About Cave City

Just outside of Mammoth Cave National Park, it’s a safe bet that the Cave is one place you’ll be checking out while you’re staying at the Wigwam Village. There isn’t much else in the area though, so if you’re not up for hiking the wide open spaces in Mammoth Cave, you might not enjoy Cave City. In Cave City, there are a few gas stations, a dollar store, and plenty of chain restaurants, but not much else. You will see signs everywhere for a place called Dinosaur World, but we did not stop here. It received mixed reviews, but overall seems to be a place geared towards families.

Where to Eat

You can find all of the usual chain eateries here: McDonald’s, A&W, Long John Silvers, Wendy’s, Subway, Cracker Barrel, Pizza Hut, and a Dairy Queen. There were a few names I didn’t recognize that I can only assume are locally owned restaurants. Places such as The Dog Pound or Buck Bees BBQ are both locally owned eateries to check out.

We ate Pizza Hut our first night in Cave City, and opted to eat inside the park for the rest of our visit. At Mammoth Cave National Park, there are two restaurants you can eat at: Green River Grille, a sit down restaurant, and Spelunker’s Cafe, a quick bite burger joint. It may have been the 7 hours of hiking talking, but we very much enjoyed the burgers at Spelunker’s Cafe!

What to Do

If you’re in Cave City, you should spend a majority of your time visiting Mammoth Cave National Park. They have tons of guided hikes throughout the 400+ Miles of their cave. You can also hike trails above ground or explore the museums in the visitor center. While we visited the park, we did two separate hikes, one was a 3-hour hike, the other was a 4-hour hike. All in all, we saw almost every inch of the cave that was opened to the public. They were both long, quick-paced hikes, but so worth it!

If you want to read more about our time at Mammoth Cave National Park, you can check out these posts:

Mini-Moon: Mammoth Cave National Park

Six Tips for Photographing Mammoth Cave National Park

Important Information About the Wigwam Motel in Cave City

Address: 601 North Dixie Highway, Cave City, Kentucky 42127

For Reservations: Call 1-833-WIGWAMS (1-833-944-9267)

Visit their Website HERE

Visiting a Different Wigwam Village Motel? Here are the Other Two:

Wigwam Village #6: Holbrook, AZ

Wigwam Village #7: Rialto, CA

The post Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Wigwam Village #2 in Cave City, Kentucky first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

In 2014, we moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles, two major cities along Route 66. When leaving St. Louis, we had the choice between the “north route” or the “southern route” to get out to Los Angeles. At the time, Jason drove a 2000 Caviler, and I was concerned about it’s ability to make it up the winding mountain roads that we might run into on the northern route, so we opted for the southern route, giving little thought to the idea of traveling Route 66. One day into our 5-day trek, we had already grown sick of the monotonous journey. In search of something to liven up our travels, we began searching for landmarks along the way.

While we started by looking for goofy places that would make for funny photos, what we found was a culture and an obsession that we never could have imagined. More on this love of all things Route 66 later. But today, I’m focusing on the one destination that became a travel obsession for us for a couple of years: the Wigwam Village Motels.

The Wigwam Villages were an icon along Route 66. At one point, there were seven of these Wigwam Villages, two of them still call Route 66 home. The years have not been kind to them, however, and now there are only three remaining Wigwam Villages. All of them are listed as National Historic Places.

What You Need to Know About Visiting

Of the seven Wigwam Villages, only three remain. These three are in Kentucky, Arizona, and California. You might still see these Wigwam Villages referred to by their number, as I did below. Keep in mind, this number is out of the original 7. Wigwam Villages numbers 1, 3, 4, & 5 have all closed. Click a link below to learn more about the three remaining Wigwam Villages!

Wigwam Village Motel #2
in Cave City, Kentucky

Wigwam Village Motel #6
in Holbrook, Arizona

Wigwam Village Motel #7
in Rialto, California

The post Visiting the Last Wigwam Village Motels in the United States 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.

I would like to start by pointing out that this will not be one of those posts where the best suggestions I have are to “not eat out” or “use a Groupon.” We used zero Groupons on our trip (although it is never a bad idea to check!) and ate out frequently while visiting. You can too!

