleveland

At this point, it’s time to head back into town and grab something to eat. You’ll likely want to catch a shower at your hotel first. We like to eat at more casual restaurants, and we quickly found a new favorite in Cleveland. Melt Bar and Grilled is our perfect dinner spot. Beers, gourmet grilled cheese, and even a cheese burger with a mac & cheese bun! You’re going to love what you find here, and I highly recommend checking it out!

We also loved Winking Lizard. Although we might be a little biased because we had one right across the street from our hotel, but we couldn’t get enough of this place. We finished our night in Cleveland with some drinks at the bar.

Day Two in Cleveland

Like all of my two-day itineraries, my Two Days in Cleveland itinerary gets us moving right away. Grab some breakfast, and then head on over to the house from A Christmas Story for the first tour of the morning! If you’re not a fan of the movie, this might be a great time to grab a quick hike in Cuyahoga Valley National Park!

A Christmas Story House

A few words of caution when visiting the house, this home is in a neighborhood. Please be respectful of the people who live nearby. There is only street parking available, and streets can get pretty full. Don’t block neighboring driveways.

The gift shop, open 15 minutes before the first tour, is in a home across the street. Check out the movie memorabilia, and if you’re lucky, grab a Christmas Story themed donut!

Tours at the Christmas Story House last about one hour and are full of fun stories about the making of the movie. If you’re a fan of this Christmas classic, you’re not going to want to miss this!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Finish up your trip to Cleveland with a visit to it’s most iconic resident, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame can get pretty crowded, especially on weekends, and it helps to visit the upper-level exhibits first, especially if you arrive right when they open, that way you’ll be moving in the opposite direction of the foot traffic.

Take lots of photos and visit all of your favorite artists. There is something for everyone here.

While you’re at this spot, be sure to check out one of the “Cleveland” signs for a perfect vacation photo opp! For a complete list of where to find all the signs, check out this post from Cleveland’s tourism office: Your Guide to the CLE Script Signs.

Pin this for later:

The post The Best Way to Spend Two Days in Cleveland, Ohio first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour

Locals will likely turn up their nose at the suggestion, but no matter what your thoughts on Anheuser-Busch are, there’s no denying they serve a role in the history of beer in St Louis. Anheuser-Busch not only survived prohibition, it thrived post-prohibition. The tour guides will tell you all about the history of beer in Saint Louis, and will give you two free samples to go with it.

With the In-Bev takeover, Anheuser-Busch has more beers under their umbrella than you may realize. If you don’t like their flagship, Budweiser, perhaps you’ll enjoy Elysium, Golden Road, Land Shark, or Goose Island, all of which you can find at Anheuser-Busch.

Must-Try Beer at Anheuser-Busch Bier Garten

Likely, you’re already familiar with what you like from Anheuser-Busch. Stick with the classic Budweiser, or if available, try Golden Road’s Tart Mango Cart. All the usual Anheuser-Busch classics are available, and the craft beer menu in their beer garden rotates.

Schlafly

Schlafly is best known as the David who took on Goliath. In 1991, when Schlafly opened their doors in the Downtown West neighborhood of St Louis, they were the first new brewery to open their doors since Prohibition. Furthermore, they were a micro brewery moving into neighborhood which, at the time, was almost completely vacant. This in the city where Budweiser was king. Anheuser-Busch took care of the city of St Louis through hefty donations and Clydesdale appearances, residents weren’t exactly looking for a new beer company. Given all this, would you be brave enough to open a brewery of your own?

No. Definitely not. But Tom Schlafly did just that. And his company grew to be the largest, locally owned craft brewery in our City and in our State. His story is impressive, and the beer is delicious too, among some of the best beer in St Louis. Schlafly now has three locations in St Louis: their original location, known as Taproom, in Downtown West. A larger brewery, known as Bottleworks, in Maplewood. And their newest location in St. Charles, called Bankside.

Must-Try Beer at Schlafly

You really can’t go wrong with anything you drink at Schlafly, but my favorite is their Kolsch. If you’re visiting in the Summer time, ask for their seasonal brew, the Raspberry Hefeweizen.

Schlafly Curbside

All three Schlafly Breweries have curbside pickup available. Place your Schlafly Curbside orders online or call in your order. They are offering growler or crowler fills of any of the beers they have on tap, but are only filling newly purchased growlers. They’re also doing what they refer to as “Adopt-a-Keg,” which is much like renting a Keg, only way more fun to say.

Urban Chestnut

With so many great options for beer in St Louis, it’s really hard to pick a favorite. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Urban Chestnut is my favorite beer in St Louis. They brew mostly German Styled beers with lots of German-Styled names, but don’t let the menu intimidate you if you’re not familiar, they’re happy to explain and sample any beer you’re curious to try.

Urban Chestnut has two locations, the first in Downtown West, and the second in The Grove neighborhood. Their Grove brewery is known for being dog friendly. You can’t bring your dogs inside the brewery itself, but their outdoor patio has a doggy entrance. Not to mention they host Dog Days of Summer events where they pop up some tents and serve beer on the adjacent empty grass lot. Bring a lawn chair and listen to some live music while enjoying their Urban Underdog brew, where a portion of sales go to local animal rescues.

Must-Try Beer at Urban Chestnut

The Winged Nut is by and large my favorite brew at Urban Chestnut. They call it a Chestnut Ale, not sure if it is made with real chestnuts or not, but it is delicious regardless. If you’re looking for something lighter, try the Schnickelfritz. For something more hoppy, try STLIPA (Pro-Tip: despite the fact that it looks like it should be said “S.T.L.I.P.A,” the brewery pronounces it “sta-lee-pah.”) Personally, I think Urban Chestnut is overall the best beer in St Louis, but don’t tell the other breweries I said that.

U.R.B.

While you’re visiting the Grove location of Urban Chestnut, be sure to swing by the Urban Research Brewery. This is a quasi-third location for Urban Chestnut. As the name implies, this is a smaller venue where they do research. What kind of research, you ask? The tasting kind!

For a $2 fee, you will receive 3 to 4 samples of beer, roughly 4 ounces each. That is what essentially equates to a pint of craft beer for $2. Awesome! In exchange, you must fill out a survey on your phone answering questions about what you smell, taste, and feel while drinking their experimental beers. Most of the times they don’t tell you what you’re tasting (aside from clues like “these samples are all citrus.”) This makes for a great place to hang out with friends and discuss what you think you’re tasting.

Must-Try Beer at the U.R.B.

There isn’t a menu here, and the tasting they offer is the only draught beer available. Live adventurously and try what they’re offering, then head across the street to their Bierhall and have anything your heart desires. They do offer a small selection of cans or bottles at this location, but stick to trying the survey brews here.

Curbside Pickup at Urban Chestnut or the U.R.B

Urban Chestnut is doing Curbside pick up at their location in The Grove only. They are offering everything they have at their Bierhall menu as well as pizzas from the U.R.B. They’re currently offering an Urban Underdog Dinner Pack that includes a pizza, a four-pack of Urban Underdog, koozies, and treats for your pup!

Rockwell

A new Brewery to the St Louis beer landscape, Rockwell is quickly rising to the top. Their brewery is built out of shipping containers and features a large patio. Rockwell is great because they’ve got a beer for everyone. While there are lots of tables available, you won’t often find someone coming around to serve you (although on a busy day, they’ll stop by and offer up a glass of water, or take away empty food baskets.)

One surprising thing that people are also saying about Rockwell is that their food is amazing. Their menu is typical, burgers and fries, but if you’re looking for the most heavenly shoe-string fries in town, Rockwell is the place for you. They’ve also got a veggie burger on their menu. The founders have an eye for design, so you’re likely to walk out of here with a t-shirt or a pint glass with tiny llamas on it (yup!).

Must-Try Beer at Rockwell

Order the Oxford Llama because it is served in a glass with llamas on it and also because it tastes good. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try one of their beer cocktails.

Curbside at Rockwell

Instead of ordering online, Rockwell is using a drive-thru model to make curbside available to visitors. They’re open noon – 8pm and have drive-thru tables available if you want to drive up and then sit outside without coming into contact with anyone.

Earthbound

One of the reasons beer, and particularly German lagers were so popular in St Louis was because St Louis sits on top of miles of caves! Caves were the perfect place in the days of no refrigeration to brew and store lagers. Most breweries aren’t using caves to brew beer anymore…but Earthbound isn’t like most breweries. Earthbound rehabbed what was once the Cherokee Brewery and returned beer to the building, and to its caves. They offer tours of their caves on Saturdays. Learn a bit more about the history there, and learn more about the restoration process here: Earthbound Beer’s Renovation of the old Cherokee Brewery.

