We Survived

One month ago we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary.  I've been a little bit busy since then and haven't had much time to post.   We celebrated this milestone by spending a weekend in Kentucky.  Dave was there for work and this was one of the remaining states I had to visit so it sounded like the perfect place to celebrate.

Our first stop after meeting up in downtown Lousiville was to see Churchill Downs.  One of these days I will go to the Kentucky Derby but this trip I would have to settle for sneaking onto the grounds.   We didn't really have the time or energy to do the organized tour of the grounds but for $2 we could go into the OTB section.   We were just supposed to be able to have access to the betting sections but we wandered around a little bit outside and found that there were some open gates so we explored a little bit.

1973 was a very good year.

Racing is a very old sport. 

This is the walkway that jockeys and owners walk down to get to the track. 

View of the track!

I think I like Churchill Downs better when there is nobody there than during the Kentucky Derby when it is packed.   After exploring the track we headed off to our accommodations for the weekend but first we had a little stop to make.   Our first distillery.

I didn't know Jim Beam made all these brands. 

Guess how many bourbon barrels are in this warehouse?

At this stop we found out that you are only able to sample bourbon if you go on a tour.  Luckily Jim Beam allows you to do a self guided tour and then sample 2 bourbons at the end.   After a little nip we were off to our B&B.



Dave found us lodging at The Maple Hill Manor an amazing bed and breakfast.  This exceeded all of my expectations with gourmet breakfasts, homemade jams, and desserts available all day long.  In addition to being a great inn it is also a llama and alpaca farm.  In addition to being on the bourbon trail the manor is also very near some historic civil war sites as well as Abraham Lincoln's birthplace.  

Before we hit the bourbon trail we did manage a quick stop at the Perryville battlefield

We didn't get to do a lot of exploring at the battlefield as we were being picked up to tour the distilleries in style.  I don't often drink bourbon in Kentucky but when I do, I do it in a limo.

We wanted to see some craft distilleries as well as larger ones so on the tour we visited Makers Mark and Limestone.  Limestone was very cool and small.  For those of you that watch the Discovery show Moonshiners - Limestone bottles some of their moonshine and this is it. 

We got to try a bunch of their moonshine and even bought a couple of bottles to take home with us.  After Limestone we were off to another big distillery

This is what we came for.  The tasting!

To cap off the weekend we finished with a dinner at Circa.  We have eaten at hundreds of restaurants around the world and this is place makes the top 10 list.

For starters we had to have the chicken and waffles.

Duck - yes please!

And finally to commemorate our first anniversary and the trip Dave bought me what every wife needs a baseball bat.