How to Save Money in Louisville and Still Have a Good Time:

1. Search for Happy Hour Specials

Often, people associate “Happy Hour” with “immediately after work” which is definitely not the case. While most places offer happy hours on week days (and sometimes only Monday through Thursday) from 4pm until 6pm, that is not a hard and fast rule. There are so many places that offer all-day happy hours or even weekend happy hours! Be sure to check and see if there’s a place you’re interested in visiting that offers this! It’s the easiest way to save a few bucks without putting in much extra effort. It might even encourage you to find a new favorite you weren’t planning to try.

For a quick guide to happy hours in Louisville, check out this post by Style Blueprint!

Louisville Happy Hours by Day

2. Find a Hotel that Helps you Save

Breakfast food is my favorite type of food, so I don’t say this lightly: Find a hotel that offers free breakfast. It’s shocking, I know. I fully understand the horror of what I’m saying, I know that hotel waffles do not taste nearly as good as fancy-brunch-place waffles. But here’s the thing: if you’ve only got a weekend to see the entire city, a Sunday morning brunch is going to take up so much time.

Instead, fuel up in the morning with some just-okay hotel eggs and some just-okay hotel bacon and then go out and explore! Find a local coffee shop, grab a bite of a freshly-made scone or a slice of quiche. And of course try whichever honey-herbal-almond latte they’re crafting these days. You’ll save money and more importantly you’ll save time but you’re not going to miss out on trying some place new!

I found a coffee shop in Louisville that I absolutely loved. You can read all about that one and more of the delicious places we tried out on this post:

How to Spend Two Perfect Days in Louisville

The other way that hotels can help you save is by including a mini fridge in your room. The hotel we stayed in while we were in Louisville was Spring Hill Suites, and they had a perfect little fridge-microwave combo that was great for easy snacking.

For the sake of full disclosure, we drank quite a bit while we were in Louisville (are you surprised?) There were times when we were looking for a snack, but were craving things like greasy Taco Bell. That’s fine…but why waste money (even if it’s only $10) on a trip to Taco Bell when it won’t taste any different than the crunch wrap supreme that you can get at home? Enter mini-fridge. If you stock up on food that will get you past the drunk-snacking phase of the night, you’ll have more money in the budget to spend on real food the next day.

3. Opt for a Flight

A bourbon flight that is. We went to Louisville because we love bourbon! We wanted to try as much as we could from local and national distilleries that call Louisville home. But tasting all the bourbon can add up quick! Your money (and the more clear-headed version of you that is actually tasting the bourbon you are drinking) will go further with smaller tastes. Plus as an added bonus, you’ll be able to try more expensive bourbons in smaller quantities.

If you could spend $16 to try one bourbon you may or may not like, or try four of them for $16 that all add up to the same number of ounces, which would you pick? I mean, the choice is obvious, right? Take the opportunity to save money in Louisville and also try more bourbon!

4. Do Something FREE

Seems obvious, right? If you want to save money in Louisville…don’t spend money in Louisville.

Cool, Kelly. But how?

There are lots of free activities in Louisville, but one of the best is located at the 21c Museum Hotel. At this hotel/restaurant/museum, you can grab a drink at Proof on Main (not free!) and then check out their art gallery (100% free!) It’s 9000 square feet of art with a few rotating exhibits that is open 24-hours a day! So no matter when you’re looking for something to do, you’ve always got a completely free option. Success!

5. Plan Ahead!

We went to Louisville on a complete whim. We decided on a Thursday afternoon that we wanted to take a weekend vacation…and by Saturday morning at 7am we were on the road. And now, here I am, telling you to plan ahead!? Yes. You don’t need months notice to get your plan in place, apparently you don’t even need days. But you should have at least an idea of what you’re going to do while you’re there.

Why?

Well, for one, you’re going to save yourself the trouble of having to figure that out once you’re there. I know, I know. It might seem cool and spontaneous to just “go where the road takes you.” But what happens when you’re in the middle of downtown Louisville and it’s 3pm and you just don’t know where to go next? Suddenly you’re asking bartenders for suggestions, searching for ideas on Yelp, and checking the map to decide if you could walk or if you should call a Lyft.

Not to mention, you’re not going to know where the best deals are (like in #1 or #2 above) and that’s going to cost you money!

Don’t do it.