To summarize Earthbound as briefly as possible, they’re a brewery that likes to sway towards the peculiar. They’ve been known to brew up “Chicken and Waffles” or “Fuzzy Pickle” and love to incorporate herbs and spices into their brewing process. While they have a few “normal” beers on their menu, too, that’s definitely not what they’re known for. If you have a taste for the obscure, you’ll find that Earthbound has the best beer in St Louis.

Must-Try Beer at Earthbound

Practically everything Earthbound makes is a limited release. That’s one thing that makes them very unique. Their Irish Red always seems to be available and is a safe bet, but this is a good place to try something you’ll never taste anywhere else. Never had beer with coriander in it? Now’s your chance.

St Louis Beer Date Night?

I created a list of 60+ St Louis Date Ideas that you’ll absolutely love! Earthbound is just one of the breweries mentioned on this list. Find out the best breweries for a date night, and so much more!

Curbside at Earthbound

Earthbound has a to-go window. Place orders online, pick up in the window. They’ve recently created a small outdoor patio area for enjoying your beers outdoors as well. They specifically call out that you can not order to-go beers and then sit and drink them on their patio. They’ll sell you a single can if you want to hang out, or take your beers and run.

Heavy Riff

Heavy Riff is a great spot if you’re going to be doing any exploring of Forest Park while you’re in town…which you absolutely should do! It’s a very short drive (or Lyft ride) away from Forest park, which is even larger than Central Park and has so much to be explored! Heavy Riff is perhaps the smallest of all the breweries on this list, but is one of the best options if you’re looking for a bite to eat. I love the food at Heavy Riff, and the vegetarian options are great!

The bar area is spacious, but the dark interior gives it somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall feel, which I find to be very cozy. Heavy Riff is a middle-ground brewery. They offer a wide selection of brews, but their most talked about is their Velvet Underbrown. I love that this brewery focuses on fruit influenced and wheat beers, and their Squeeze Box Lemon Wheat is right up my alley.

Must-Try Beer at Heavy Riff

Squeeze Box Lemon Wheat, Bohemian Raspberry, and Velvet Underbrown are all winners here.

Curbside at Heavy Riff

Heavy Riff’s Curbside online ordering is available for beers. Place your order online, pull up to the green cones, text them with your last name when you arrive, and show your ID to pick up your beer.

O’Fallon Brewery

The name O’Fallon Brewery is a place that is more confusing to the locals than it is to people from out of town. That is because St Louis sits right on the border of Missouri and Illinois, and both states have a city named O’Fallon, both approximately 30 minutes in either direction of downtown. When the city O’Fallon is mentioned, it is quickly followed by the question, “Which O’Fallon?” To add to this confusion, O’Fallon Brewery is named after both O’Fallon, Missouri AND O’Fallon, Illinois, but is not located in either city. See where things can get confusing? I suspect they did this on purpose.

O’Fallon Brewing is another one of those breweries that does a lot of things really, really well. If you order your usual go-to beer style, you’ll likely agree you’re drinking the best beer in St Louis.

Must-Try Beer at O’Fallon Brewery

The O’Fallon Weach is a great place to start. Part wheat, part peach, all beer. Their St Louis Red is another great brew, and is almost as red as the name suggests it should be. If you’re looking for something different, O’Fallon also has their own line of hard sodas. They partnered with a local soda maker, Fitz’s to make a delicious Hard Root Beer.

Curbside at O’Fallon Brewery

O’Fallon offers curbside pick up of everything they sell. Everything everything. Beer? Yes. Merch? You bet. Food? Definitely. Hand Sanitizer? That too! Please your orders online and pre-select the time you’ll be picking up.

Center Ice Brewery

As the name implies, Center Ice is a Hockey bar! This a great place to watch a Hockey Game, as long as you’re cheering for the Blues that is. They have hockey stick shaped tap handles, hockey themed beer names, and even hockey boards that line the walls so you can truly feel like you’re on the ice while you’re here.

There isn’t any food at Center Ice, but that shouldn’t stop you from stopping by for dinner. They’re outside-food friendly, and are right next door to a few St Louis dinner favorites: Southern, Pappy’s, and Vito’s.

Must-Try Beer at Center Ice

They have a few limited release beers that, if you can get your hands on them, you should absolutely try. They are really great at making lagers and pale ales. Their American Golden Ale and their Old Arena Lager are my favorites.

Curbside at Center Ice

Curbside is available at Center Ice any time during their taproom hours. Place orders online, and either run into the taproom to pick up, or call them and they’ll run it out to you.

Old Bakery Beer Co

Old Bakery Beer Co is left off of the lists of the best beer in St Louis far too often. It’s likely because they are actually located in Alton, Illinois, right across the Mississippi from St Louis, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from visiting. Old Bakery Beer Co is a force in the craft beer scene in St Louis. They truly have a great beer for every taste, no matter what your favorite beer style is.

What makes Old Bakery Beer Co even more impressive is they crush everyone else on this list when it comes to food. Old Bakery Beer Co has the best food of any brewery in St Louis. They are inclusive of all dietary restrictions, with gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options. And I say options as in plural. Anyone who’s diet falls into any one of those categories will know how hard it is to have choices when going out to eat. Old Bakery has your back!

Must-Try Beer at Old Bakery Beer Co

Old Bakery makes really solid beers no matter what you like. Their classic options are their Citrus Wheat, Centennial White, or Porter. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, you might want to try out their Rosemary IPA or their Basil Pale Ale (the Basil Pale Ale is my favorite, but when I say “adventurous,” I mean it.

Curbside at Old Bakery Beer Co

Old Bakery Beer Co has been hit the hardest by restrictions in the past few months. Because they’re in Illinois, they live by Illinois’ rules. They’re only open for curbside and patio seating currently and could really use your support. To order Old Bakery Beer Co Curbside place your order online, and call when you arrive. Old Bakery also has a pandemic page on their website. Check that out for the most up-to-date information.

Beer Lover’s Weekend Itinerary

If you’re visiting St Louis for the weekend and want to check out some of the best Breweries our city has to offer, follow this itinerary to get the most out of your weekend. Like all my weekend itineraries, this one starts on Saturday morning…because you worked all day Friday and you need to actually have time to pack before hopping on a plane! Making travel possible is what I do. To check out more of my weekend itineraries, click here: Weekend Itineraries.

Don’t miss out on any of the best beer in St Louis. Grab your free “A Beer Lover’s Guide to a Weekend in St Louis” by clicking the button below. This completely free guide comes with a map of the breweries in the guide, too!

Visiting St Louis for the weekend but want more than just beer? I’ve got you covered! Check out these other posts about things to do in St Louis and start planning your weekend right away!

21 Things for Adults to do in St Louis

Where to get the Best Cocktails in St Louis

How to Have the Best 48 Hours in St Louis

The Best Donuts in St Louis

The post The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Guide to a Weekend in St Louis first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

Our trips to Las Vegas have ranged from a 4-night stay to 36 hours of hustle. Luckily, Vegas is one of those cities that is always on so time really isn’t an obstacle here! If you’re looking for a quick weekend in Vegas, here’s exactly what you need to do.

Saturday in Las Vegas

I told you this was a weekend trip and I meant it! This weekend itinerary will cost you zero vacation days. It seriously is two days in Las Vegas. You’re going to want to grab an early morning flight to Las Vegas to get the most out of your trip. Like so early you won’t even want to make coffee before you leave your house so that you can sleep for an extra five minutes. There will be plenty of time to grab coffee at the airport. Hop in a ride-share and just get to Vegas already!

One of the most overwhelming things about Las Vegas is that you can never go anywhere without seeing a slot machine. When you land in the airport, you’ll be greeted with hundreds of them. If you’ve never been to Las Vegas before, go ahead and stick a $5 bill into one of the airport slot machines, just for fun!

Las Vegas Hotels

If you have an early morning flight and make it to Las Vegas before check-in, you might think that you have to hang onto your bags until your room is available. That might be true most places, but it is absolutely not the case in Las Vegas! As soon as you land, you should head straight to your hotel. You can check your bags in with the bellhop or front desk (free of charge!) at every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

It is easiest to go straight for the hotel you plan on staying at, that way you can just keep your bags there until it is time to check in, but if you’d prefer to move them from hotel-to-hotel, you don’t have to be a guest to check your bags. The Casinos want to make spending money as easy as possible, they’d gladly hold all your stuff while you explore!

Where to Stay in Las Vegas

There are a lot of different types of hotels in Las Vegas. Some are kitschy or reminiscent of the classic Las Vegas feel. Others are high end and elegant and make you feel like a queen.

