Our One Night Louisville Adventure

 Hey Ariel Viewers! As a continuation of the Nashville post, this post is about our stop in Louisville, KY before we went back to New York.

We arrived in Louisville on a Sunday and barely anything was open so all of the places we planned to go to were closed. Thankfully, the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory was open, which was one of the coolest experiences I've ever been to.

There is an entire museum filled with information about past and current baseball players. We also were able to hit baseballs/softballs. Then we went on the factory tour, which was the best part. I never realized how much work went into making a baseball bat. We got to see the process from start to finish and actually see the employees at work. Another cool part of the factory is they give you a free little bat and you can get a personalized bat to take home!

Next, we went to Angels Envy for a spirit tasting and tour, which was also very enjoyable. 

I would love to go back to Louisville when everything is open; it was a very cute city and seemed like it had a lot to offer.

Eat, Drink, and Celebrate Everything Nashville

 Hey Ariel Viewers! As you know all too well, traveling has been at an all-time low since the pandemic. However, Jason and I were finally able to travel to three states in 10 days this past May; it was one of our best vacations yet. Here is a rundown of what we did in Nashville, which I hope will inspire you to visit.

We arrived at the Courtyard Marriott (West End/Vanderbilt), which was a nice hotel with friendly staff. We then went to Bakersfield, which Jason enjoyed, but I wasn't the biggest fan. It was a large venue and very loud. The drinks were great, but I have definitely had better Mexican food. It had a similar vibe to something we would find in Times Square. We ordered chicken taquitos, guacamole, esquite (similar to elote), tacos, blueberry lemonade beer & a pineapple margarita.

The next day, we went on the Downtown Food & History Walking Tour with Scott Hinds, and the day was fantastic! We ate delicious food while learning about Nashville's history and meeting the coolest people. Jason and I do a food tour in every city we visit and I highly recommend you do the same. It's an easy and fun way to see all of the local spots and meet new people. We journeyed to:

• Donut Distillery - whiskey glazed donuts
• Chicken bacon cheese biscuit at Rise
• Jacks BBQ
• Broadway Brewhouse - Home of the famous Bushwacker
• Johnny Cash Kitchen & Saloon - fried chicken, collard greens, mac & cheese

After the food tour, Jason and I went to:

• Brunch at Husk was very good. They even printed a Happy Birthday menu to celebrate my birthday. Great service and delicious food and drinks.
• The Treehouse - an awesome speakeasy bar (they also serve food). We had:

• Mr. Robot beer
• Carrot juice & gin with a salt rim (featured in the photo)
• Mr. No Name-whiskey honey mint lemon
• Urban Cowboy is a bit off the beaten path so we rode Lime electric scooters there. We both had the orange popsicle drink, which was unbelievably good and the atmosphere is great. Their outdoor space makes it feel like you're in someone's backyard.
• Pearl Diver was also in the direction of Urban Cowboy so we jetted there afterward and had:
• Pina colada with sherry and coffee grounds
• The Banana Banana drink was lit. No, it was actually on fire. It was so tasty and barely tasted like alcohol. 
• Last, but certainly not least, we went to Layla's Honky Tonk (featured below) on the main strip and saw Scott (from the food tour) and his band, The Royal Hounds play. That was the most entertaining set I have ever heard. Not only was the music amazing and uplifting, but people from the food tour showed up so we have people to chat with.

On Sunday, we ate, drank, and golfed our way through:

• Loveless Cafe
• Topgolf - 100% check this out even if you're not a golfer. It was a very cool experience. 
• Urban Grub

On Monday, we experienced:

• Pinewood Social - To be frank, we were a wee bit hungover so I don't know if we got the full experience of this restaurant. We ordered the:
• Chicken and biscuits
• Steak bowl, which I barely touched because I was "under the weather."
• Green Brier Distillery - One of the coolest experiences that we did and I'm not even a spirits drinker. The tour was very informative (and not in a boring way) and we even learned how to properly drink spirits.
• Louisa - my favorite
• Belle Meade Bourbon - Jason's favorite
• The Paratheon was very cool. We took photos from the outside, but we could not go in for a tour due to COVID-19. The park that the Paratheon is in is very nice as well.
• ML Rose - Jason and I ordered flights of beer/cider to try. The staff was so friendly and explained about each beer/cider and places to go around Nashville. Below are our three favorite drinks on tap:
• Zango
• Guava
• Nashville cider

 Tuesday, we visited:

• Robert's Western World - a Nashville must-see
• Tootsies - another must-see
• Honkey Tonk Bar Central
• Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N' Roll Steakhouse
• Kayne Prime Steakhouse 

Wednesday, we went to:

• Kung Fu Saloon - similar to Barcade in NYC with loads of video games, great music, and friendly staff.
• Hopsmith - a bar with a nice outdoor space. We had chicken and waffle bites, which were decent.
• The Baked Bear - we had 'make your own' ice cream sandwiches.
• The Red Door Saloon - we got a midday drink here, which included Hi-wire lemonade sour & tailgate PB stout.
• Losers - we saw live music here and Winners is right next store. Basic drinks and food, but a good vibe.
• Old Moonshine Distillery & Yeehaw Brewery

Thursday, we enjoyed:

• Zoo zipline
• Nashville Craft Distillery
• Diskin Cider
• Jason Aldean's - we walked in and walked right out. It looks like an awesome venue and I would love to go back, but during COVID and coming from NYC, we didn't feel comfortable in such a crowded place.
• Nashville Craft Distillery
• Diskin Cider

To wrap up the Nashville portion of our trip on Friday, we went to Gaylord hotel and Legendairy Milkshake Bar (featured on the right). We have seen the Gaylord in Fort Worth, Texas, and this was just as extravagant. Legendairy was a cool experience with decent ice cream, but for the wait, I don't think I would go back again. 

What places have you been to in Nashville?

Until next time!