Wine and Spirits Travel

I couldn’t believe when I looked it up that it had actually been seven years since I was in Louisville, Kentucky . It was one of those places I had looked forward to returning to soon, but never got around to it. When I had the chance to cover the first annual Bourbon & Beyond Festival, I knew it was also a chance to get back to a Kentucky favorite, which happens to be only a few hours away from my home in Champaign. Brittany, Jamie, and I headed out first thing on Friday morning, so we could get to Louisville in time for a full day. The tourism board had helped me arrange some fun and unique things to do. Day one was set downtown and our first stop was someplace none of us had ever been, the  Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory . To say that this place makes baseball bats would be a huge understatement. It is a baseball lover’s must – and I happen to be one. We had a private tour through the museum and factory as we watched t

While I was in St. Louis with Mom , we drove by the new Ballpark Village across from Busch Stadium. It looked like a place I needed to explore and I made arrangements for a trip back before I had even left. It was very easy for me to decide when to make my visit to Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium. As a lifelong New York Mets fan, I picked a date when the Mets would be playing St. Louis. To make it even more interesting, I brought along my friend Amy – a Cardinals fan. We were running a little late so we quickly checked into the Drury Inn & Suites Convention Center and grabbed a cab to Busch Stadium. It was close to 100 degrees and the temperature was climbing so we were happy for an excuse not to walk. Our private tour of the Stadium began at the Third Base entrance we learned about the old and the new, the history of the original stadium and Anheuser Busch, as well as the construction of this new venue that opened in 2006. We loved being able to get in