My favorite hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is Park MGM. Park MGM is different than the MGM Grand Resort, and many people get the two confused. Park MGM is a brand new hotel to the Las Vegas Strip and it has a very classy vibe. The best part about it is that they will soon be completely smoke free! The only hotel on the Las Vegas Strip to make this move. I love everything about this hotel!

Where to Eat in Las Vegas

If you have decided to stay at the Park MGM, there are tons of options there. They have a sports bar inside the casino, a restaurant, and their very own “Eataly.” If you’re not familiar with Eataly, it’s a small farmer’s-market-styled eatery where you can grab freshly made Italian food. Don’t put too much stake in it’s street-market style, though. Eataly is a chain franchise. There are also plenty of quick-bite options at New York New York right next door to the Park MGM.

If you’re ready to dive into Vegas headfirst, you might even want to hit up a buffet! The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino has a great buffet and it is right across the street from Park MGM.

If you’re looking to try something a little more locally grown, check out Bruxie, just outside of the New York New York.

The Bellagio Fountain Show

Once you have your luggage checked in at a hotel, it’s time to explore the iconic Las Vegas stops. The first place you should check out is the Bellagio Fountain. This iconic Las Vegas landmark will get you excited for everything else Las Vegas has in store or you. You can walk down the strip to the fountain or you can jump on the Tram!

There is a free tram from Park MGM to Bellagio, called the Aria Express Tram. The tram doesn’t save you a ton of time, but it will save you some energy. One thing that surprised me about walking down the Las Vegas Strip is how many stair cases there are to climb! The street is lined with pedestrian walkways to keep everyone safe, and walking down the strip means you’re constantly climbing stairs up and down. Taking the tram will save you a bit of that so early into your trip.

The Bellagio Fountain runs every half hour in the afternoons, so be sure to check your clock to make sure you’ll time it out right! There’s nothing worse than finding your spot at the fountain only to realize you’ve got 27 minutes to go until the next show.

Visit the Eiffel Tower

Once you’re at Bellagio, the next best stop to check out would be the Paris Hotel. (Look for the Eiffel Tower and head that way!) You can go up into the Eiffel Tower if you’d like. Tickets are $16 during the day, or $22 at night. You might be able to find a better price on Groupon, so be sure to check that before you buy! I love using Groupon when in Las Vegas. Check out the other apps I love on my post 3 Apps that can Make Your Next Trip to Las Vegas More Affordable.

Depending on the time of year you’re visiting, you might have burned up a good chunk of daylight already. If you’ve still got some time left before sunset, check out the French Onion Soup at the Paris Hotel’s Mon Ami Gabi French Bistro. It’s delicious!

Explore Fremont Street

If I’m being completely honest, Fremont Street isn’t my favorite. But if this is your first time in Las Vegas, it is definitely worth checking out. On Fremont Street, you can visit the original hotels and check out the Light Show on the ceiling (yes, ceiling) that runs above Fremont every hour on the hour between 6pm and 1am. If you’re feeling extra daring, you can even zip-line above the crowds of people. The zip-line, called the “Slotzilla,” will cost between $20 and $45 per ticket depending on which package you choose.

The Neon Museum

Just a short ride away from Fremont Street is one of my favorite attractions in Las Vegas: The Neon Museum.

The Neon Museum is an absolute treasure to the City of Las Vegas, and I highly recommend you make this a part of your trip! While you can visit the Neon Museum any time between 9am and 10:40pm, I really recommend visiting at night. All the working neons will be lit up! There is a guided tour (the only option available at night) where a docent will tell you the stories behind each and every sign. It’s a great way to get to know the history of this area a little bit better.

The High Roller Ferris Wheel

You’ve had a long day, and if you’re ready to turn it in and unwind at your hotel room at this point, I totally understand. But to take full advantage of the short amount of time you have on your weekend in Las Vegas, you might want to sneak in a few more stops.

Another must-see Las Vegas destination is the High Roller Ferris Wheel at the Linq Hotel. They host a “Happier Half Hour” ride which, as they say, is a happy hour in the sky. Take a ride in the Ferris wheel car that comes with a full bar! The name of the game seems to be to drink as quickly as you can to get your money’s worth. Ask for your bartender to make you a Green Tea. It’s Jason’s favorite drink in Las Vegas! Tickets for the High Roller can be pricey, but Groupon can help you out with discounted tickets.

I love checking out the High Roller at night because you can see all the beautiful sparkling lights below. You might even be lucky enough to catch a fountain show at the Bellagio from way up high if you time it out just right!

The Las Vegas Casinos

I don’t get much sleep when I spend a weekend in Las Vegas. After spending the day exploring all my favorite stops, I like to take a quick visit to one of the casinos to wrap up the night. New York New York and Excalibur are my two favorite spots to play at. I always seem to be very lucky at New York New York, and find some games here that I can’t find anywhere else. I love Excalibur because they are the only place that has $1 video Blackjack. This “table” is usually very crowded, but worth it if you can get a spot. We could play at the video Blackjack tables for hours. The cocktail waitresses will set you up with a few free drinks while you gamble (be sure to give them a tip!) and I find this the perfect place to wind down, Vegas-style.

Free drinks at the Casinos in Las Vegas

The first time I visited Las Vegas, I wasn’t convinced that the rumor of free drinks at the casinos was true. After all, things can be so expensive in Las Vegas. I was certain they were going to stick me with a bill after bringing me my drink. But it’s true! Drinks are completely free while you’re gambling at the casinos…but with a couple of exceptions.

My first time ordering, I made the mistake of asking for an Old Fashioned, my go-to drink no matter where I am. The cocktail waitress kindly told me that she would be happy to bring me one, but that she would have to charge me for it. The kinds of drinks they offer for free are pretty basic, but free is free, right?

It might seem overwhelming to have to order a drink when you don’t have a menu and don’t know what is free and not free. To make it easy, here’s a quick list of a few cocktail favorites that you can get from the casino for free:

• Gin & Tonic
• Vodka Tonic
• Jack & Ginger
• Jack & Coke
• Mimosa
• Vodka Sprite
• Whiskey Sour

Please tip your cocktail waitress $1 or $2 per drink at a minimum!

Now that you’ve had a few drinks (or a few too many drinks!) and lost a bit of money, it’s time to stumble up to your room and go to sleep for a few hours.

Sunday in Las Vegas

If you would like to stay close to my favorite end of the Strip, MGM Grand, Excalibur, and Luxor all offer breakfast buffets at roughly the same price. We loved the buffet at MGM Grand! (And you can even get one of these buffets for free! Find out how from this post: If You Can’t Afford to Travel, Travel to Las Vegas.)

If you’re interested in venturing off the strip for breakfast, The Orleans and The Golden Nugget both have delicious buffets, too!

If you’re looking to try some semi-local fares, check out Bruxie or Eggslut.

Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay

The Las Vegas Casinos really have every kind of attraction you can imagine, and the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay really proves that. This aquarium is surprisingly large and worth stopping by at least once. Tickets will cost you $25, but you might be able to get these for free or discounted. These tickets are often a free reward on one of my favorite Apps for Saving Money in Las Vegas.

Exploring the Casino Lobby

Seeing all of the lobbies inside the Casinos could be an entire day itself, but there are a couple of notable ones that are worth stopping at before you wrap up your two days in Las Vegas.

The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio is an incredible lobby feature. This is completely free to view and is full of jaw-dropping floral arrangements.

From the Bellagio, you’re only a few hotels down from the Venetian which has beautiful facade walls and fountains, and canals where you can take a gondola ride! The Venetian also has tons of shopping if you want to go window shop, or maybe even buy an extra special souvenir to take home.

Concluding Two Days in Las Vegas

Unfortunately, your time in Vegas has come to an end. It’s time to collect your bags from the hotel Bell Desk and get to the airport. Be sure to give yourself some extra time to get through airport security. I’d recommend at least an hour and a half in the Vegas airport, just to be safe!

Grab yourself a coffee, and relax at your airport gate until it’s time to head home. Scroll through some photos, post something to Instagram (and be sure to tag me in them so I can see it!) and unwind.

I love to spend my plane rides back home planning out my week. It gives me a little bit of sanity when I have to head right back to work the next day. Make a grocery list, and a to-do list, and then get some much needed sleep on the plane.

That’s my perfect Weekend in Las Vegas Itinerary. It’s the best way to take an action-filled (and much-deserved vacation) without taking a single vacation day. More weekend trips means more opportunities to travel. Just because you have a day job, doesn’t mean you can’t still explore new places!

Want a free, customized Las Vegas Itinerary?

If you’re looking for an even more personalized Las Vegas experience, I’ve created a quiz that will give you your perfect two days in Las Vegas itinerary!

Take the quiz below and get a free download of a Las Vegas weekend made just for you!