Even with less than 48-hours notice, we had a pretty good idea of the places we wanted to check out while we were in Louisville.

How?

Research, of course! Lucky for you, I’ve already done the research for you. And I wrote another blog post all about it. Don’t waste time doing the work I’ve already done for you! Check it out below:

How to Spend Two Perfect Days in Louisville

The post Five Easy Ways to Save Money in Louisville 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.

1. Charge your batteries!  (And bring a spare!)

Most tours at Mammoth Cave National Park are over an hour long.  The two tours we took were three and four hours long!  Your eyes are working overtime in the dark, and so is your camera.  Be sure to bring extra batteries for your trip. There won’t be any place to grab a spare along the way!

2. Get a camera that does well in low lighting situations

Being able to crank the ISO without too much noise is a must for these dark conditions.  There are sporadic lights along most of the cave routes to guide you along the path.  Even still, tours move at a quick pace, and in order to get clear images, a fast shutter speed is a must!  I used my Sony RX-100 to document our cave exploring.

3. Look Up

The cave rooms are huge.  There is so much to see in front of you that it is sometimes easy to forget to look up.  Above the cave paths, there are thousand-year-old cracks in infrastructure, stalactites forming strange shapes, and even a stick that was somehow wedged in a gap in the ceiling, 30 feet off the ground. Keep your eyes looking all around you, you never know what you’ll see.

4. Lead the pack

Some tour groups can have upwards of 50 people.  The closer you are to the front of the line, the less you’ll be playing catch-up.  Stick near the Park Ranger leading the tour for the most photo opportunities.  As an added bonus, you’ll get even more behind-the-scenes information that the back of the group isn’t hearing.

5. Bring a water bottle

On our four hour tour, there were two stops along the way for water and bathrooms, but on the three hour tour, there was no stopping for the entire duration of the hike.  I know this list is supposed to be about photographing the park, but nothing sucks the inspiration out of a photographer like the distraction of thirst.

6. Leave the Tripod at home!

You can’t bring your tripod on your cave tour.  Seriously, don’t do it.

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Visiting the Wigwam Village #2 in Cave City, Kentucky

The post Six Tips for Photographing Mammoth Cave National Park first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.

Cave City, KY is not only home to Mammoth Cave National Park, it’s also home to one of the last three remaining Wigwam Village Motels.  After our stay in Cave City, we have officially been to all three Wigwam Motels.

Wigwam Village #2: http://wigwamvillage.com 
Mammoth Cave National Park official Page: https://www.nps.gov/maca
List of Tours of the Cave Winter of 2018-2019: https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/winter-schedule.htm

Tours we did at Mammoth Cave National Park:

Violet City Lantern Tour

This tour is held completely by lantern light to give visitors the experience of what it was like to tour this cave when it first opened.  It’s amazing just how much you can see without electricity.  We got to carry one of the lanterns.  I didn’t at all feel like we were missing out on anything by having less light.  It was a truly unique experience.  (3 miles; 3 hours – no bathrooms or water fountains available on this route)

Grand Avenue Tour

The most bang for your buck.  You can see four miles of this incredible cave in an afternoon.  This tour moves very fast, but this gives you a really good idea of just how drastically the terrains change as you move throughout the cave.  This is not to be missed.

Trouble hearing?

You’re not alone.  I often find myself frustrated on large group tours like these. Unless I am able to have the better ear positioned in close proximity to the tour guide, I often miss most if not all of what is being shared.  In the past, this has caused me to get very frustrated.  

Mammoth Cave National Park was THE BEST when it came to helping accommodate this so I had a great experience. They offer listening assist devices completely free of charge at the information desk.  Just ask for a device, and they’ll hook your tour guide up with a microphone so you can hear everything crystal clear.  I couldn’t believe the difference this made on our tours.  I was so happy to not have to lean over to Jason at every stop and say “So what did she say after _____?”  Please do not hesitate to grab one of these devices for your tour.  It makes all the difference.

Interested in Staying at the Wigwam Village Motel in Cave City? Check out my post here to find out more about this must-see spot!

Everything You Need to Know About Visiting the Wigwam Village Motel in Cave City, KY

The post Mini-Moon: Mammoth Caves National Park first appeared on Greetings From Kelly.