Wine and Spirits Travel

When I was first approached to cover the first Bourbon & Beyond Festival , I was attracted to the unique combination of music, food, and bourbon, in a city known for the latter.   Once I received the itinerary, I was sold, and contacted Louisville Tourism about making a trip. The huge list of performers for Bourbon & Beyond had a lot of great names, but there were two in particular that sealed the deal for me: Stevie Nicks and Eddie Vedder, both on my bucket list. Brittany, Jamie, and I had breakfast in the lounge at the Louisville Marriott East . Lounge access for breakfast and snacks before dinner was a great benefit to staying on the executive floor. We drove over to Champions Park so we could arrive and get settled early for the first day of Bourbon & Beyond. It was a good thing we did. The only major complaint I had about this festival did not change during the weekend: the parking. It was just a giant mess. Fortunately, just about ever

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