The post Two Days in Las Vegas: How to Make this Vacation a Weekend-Trip Reality first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

Friday Night in Nashville

Many people head to Nashville to check out their extensive country music scene. That’s not really our thing, but if you’re looking to listen to some live music while you’re in Nashville, Friday night would be a great time to head down to Broadway.

Our first night in Nashville was spent at a distillery. Nelson’s Green Brier came highly recommended from friends who had visited before, so we started our visit to Nashville there.

We absolutely loved the tour of this small distilling facility. There is a heavy focus on the history of the family company and lots of very entertaining stories told by even more entertaining tour guides. You get a peek at every step of the distilling process and at the end of it all, a tasting!

We tried three different varieties of their whiskey on our tour. Their coffee caramel pecan liquor was on our tasting menu, too, and that certainly did not disappoint. They call it Louisa’s Liqueur. If they don’t offer it for your tasting, it is worth purchasing at the store at the end of the tour (trust me!)

Saturday Morning in Nashville

Travel does something weird to us…it makes us early birds. I could sleep in for the entire morning of a weekend at home. But when we’re traveling, I have no problem waking up before the sun to explore. This trip was a family trip for us, so in order to squeeze in a couple of stops that we wanted to make, we had to get up before everyone else.

Saturday morning was an early one. We grabbed some coffee at the hotel and then headed over to the Parthenon.

The Parthenon in Nashville

Nashville’s Parthenon was built as a temporary attraction, but it was so popular it became a permanent structure. While the outside is impressive, what’s more impressive is what’s on the inside…

A recreation of the large, gold Athena statue is housed inside the building. If you need an idea of scale, I am a full foot shorter than the person she is holding in her hand. It’s an incredible stop, and one I’m so glad we made.

Saturday in Nashville

If I were in charge of every stop we made, this Nashville Weekend Itinerary might look a bit different. Because I wasn’t the planning mastermind, some things that made our itinerary looked quite different than they normally would have.

The Pedal Tavern

The one thing that was set in stone for our trip was a ride around Broadway on a Pedal Tavern. If I’m being completely honest, I was not expecting to enjoy this. While I’m okay with tourist stops during travel, this was a step beyond touristy that was borderline tacky to me (#notsorry). I was not planning on enjoying the Pedal Tavern…but I was so, so wrong!

We had an absolute blast riding through Nashville on this bar-on-wheels. We were a group of nine, and they paired us up with one other group about our size.

Drinking, laughing, and heckling people on the street were all encouraged. There were mini drinking games for stop lights, call-and-responses for hills (and after a few drinks we made an additional call-and-response for fellow Chiefs fans) and lots of music that everyone could agree on.

Our Pedal guide was so much fun, and I would absolutely do one of these rides again!

Visiting the Bars in Nashville

One thing you could not have prepared me for was how many bars there are in Nashville. The bars on Broadway in Nashville alone are overwhelming. Every side street for the entire stretch of this tourist district is full of even more bars. If you venture out to the neighborhoods that the locals hang out in, even more. I was completely under prepared.

Luckily, our Pedal Tavern stopped at a few places along the way to take the decision making element out of the equation. After a while, you let your heart, stomach, or your new best friend you met at a bar ten minutes earlier be your guide.

One of the most memorable places we stopped at was the HQ Beercade. Arcade games, cocktails, no overwhelmingly large crowds. And even though they call it a Beercade, their menu is so much more extensive than that. We ordered beers, shots, and I even sipped on a cocktail.

Things to do in Nashville that aren’t Drinking

I’ll be honest, drinking is a big part of my travel experience. And in cities like Nashville that are known for their bar scene, I love finding the innovative spots that offer a beautiful cocktail. But there are plenty of things to do in Nashville that don’t involve drinking, too. Here are a few of our favorite spots for a few sober hours on Broadway and beyond.

The GooGoo Shop

During our research phase of our Nashville planning, there were many, many mentions of the Nashville famous GooGoo Cluster. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew if Instagram loved it, I had to try it. Based on the large crowds that were gathered inside the store, I wasn’t the only one who was curious to try the GooGoo Cluster.

The GooGoo Cluster is a candy bar made of milk chocolate, peanuts, caramel, and marshmallow. At the GooGoo Shop, they have a dessert bar where you can get sundaes or milkshakes made with a little GooGoo flair.

Can’t wait until you make it to Nashville to try one of these? I don’t blame you. You can grab some in advance from Amazon.

If you’re making the GooGoo Shop a stop on your Broadway bar crawl, head directly across the street to the Johnny Cash Bar after you grab your GooGoo to go. If you’re looking for more booze-free fun Near Broadway, check out the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge.

The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge

Everyone loves an iconic skyline photo. The best place to grab this postcard-perfect skyline shot is on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. We headed that way close to sunset and got some beautiful lighting for all our photos.

You can walk the whole thing for a relaxing afternoon, or you can rent a scooter and ride across the bridge. Either way, you’re going to love the views you get from up here.

Sunday in Nashville

We spent our Sunday morning visiting an antique store that was hugely popular on social media. I was really excited to visit it. But once we got there, it was a major disappointment. It was one of those antique stores that I would rather classify as a “junk store” because it was more of a garage sale with a permanent home than an antique store. Oh well.

To redeem our last few hours in Nashville, we did what we do best, searched for the best donuts in Nashville.

The Best Donuts in Nashville

A quick search for the best donuts in Nashville revealed one winner that everyone seemed to agree on: Five Daughter’s Bakery. They’re best known for their 100 layer donuts, so naturally we had to try one. We absolutely loved them and highly recommend making it a stop on your way out of town!

Your Perfect Nashville Weekend Itinerary

There’s so much to see and do in Nashville, that it will be really hard to fit it all in over just one weekend. You’re going to be especially pressed for time if you’re a fan of Country Music. You can download a printable copy of our Nashville Weekend Itinerary below and use it to help make your own travel plans. Happy Traveling!

Download the Nashville Weekend Itinerary

Click the image below to grab your free itinerary download now!

Pin this For Later

The post The Perfect Nashville Weekend Itinerary first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

Milwaukee Public Market

We arrived in Milwaukee right about lunch time, and the Milwaukee Public Market was a great first stop. If you’re visiting on a Saturday around lunch like we did, be prepared to battle for a parking spot and brave the crowds. There were a lot of people who all had the same idea.

When you arrive, take a lap around the building first to scout out what’s available. Your options include authentic Greek, affordable paninis, delicious Mexican, hand crafted beverages, mouth-watering baked goods and so, so much more. Make it a quick stop, or stay a while, the choice is yours.

The Bronze Fonz

No matter where we travel, we are always sure to stop at the most kitschy tourist attraction available. The Bronze Fonz fit the bill and our time limit. As the name suggests, this is a bronze statue of “The Fonz.”

This one is a very quick stop with a beautiful view of the riverfront. Very worth visiting.

Sprecher Brewery

Milwaukee is home to tons of breweries of many sizes and it can be hard to pick one to visit. If your time is limited, stay close to The Fonz and check out Milwaukee Ale House right down the street.

But for our quick trip, I really wanted to be sure to see Sprecher Brewery. Sprecher is a name you might be familiar with if you live close to Wisconsin (or if you frequently scout out the register fridges at Menard’s, a fellow Wisconsin Brand who carries Sprecher across state lines.)

Before visiting, we were only familiar with Sprecher line of craft sodas, but they brew beer, too! At their beer garden, you can order sample sizes of any of their beers, and they offer flights ranging from two to 23 beers!

Their “Flight of the Griffin” beer flight gives you 23 beers, one craft soda, and your photo on the Wall of Fame, all for only $35! If we had planned a longer trip (or didn’t have to worry about driving home) we absolutely would have accepted this challenge.

During our visit we had one flight of five beers and one flight of five sodas for dessert. If you’re a ginger ale lover like I am, you will not want to miss their ginger ale!

Even if you only have a few hours to spare, it’s always worth making a stop in a new city. Our four hour vacation to Milwaukee, Wisconsin gave us a great feel for the city and allowed us to scope out places to visit next time around while still giving us a chance to relax and explore.

The post How to take a 4 Hour Vacation to Milwaukee, Wisconsin first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

“Come on, Kelly. Can it really be that easy?” Yes! I use social media apps like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to plan all my vacations. Today, I’m spilling my secrets so you can start planning your next trip without completely stressing out.

Are you ready to start maximizing your social media scrolls by using them to plan travel? Let’s start by opening up Instagram.

1. Planning Using Instagram Geotags

The first place I always start when using social media to plan a vacation is by searching Instagram’s Geotags for that destination. To find this, click on the magnifying glass icon on the menu bar. In the search bar, type your dream destination (or the destination you’ll be visiting next.) Then click the places tab to explore the Geotags.

