Louisville Trip :: Day 4 :: Dancing Bear Lodge

Ok technically we headed out of Louisville on the 4th day of our trip, but it's still the Louisville trip, so bear with me.

Speaking of bears (sorry really corny, I know), we headed to Dancing Bear Lodge in Townsend, TN where we stayed for our last night of our trip. Not going to lie, this was definitely the best night of the trip. More details to come, stay tuned.

I was SO glad we stayed here, it was the coziest place ever. We stayed in the lodge itself which was just heavenly.

Louisville Trip :: Day 3 :: Urban Bourbon Trail

Yep, day 3 is still going strong.

We sit down for a little drink and app because we're so mealed out at this point (can you believe it?). Our bartender fills us in on all the great dinner and bar spots around town for our last night and then just happens to throw in a little bit about this jewel: The Urban Bourbon Trail.

All we had to do is get a passport from the Visitor's Center, get it stamped by 6 different bars (by ordering at least one drink) and get back to the Visitor's Center by 6pm. It was currently 2:30pm.

Did we succeed?

First it was the Maker's Mark Lounge.

Then it was the Old Seelbach Bar.

Then it was Bar Blu (where Ryan FINALLY had a glass of Pappy).

Then back to our hotel, The Gault House, the the Jockey Silks bar.

We finished at Z's Oyster Bar where we hit 5:50 pm.

Luckily, the bartender was awesome, stamped our book twice and Ryan' booked it to the Visitor's Center. He got major bonus points for his enthusiasm and came back to the bar to meet me breathing hard, but with two t-shirts and certificates in his hand.

Success.

Louisville Trip :: Day 3 (Daytime)

Ok really, we did do more than eat. Truly.

Here's some of the great things we crammed into our awesome little trip:

One day when I'm rich and famous, I will own this $6K painting! Kathy Sullivan is definitely a top favorite artist. I had to bring a piece home with me, luckily she hand-stretched her Kentucky photo for this year's Derby and I was lucky enough to snag the last one!

Here's some other great pieces that hung in this gallery:

Here's her 138 paintings she did for the 138 years of the Derby with the year and winning jockey on each print. I was so tempted to get the 2011 one for our wedding anniversary, but I figured that could just be saved for a great gift or two (hint, hint, hubs!)

And now back to some other awesome stuff we did... like meet Colonel Sanders (at least the wax figurine).

We even made it to Louisville Stoneware, which I'm glad we were able to find. I even picked up a mug for my Nana for Mother's Day.

Ok I couldn't help it, I had to throw in some food pics. Here's our eclectic and great dinner from Ramsi's Cafe of the World, which was a recommedation from a local. It was great!

Louisville Trip :: Day 3 :: Lynn's Paradise Cafe

Yes, I know, it looks like all we did this trip was eat!

But, common, we couldn't pass up Lynn's Paradise Cafe. I mean she beat Bobby Flay in a breakfast throw down. And breakfast is my fav.

This, by no means, was no normal breakfast. In fact, it was extraordinary, wacky and spectacular. Words can't explain it, just. look. at. this.

(Yes that is a whole shelf of pickle paraphernalia).

Mimosas and Bloody Marys were of course a must after a big birthday night!

I had to. I just had to! Bourbon Ball French Toast. Yuuuummmm!

This was one of the winners on "Throwdown with Bobby Flay". Ok so here it goes: "Homemade thick sliced cinnamon swirl bread, dipped in vanilla nutmeg batter. Grilled and topped with homemade bourbon vanilla custard, chocolate syrup, fresh strawberries, sugar spiced pecans, and freshly whipped cream."

Ryan opted for the other winner, the Kentucky Farmhouse Scramble. Lynn says it best: "Three fluffy eggs scrambled with Clifty Farms country ham, roasted red peppers, and Kenny's Farmhouse Jarlsberg Cheese (made in Austin, KY), then garnished with fried tobacco onions, served with fried green tomatoes with a side of spicy remoulade. Comes with homemade biscuits and sorghum butter."