As you can see on my screen, you will have plenty of results turn up here. You can explore a general tag of the city, or a more specific destination. I like to start general and get more specific as I find places that interest me.

2. Search Instagram’s Hashtags

Another really great way to find places to explore is by searching Hashtags. Start by searching for your location in a hashtag. For my example above, it would be #stlouis. You should also search variations of this like #stlouismo #stl #missouri. Digging through these curated feeds will help you find destinations to add to your itinerary. Check out the hashtags on the posts you find for even more ideas of what hashtags are used in that region.

3. Save What you Find

By now, you’ve likely found a delicious donut you’d love to try, or a beautiful cocktail you’re dying to drink. Maybe you’ve discovered a cool mural that you want to snap a photo in front of or a rooftop view that is worth going out of the way for. Awesome! So what do you do with all this information?

You could grab a notebook and write them all down and bring the piece of paper with you on your trip. I did that for years. But you can easily keep your entire itinerary right inside Instagram using their “save” feature. At the bottom right of every post, you’ll see a little banner icon. Click that to save an image.

If you just click that button, you’ll have a large, tangled mess of all the things you thought looked exciting. Or, you could click on the “Save to Collection” link. Using this link, you can create your own collection of posts and name it after where you’re visiting.

If you’re a weekend traveler like me, you likely will only need one collection that you can sift through as you go, but if you’ve got a longer or multi-destination trip planned, it would be helpful to create multiple collections for one trip.

Once you’ve got a pretty good idea of what kinds of things your destination has to offer, it’s time to jump off Instagram and dive into Pinterest!

4. Look for Travel Itineraries on Pinterest

Pinterest is an amazing collection of the most useful information. You’re probably already using this for recipes, DIY ideas, and saving images of your dream house. But Pinterest is also a great place to turn for travel planning.

Start by searching for exactly what you’re looking for: “X days in [Desitination City]” and Pinterest will likely have a result for you. For my example, try searching two days in St. Louis or weekend itinerary St. Louis. You’ll turn up tons of results for places to visit here. Click through some of the pins to the websites and find some new places to visit.

Jump back to Instagram and search for these places in Geotags or Hashtags and add them to your collection so you can reference them later.

Don’t forget to save the itineraries you find to your Pinterest boards, too. You’ll want to have those for later in case you need to remember a detail about the trip!

5. Use Facebook to Get the Details

Once you know where you’re going, you’ll have to figure out when you’re going to be there. I love to use Facebook for finding this information, especially because some smaller destinations don’t always have their own website.

Search for your must-see destinations on Facebook and you should be able to find the hours, address, and even events that this place might be hosting to help you plan accordingly.

You can save the pages from the places you want to visit to your “Saved” tab on Facebook to help you reference it later.

You’ve got the basics of your social media vacation plan. If you’re planning a casual trip with minimal time restrictions, this is all you’ll need to start your visit. Whenever you’re looking for the next place to go, open these apps and see what sounds most appealing next. If you are hoping for a more organized way to keep track of all the things you find, I’ve got a solution for you, too!

I’ve created a spreadsheet to help you keep track of what you want to see and when. You can get that at the link below.

The post Five Ways to use Social Media to Plan your Next Vacation first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

Jason and I are both lovers of Bourbon. I assume since you’re here that you are too. And there’s no better place to drink bourbon than in Kentucky. When we originally started thinking about our Bourbon-fueled trip to Kentucky, we looked into exploring the distilleries that are spread all throughout the state. But since we were limited to a weekend, we turned to Louisville instead for more options in a smaller radius. We wanted to try as many places as possible without having to worry about driving to our next destination.

In fact, we drove to Louisville, but didn’t use our car once while we were there. We called for a ride a couple times, but for the most part, everything was within walking distance! It allowed us to have a perfectly worry-free weekend of eating, drinking, and having a good time without having to worry about how we were going to get back to the hotel.

The Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail

Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail is great for first time visitors to get acquainted with the city. Our first stop in Louisville was to their visitor’s center to pick up our Urban Bourbon Trail passports. From that moment on, we were determined to collect our six stamps, earn our Urban Bourbon Trail t-shirts, and taste as much of Louisville as possible.

If you’re ready to take on the Urban Bourbon Challenge, check out these stops to earn your stamps:

Urban Bourbon Trail Stop #1: Sway

Sway is a hotel lobby bar that is very close to the Visitor’s Center. It was the perfect first stop of the day. The bartender was very kind (and non-judgemental about how early we were getting started on drinking cocktails.) She was proud of her city and happy that the Urban Bourbon Trail brought us in to visit.

We ordered a drink called a Bourbon Berry (Jim Beam Black, muddled strawberries, bitters, and ginger ale) and the Sway Signature Old Fashioned. We were very happy with both choices.

Detour From the Trail: The Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse

We had originally planned for this to be our first stop, but we got started too early and they weren’t open yet. While this isn’t an official stop on the Urban Bourbon Trail, we needed to make a stop here. Visiting Louisville for the first time and not seeing the Urban Stillhouse would be like going to New York City and not seeing the Statue of Liberty. If you’re going to be a good tourist, you’ve got to see it.

Once the Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse opened their doors, we signed up for our tasting. This facility is set up as more of a gift shop than an actual distillery, which is perfectly fine by us. They have a guided tasting where guests get to sample four of their bourbons (including one you get to pick yourself) and learn more about the history, the flavor, and the company. Jim Beam’s Distillery is on our list of places to visit in the near future. We love Jim Beam, and we were plenty happy to poke around at merchandise and bottle our very own bottle of Urban Stillhouse Bourbon.

We loved the Bottle-Your-Own experience because it was a fun way to get introduced to their bottling process (including their distribution hurdles) from start to finish. And at the end we had a very unique gift to take home.

Detour: Old Forester

At this stop on the Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail, you’ll pay a $10 cover charge to get into their tasting room. A cost that is well worth the price because each entry comes with your choice of either a cocktail or a bourbon flight. We wanted to try as many different kinds of Bourbons as possible during our trip, so we chose to get two bourbon flights.

Old Forester Statesman was by far our favorite bourbon, but we got to try practically everything on their roster. It was fun being able to try out the tasting techniques we learned on our guided Jim Beam tasting as we attempted to pick out the distinct flavors in each bourbon before deciding on our favorites.

Stop #2: Haymarket Whiskey Bar

One of the requirements in order for a bar to be featured on the Urban Bourbon Trail is that they must have at least fifty (yes, five-zero!) bourbons on their drink menu. While Haymarket should be best described as a dive bar, there is absolutely no shortage of bourbon here. It’s unlikely that there’s a bourbon they don’t have. While there was a slight musty smell in the air, Haymarket was also full of heart. There were locals enjoying a drink at the bar, the bar tender was incredibly friendly and we had a great time playing “I spy that bourbon” as we gazed at their massive selection of bottles lined up at the bar.

Haymarket’s charm is less about atmosphere and more about the expansive selection. This bar gives you the rare opportunity to try something you’ve never seen before.

Detour: Rabbit Hole

While this stop won’t count towards your Urban Bourbon Trail passport, you should consider catching a ride over to the “NuLu” district (that’s short for “New Louisville”) to see how a craft distillery operates in Louisville. There is no portion of the distilling process that is kept a secret here. You will learn about making bourbon every step of the way. In fact, they even let you reach your hands into the still and take a taste. Don’t worry about germs, the alcohol burns that all up. At least that’s what they told us. I took a taste of bourbon every single step of the way. It was such a unique experience and I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who is curious to learn more about the process.

At the end of the tour, you’ll again be lead on a guided tasting of their bourbon. The flavor is much different than the other bourbon’s you’ve tried thus far. It will be much heavier on the spicy rye flavors. I also loved that at the very end they handed out post cards and I was able to write post cards to my friends that they mailed for us!

Stop #3: Garage Bar

Not only was this a stop on the Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail but it also came as a recommendation to us from a friend from Louisville. Garage Bar was within walking distance of Rabbit Hole, and it was the perfect place to grab dinner. On a Saturday evening, this place was absolutely packed. I’m convinced we got the last available table in this huge space. There were so many people inside, but we didn’t have to wait to be seated.

Maybe it was the fact that we were drinking all day, but their margherita pizza absolutely hit the spot! I loved their house cocktails, District 8, made with bourbon, orange juice, tonic, bitters, and lemon.

Stop #4: Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen

If I could travel back in time, I would have visited this restaurant earlier and I would have made this our stop for lunch and dinner. Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen was our absolute favorite stop. Their drinks were delicious, and their parmesan garlic fries were divine. The next time we’re in Louisville, we’re going to work this place into our agenda. You don’t want to miss it!

Stop #5: O’Shea’s Public House

We made a late night stop at O’Shea’s because we were having so much fun on the Urban Bourbon Trail. However, I wasn’t too thrilled about visiting O’Shea’s. I can’t say how the rest of the evening had looked for them, but when we arrived at 9:30pm, the place was pretty empty. We grabbed a seat at the bar and the bar tender seemed pretty impatient that we didn’t immediately know which drink we wanted to order. I asked her for a cocktail menu, and that seemed to annoy her even more. If we were staying in Louisville longer than the weekend, I probably wouldn’t have even asked for her to stamp our books.

Twelve hours earlier, when we were drinking cocktails at 9:30am, the bartender was welcoming us to Kentucky, crafting drinks without judgements, and was more than happy to stamp our passport books. I typically don’t feel comfortable “looking like a tourist” and I was so happy that this bartender from Sway put me at ease. But at 9:30pm that same day, I felt ashamed to even ask for a stamp for fear of looking like a “tourist.”

I was very happy with our drinks here, but not so thrilled with the experience. I hope this one unpleasant encounter is not an accurate reflection of this pub, but because of our experience, I don’t recommend this stop.

Stop #6: Corner Bar & Restaurant

Determined to not end our evening on such a sour note, we decided to stop at yet another bar to have a more positive final stop of the night. We ended up at Corner Bar, another hotel lobby bar that really gives your typical hotel lobby a run for their money. This was a cool place to hang out. While we sat at the bar (for fear of falling asleep) there were large comfy chairs that many people had burrowed into. There were also pool tables, and the TVs were playing the “funny home videos” type clips which lead to some interesting conversations with neighbors.

I had their Signature Old Fashioned, and Jason sipped on Woodford Reserve. We were very happy to have ended our night here. But after visiting nine bourbon destinations, we were ready to head back to our hotel.

You can learn more about our hotel and other hotels I’d recommend in Louisville on my post How to Spend Two Perfect Days in Louisville.

Detour: Stitzel-Weller Distillery

If you are in the mood for starting a second passport on this trip, you could grab your copy of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Passport and collect a stamp at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. But if you’d rather not start another passport, this place is still worth the stop! If you had no idea there were two different passports, you can also read about those on my post mentioned above: How to Spend Two Perfect Days in Louisville.

The Stitzel-Weller Distillery is home to a few different brands of bourbons, but most notably, Bulleit calls Stitzel-Weller home. It was interesting to compare this facility to Rabbit Hole and get the opportunity to take in the differences in their two operations. Unlike Rabbit Hole, Stitzel-Weller doesn’t appear to do any fermentation on site, but they do age all their bourbons in the massive rackhouse.

This incredibly informative tour also finishes with a guided tasting, and will leave you with a sudden urge to learn even more about Bourbon’s History.

If you’re looking for a quick read that will teach you more about the history of Bourbon, check out this book: Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage, by Michael R. Veach.

Detour: The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

The name of this stop is enough to get you curious, isn’t it. “What is a bourbon experience and how do I get one?” This tour is more of an interactive history lesson than a distillery tour. Lucky for us, we both love learning about history and we very much enjoyed this tour. If you’re looking for an authentic distillery experience, this isn’t it. An added surprise on this tour was that we were able to taste a sample of “New Make,” which is bourbon fresh off the still before it is aged. Coming in at 125 proof, this was worse than drinking rubbing alcohol. That was kind of their point in allowing you to taste a sample though. So much of what makes a bourbon happens in the aging process.

The end of this tour finishes with another guided tasting. Our guide on this tour was very enthusiastic about his job, and incredibly well versed in the history of Evan Williams. He made this tour a great experience and it seemed that every other person was just as happy as he was.

Continuing on the Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail

If you’re not ready to call it quits, or if you’re looking for some alternatives to the stops above, here are some more of our favorite stops on the Urban Bourbon Trail.

Stop #7: Porch Kitchen & Bar

Attention Plant Eaters: You can find a delicious plant-based option here!

I couldn’t begin to tell you what my favorite thing was at Porch Kitchen & Bar. Our drinks were awesome. I drank a Rose & Fig which was Rosemary infused Jim Beam Black mixed with a fig simple syrup. Jason had their signature old fashioned which they made with black walnut bitters.

For dinner I had a Veggie Pattie Melt, which was a quinoa burger served with citrus aioli & havarti. YUM! If you’re looking for a great plant-based option in Louisville, this is it!

Detour: The Library at the Omni Hotel

If you enjoy a quiet place to grab a drink, this place is for you. The Library is yet another very cool hotel lobby bar that only opens in the evenings. Every detail in this place is perfect, from the big comfy chairs to the books that line the shelves. The menus are even printed on catalogue cards.

The best part about this place? You could actually hear the people sitting next to you! I have difficulty hearing when there’s background noise. I loved this place because there was no ambient music, just the sound of others talking. There seemed to be a lot of locals gathered here, which was surprising considering it was in the lobby of a hotel. There were large groups exchanging gifts, groups of young professionals meeting up after work, and a few tourists like us sprinkled throughout.

Stop #8: The Seelbach

While most places we’ve visited previously were great places to learn about history, no place shows you the history of this city quite like the Seelbach. It was a common place for Al Capone to visit and even had secret underground tunnels so these mobsters could evade police. The Seelbach is also featured in the F. Scott Fitzgerald book, The Great Gatsby. And, they even claim to have a ghost that roams their halls, who they’ve dubbed the Lady in Blue.

I can’t comment on the ghosts or the secret tunnels, but we did enjoy winding down at this quiet bar with a Kentucky Mule and a 1792 Small Batch before our second day (and final day of drinking) came to a close.

End of the Trail

At this point you’ve collected all six stamps that you need to collect your prize. You can stop by the Visitor’s Center to claim your prize, or you can mail your passport to them at the address on the back page and they’ll send your prize to you.

With proper planning, responsible drinking, and plenty of snacks, Louisville is a fun drinking city. And thanks to Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail, there’s even a reward at the end. We didn’t know what to expect out of our trip to Louisville, but ended up having such a great time! If you love bourbon or if you’d like to learn more about it, you have to visit Louisville! There’s no other place in the world where you’ll get an expansive overview of the world of bourbon as you can in Louisville. Add this city to your short list of must-see destinations!

Pin this post for later!

The post Two Day Itinerary for the Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

The Urban Bourbon Trail

One of the main attractions that helped us to decide on Louisville was the bourbon. Not ashamed to admit that. If you love wine, you go to Napa, and if you love Bourbon, as we do, then head straight for Kentucky! The Urban Bourbon Trail is comprised of tons of local eateries and bars that promises to carry over 50 bourbons at their bar, offer bourbon flights and a signature bourbon cocktail, and if they have food, they must use bourbon as an ingredient in at least three dishes. Sounds like a bourbon-lover’s paradise, am I right!?

Urban Bourbon Trail vs. Kentucky Bourbon Trail

What’s the difference between the Urban Bourbon Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail? You’ll receive a passport for either trail, you’ll surly drink lots of bourbon with either trail, so does it matter which you embark on?

YES!

The biggest difference between these two bourbon trails is time. If you have weeks to spend exploring Kentucky, you’ll have no problem completing the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. But if you’re short on time, and especially if you’re limited to a weekend, you’re going to want to check out the Urban Bourbon Trail!

Where to stay in Louisville Kentucky

It is important to find the perfect place to stay while you’re in Louisville. There’s a huge bourbon culture, so it’s likely you’ll be grabbing at least a few drinks. Luckily, Louisville’s downtown district is a really great place to stay, and you’re able to easily walk to almost any destination.

We booked our stay through Hotels.com at the Springhill Suites while we were in Louisville and loved it! Very easy to access from the highway, lots of (paid) parking, and easy to walk to everywhere we wanted to go. We left the car and walked all weekend!

Other Great Hotels in Louisville

Omni Louisville

The Omni Louisville is home to the Library Bar. There were tons of locals and tourists alike hanging out in this bar. It was well lit, relatively quiet, and served up some great cocktails. This is not your average hotel bar. If you’re looking for a convenient place to have a good time and the Omni is in your budget, you’ll definitely want to stay here.

The Louisville Marriott

The Louisville Marriott housed one of my favorite restaurants we stopped at all weekend — Porch! I couldn’t tell you if I enjoyed the food or the drinks more, they were both so delicious. They also served up one of the best vegetarian meals I’ve ever eaten — the Veggie Patty Melt. I wish we would have eaten more at this hotel’s restaurant. If we would have stayed here, I bet we would have.

The Seelbach Hilton

This hotel oozes history. The Seelbach was known to have been a favorite destination for prohibition mobsters like Lucky Luciano and Al Capone. F. Scott Fitzgerald frequently visited. There is also a sign in the lobby explaining some haunted history of the hotel. The atmosphere was awesome. Not to mention, it is close to 4th Street Live! if you’re looking for a place to stay with lots to do right outside your door. The Seelbach has been around since 1905, and is now owned by Hilton Hotels.

Things to do in Louisville

Places to Eat

• Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen (Our favorite stop!)
• Porch Kitchen & Bar
• Garage Bar

Places to Drink

• Library Bar at the Omni Hotel
• The Seelbach
• Corner

Places to Explore

• Check out a “Distillery Experience” or Distillery Tour
• Tour the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
• Visit Churchill Downs & the Kentucky Derby Museum

If you’re looking for a more in-depth itinerary for Louisville, check out my Two Days in Louisville itinerary below!

The Perfect Two Days in Louisville Itinerary

Day 1

Getting Started in on your two days in Louisville

• First, you’ve got to stop at the Louisville Visitors Center to pick up your Urban Bourbon Trail Passport. We’re so happy we got that right when we arrived. We started earning our stamps right away and left with some awesome Urban Bourbon Trail swag after visiting 6 different venues on the trail.
• Grab a cup of coffee at Please and Thank You or Heine Brothers. Have the fuel you need to start your day! Please and Thank You is known for their cookies, so if you’re looking for a little early morning indulgence, start there! They’ve also got a few more substantial breakfast options if you’re looking for additional fuel for your adventure.

The Distilleries

• Is it too early to start drinking? NOPE! Check out the Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse. They’ve got a tasting, a bottle-your-own experience, and the gift shop where you need one of everything inside. Be sure to check their hours before stopping by.
• Drive or take a Lyft to the Stitzel-Weller Distillery for a look at how the “big guys” get things done. They are in the process of moving to a bigger facility, but the place they’re in now is full of beautiful, historic buildings.
• On your return to Louisville, get dropped off at Garage Bar for some pizza, drinks, and an extra stamp for your passport. This place is in walking distance to your next destination, so drink freely.
• Walk over to Rabbit Hole Distillery and compare their operations to Stitzel-Weller. There are no secrets at Rabbit Hole, you will see every step of the process and can even stick your hand in the pits and take a taste of the mash every step of the way.

Dinner & Drinks

• Grab dinner at Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen. Their Parmesan fries are not to be missed, and they make a mean Mint Julep. This was our favorite stop while we were in Louisville. If there’s only one place you get to, make it this one!
• From Merle’s, there are tons of other places to visit on Whiskey Row. Grab drinks at any of the great bars along this stretch. We loved Corner Restaurant & Bar! Great way to unwind for the night.

Day 2

• Fuel up with coffee and a quick breakfast from whichever place you didn’t visit Day 1!
• Visit the Louisville Slugger Factory Tour first thing in the morning, it can get crowded later in the day. Take some extra time before your tour starts to explore the museum at the start of the tour. You’ll even get the chance to hold a bat that belonged to your favorite player!
• One thing that really surprised me about Louisville is the quality of restaurants they have in all of their hotels. We were absolutely blown away by the food at Porch Kitchen & Bar (especially by their veggie patty melt!)
• On your way out of town, check out Churchill Downs and, if time permits, the Kentucky Derby Museum.

No matter where you explore in Louisville, be sure that the very first place you stop is the Visitor’s Center. Grab your Urban Bourbon Trail passport, maybe pick out a souvenir or browse through their small museum, and then start exploring! Two days in Louisville is going to fly by, be sure to make the most of it!

More to Explore!

If you loved my Two Days in Louisville travel guide, you’re going to love my other city guides! Check some of these out:

How to make a weekend trip to Las Vegas Happen (48 Hours in Sin City)

Two days in Cleveland, Ohio

How to have the Best 48 Hours in St Louis

A First-Timer’s Guide to a Long Weekend in Boston

The post How to Spend Two Perfect Days In Louisville first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

If you like to plan your own trips, check out my suggestions below and add a few of them in during your stay in St Louis. If you’re looking to save as much time as possible, you’re in luck! I’ve already done all the work for you! My 48 Hours In St Louis itinerary is perfectly laid out to maximize the amount of things you can see by minimizing the amount of time you need to spend traveling to each destination. Sound good? Let’s get started!

48 Hours in St Louis Itinerary

Friday in St Louis

I highly recommend you fly or drive into St Louis on a Friday evening for two reasons. First, because that means you’ll have even more time to explore this city that I love. And second…because St. Louis has the best breakfast! If you arrive Friday night, you’re sure to get in enough time for two breakfasts!

On Friday night after you’ve arrived in St Louis, the first thing to do is to check for one of my two favorite St Louis Friday night events! If you’re visiting St Louis on the first Friday of the month, you have to check out First Fridays at the Science Center. First Fridays are filled with seminars, scavenger hunts, and themed cocktails all centered around a different aspect of “nerd culture” (think Harry Potter, Superhero comics, Dr. Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.)

If you’re visiting St Louis on the last Friday of a month, check out SLAM Underground at the Art Museum, similar to First Fridays, but with art. Themed cocktails, grown-up arts and crafts, musicians, photo booths, and more.

If you’re looking for a low-key night, you could check out Urban Chestnut or play bar games at Civil Life Brewing. If you’d rather check out the bars of St Louis, start with the Gramophone in the Grove and continue your bar hop at any of the many bars that populate that portion of Manchester Road.

Saturday in St Louis

This portion of your Saturday Itinerary is like a choose-your-own-adventure story. I’ve created two cohorts. The Itinerary for the first-time visitors, and the itinerary for returning visitors.

Itinerary For First Time Visitors:

If you’ve never been to St Louis, start your day with breakfast at Rooster on Locust Street downtown. They specialize in savory breakfast crepes. Need I say more? After breakfast, head straight for Gateway Arch National Park. Here you can visit the expansive museum that lives underneath the Arch. The Old Courthouse is also a part of the National Park and deserves just as much of your attention.

Itinerary For Returning Visitors:

If you’ve visited St Louis before (or if you try to avoid places where tourists gather,) start your day with breakfast at Half & Half and then check out the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site or Laumeier Sculpture Park. The Ulysses S. Grant home is a great place to learn more about the history of our region and about an influential historic figure. The Laumeier Sculpture Park on the other hand is full of hiking trails and outdoor displays of art.

Forest Park

No matter which path you chose, the next part of this itinerary takes us to Forest Park. Start your time in Forest Park with a stop at the Boat House. If you’re hungry enough to eat, grab some lunch at Sugarfire Smokehouse inside the Boat House. But if you’d rather wait to eat, rent one of the paddle boats at the Boat House and take it for a ride to the Grand Basin where you can get a great view of the Art Museum. After lunch, if you have some extra time, take a walk around Forest Park. There are trails you can take and the park is so big you will not run out of places to explore in one afternoon.

Delmar Loop

Next, head to the Delmar Loop. Here, you’ll find lots of locally owned shops, a Trolley, and ice cream floats the size of your head. When you’re ready, stop in at Fitz’s for one of their famous ice cream floats, made with their house-made sodas. If you’re hungry enough to eat (again!?) grab one of their burgers. Fitz’s also has the best black bean burger in St Louis!

Take the Trolley down to the opposite end of Delmar and enjoy a drink at the top of the Moonrise Hotel. Their rooftop bar boasts great views of the city!

Sunday in St Louis

St Louisans love to eat. Have you noticed? Being a foodie seems to come with the residency permit. If you’re up for it, it’s time for your second St Louis Breakfast. Start your day by checking out Southwest Diner. As the name suggests, you’ll find “southwestern inspired” food here, as well as beer-mosas and delicious sopapillas.

Itinerary For First Time Visitors:

This next stop will diverge paths once again. If you’ve never visited St Louis before, now would be a great time to take a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. You’ll learn a bit more about the history of St Louis through the eyes of a beer giant. And…there’s free beer. What’s not to love?

Itinerary For Returning Visitors:

If you’ve previously visited St Louis and have already indulged in the free beer, you can dive into our city’s beer history a little deeper by taking a tour of the Lemp Mansion. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this haunted home is filled with history from our beer making past. The story of the Lemp Family is both tragic and fascinating and well worth a visit.

The St Louis Zoo

If you have any more time left, now would be a great time to return to Forest Park and pay a visit to St Louis’ free Zoo. If you’re short on time, visit the penguins, the polar bears, and the sea lions first. You could easily spend an entire day at the St. Louis Zoo.

Following my guide, you’ll have a jam-packed 48 hours in St Louis. As long as you’re prepared, you’ll have no problem seeing the most important sites St Louis has to offer.

Build Your Own 48 Hours in St Louis

If you’d rather build your own itinerary, here are my best suggestions for places you should see while you’re here.

Places to Eat

Since you’ve only got 48 hours in St Louis, here’s a quick guide to the best places to grab a bite to eat.

If you love BBQ, try:

• Salt & Smoke
• Pappy’s
• Bogarts

For fried Chicken, check out:

• Southern
• Grace Meat +3
• Byrd & Barrel

For the best Brunch in town, visit:

• Rooster
• Half & Half (check their Instagram for their weekly specials!)
• Southwest Diner

To try a delicious burger (or veggie burger), stop by:

• Fitz’s (in addition to delicious burgers, they’ve also got the biggest ice cream floats you’ve ever seen and the best black bean burgers in town!)
• Hi-Point Drive In
• Brasserie

If you’re looking for the best bite of ice cream, check out:

• Clementines
• Ted Drewes (a Route 66 Landmark!)
• Ice’s Plain & Fancy

If donuts are more your style, eat at:

• Strange Donuts
• Pharaoh’s Donuts
• Vincent Van Donut

If you’d like something a bit more upscale, try:

• Acero
• Yellowbelly
• Olive & Oak

If you’re just looking for a good cocktail, visit:

• Trust
• Planter’s House
• Retreat Gastropub

If you’d rather have a beer:

I’ve got an entire post for you! Check out A Beer Lover’s Guide to a Weekend in St. Louis for a special itinerary and list of breweries just for you!

Places to See

There is so much to do in St Louis! Even a local like me can’t possibly see everything this city has to offer. That means no matter how many times you’ve been to St Louis, there will always be something new for you to see.

If this is your first visit, you have to see:

• The Arch & The Old Courthouse (both of these stops together make up the Nation’s 60th National Park!)
• Forest Park
• The (free) Zoo (voted #1 in the country, beating out Zoo’s that visitors pay $60 to enter!)
• Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour

If you’ve been here once or twice, check out:

• The Ulysses S. Grant House National Historic Site
• Laumeier Sculpture Park
• Paddle Boating in Forest Park
• The Central Library (and their featured exhibit!)

If you consider yourself a veteran visitor of St. Louis, be sure to see:

• The Art Museum and their rotating exhibits
• The Missouri History Museum (check out Twilight Tuesdays if you’re visiting in the summer!)
• The Farmer’s Market in Soulard, Kirkwood, Tower Grove, or at Schlafly are all great places to shop!
• Creve Coeur Lake (here you can rent a kayak or Stand-up paddle board for a unique new adventure)

Places to Stay

There are plenty of chain hotels you can stay at while you’re visiting, but if you’re looking for something that’s uniquely St. Louis, you have to check out one of these hotels.

Chase Park Plaza

While this hotel is now owned by Sonesta, The Chase Park plaza has been a staple to St Louis for decades. Nothing beats the history that radiates off the walls at this beautiful hotel. Check out the photos of the most famous guests in the lobby. Even if you don’t stay here, it’s worth taking a peek inside this hotel or even seeing a movie in their on-site movie theater!

Drury Plaza

While Drury hotels are a nation-wide chain, they are headquartered in Missouri. The Drury Plaza is an extra special hotel because it his housed in a series of buildings that were slated to be torn down until one of the members of the Drury family drove by and saw the buildings’ potential, saving them from destruction. Now, the buildings are connected by glass ceilings, giving an immense amount of natural light, even in the center of the hotel. The rooftop patio also has a great and close up view of the Arch!

Angad Arts Hotel

A unique hotel new to the St. Louis area that loves featuring the work of local artists. In addition, all rooms are booked not only by room size, but also by room color for a more customized experience. Choose from red, blue, green, or yellow. They’re all designed to channel different emotions and create a truly unique experience. While you’re here, you can also check out the rooftop bar that features a large menu of delicious cocktails, small plates, and a panoramic worthy view of the city.

St Louis is one of my favorite cities in the world and I’m so excited that you’ve chosen to visit. Even if you only have 48 hours in St Louis, your trip will be well worth it as long as you travel prepared. Leave a comment below if you’ve visited any of these stops in St Louis and let me know what you think!

Pin this for later!

The post How to have the best 48 hours in St Louis first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

No matter what kind of experience you’re looking for, you’re bound to find it here!

Getting to Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cleveland is the closest city to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so the easiest way to get to Cuyahoga Valley National Park is to get to Cleveland!

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is by far the easiest and most accessible airport to fly into, but the Akron-Canton Regional Airport might also be a good option for you.

If flying isn’t your thing, you can always take the Amtrak or a Greyhound to get to downtown Cleveland. If you’re coming from Chicago, New York City, or Toledo, the Megabus is also an option for you, which will give you the chance to score $1 tickets!

No matter which way you get to Cleveland, it would be practically impossible to navigate this National Park without a car. You’ll want to rent one when you get into town if you haven’t driven your own to get here.

If you need more information about renting a car while you’re traveling, check out my post: How to take a Road Trip in a Rental Car.

Where to Stay

Inside The Park

• The Stanford House – a historic building converted into a shared lodging facility inside the park. Individual rooms can only be booked two weeks in advance. There is a shared kitchen inside the home that is available for guests to use.
• The Inn at Brandywine Falls – a bed & breakfast that boasts a view of Brandywine Falls.
• Stanford Campsites – Five primitive campsites along the Towpath Trail. There is no RV parking or camping inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

In Cleveland

• The Budget: Red Roof Inn – Independence – Independence is great because it is about half way between Downtown Cleveland and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There are many affordable hotels in this area.
• The Continental: Drury Plaza Hotel – Cleveland – The Drury hotels are a favorite of mine. I, of course, love them because they’re Missouri-owned! But they also offer a delicious continental breakfast and their “kickbacks” which offer up hefty snacks and mixed drinks on the house.
• The Splurge: The Schofield Hotel – The Schofield catches my eye because of it’s sleek design and it’s beautiful city views. If you’re looking for a Cleveland splurge, this is the place!
• The Destination: Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade – The Arcade is a Cleveland destination on it’s own. If you’re looking to really make your Cleveland trip top notch, you can stay at this hotel which calls the Arcade it’s home. Fair warning, staying here will not be cheap, but it will create a memory you’ll constantly want to look back on.

Hiking Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a great place to go if you’re in the mood for some hiking. Not only are there 20 miles of trails at the Tow Path Trail (see below), but there are many other trails around the park that cater to hikers. The waterfall hikes are perhaps the easiest to see:

• Blue Hen Falls Trail (0.5 Miles) – This tiny trail ends in a small pool of water with a waterfall. Many visitors relax with their feet in the icy cold water after a quick hike in the sun.
• Brandywine Gorge Trail (1.5 Miles) – I love this hike because it is relatively easy, and has multiple observation decks to view the falls from.
• Bridal Veil Falls and the Buckeye Trail (0.2 Miles) – Another easy trail that ends at a beautiful waterfall. Really, there isn’t anything better than that!

If you’re looking for a longer hike, check out these trails:

• The Ledges Trail (2.2 Miles) – This trail was our favorite! There are old staircases to hike down, large mossy rocks, beautiful look out points, and as the name implies, large rock cliffs everywhere that gives Ledges its name.
• Boston Run Trail (3.1 Miles)
• Brandywine Gorge Loop (1.4 Miles)
• Kendall Lake Trail (1 Mile)

Biking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

There are 20 miles of flat, scenic trails on the Tow Path Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Bikes can be rented at Century Cycles or Eddie’s Bike Shop along the trail. The best part about biking in the park is that you don’t have to complete a round trip, which means you’re able to be a little more spontaneous with the ride. You’re able to ride as far as you can from your starting point and then when you’re done riding, find your nearest train station and ride the train back to your car! The train is only $5 for bikers and is meant to be used as a form of public transportation.

Riding bikes in Cuyahoga Valley National Park was one of my absolute favorite experiences while visiting, and I highly recommend you make time for it during your trip.

Bonus Places to See

If you’re looking for a different Cleveland experience or if you’re planning to extend your stay beyond two days, be sure to check out my Two Day Cleveland Itinerary for more ideas on where to visit. Here’s a quick overview of some of my favorite spots to check out while you’re in Cleveland.

• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
• A Christmas Story House
• Winking Lizard
• Melt Bar and Grilled
• Jack Frost Donuts

Two Day Itinerary

If you’re ready to get your trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park started today, check out my completely free Two Day Cuyahoga Valley National Park Itinerary below, which will include some of my favorite stops from above, plus a few extras.

If you’re interested in my Two Day Cleveland Itinerary, you can check that out over here:

The post Two Days in Cuyahoga Valley National Park first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.