Want to taste the story of Louisville, one bite at a time? Try these 4 food walking tours
Want to taste the story of Louisville, one bite at a time?
Luckily for you, you can go on one of the city's popular walking tours from Louisville Food Tours. And trust us, these aren't just for tourists. Travel & Leisure recently named Bourbon City one of the Best Food Cities in the U.S. and these tours work to showcase the best of the best. In each, you can sample some of the city’s famous local and regional dishes by taking a walking food tour through Louisville’s most beautiful and historic neighborhoods, as well as the city’s infamous Whiskey Row.
Here are four food walking tours you must try in Louisville:
Highlands Food & History Walking Tour
WHAT: This tour from Louisville Food Tours explores "Restaurant Row," amid one of Louisville’s oldest and quirkiest neighborhoods, offering tastes and sips of local specialties like biscuits and gravy, beer cheese and bourbon balls. Guests will get a glimpse of Cave Hill Cemetery to visit the final resting place of Muhammad Ali and Colonel Sanders; taste a dish inspired by the Hot Brown at Muhammad Ali's former boxing gym; learn about a devastating flood and the glory days of Louisville’s 24-hour streetcar and admire plenty of beautiful Victorian homes. This tour features local Highlands favorites including GraleHaus, O'Sheas, DiOrio's, and Kizito Cookies.
WHEN: Tours are available Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1-4 p.m.
COST: Tours are $99 for ages 21 and older; $79 for non-drinkers
MORE INFORMATION: LouisvilleFoodTours.com or @louisvillefoodtours on Facebook and Instagram
NuLu Food & History Walking Tour
WHAT: Learn about the transformation NuLu has undergone, with a foodie focus on this tour from Louisville Food Tours. There are six stops in urban NuLu and historic Butchertown and guests will taste Kentucky and Appalachian classics like bourbon balls and fried chicken, visit a historic home once occupied by Thomas Edison, taste a curious confection inspired by a Victorian-era actress, trace the history of German immigrants in Louisville and more. This tour visits NuLu favorites including Royals Hot Chicken, Feast BBQ, Muth's Candies, and Please & Thank You.
WHEN: Tours run on Fridays and Saturdays from 1-4 and 1:30-4:30 p.m.
COST: Tours are $99 for ages 21 and older; $79 for non-drinkers.
MORE INFORMATION: LouisvilleFoodTours.com or @louisvillefoodtours on Facebook and Instagram
Phantoms Of Prohibition: Ghosts, Cocktails, & Bites Tour
WHAT: This Louisville Food Tours experience dives into the hidden stories of Louisville’s haunted past. Guests will eat and drink their way down Whiskey Row and meet the resident ghosts of Louisville’s historic downtown, trace the footsteps of bourbon magnates and mobsters, discover hidden speakeasies in the belly of Whiskey Row, and learn the shocking truth about Prohibition. The tour includes five stops for cocktails, bourbon and beer, as well as an assortment of small bites. This tour visits some of the best bars and speakeasies in downtown Louisville including Hell or High Water, Pin & Proof, and 8UP.
WHEN: Tours are available Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 5-8 p.m.
COST: Tours are $139 for ages 21 and older; $119 for non-drinkers
MORE INFORMATION: LouisvilleFoodTours.com or @louisvillefoodtours on Facebook and Instagram
Whiskey Row Walking Tours
WHAT: This tour offers everything you need to experience and learn about Bourbon and Louisville’s famous Whiskey Row with multiple stops at various bourbon distilleries to sample some of their well-known bourbons. Participants will visit historic Main Street and learn about the history of bourbon whiskey and famous distillers like Evan Williams, Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, and others who made Louisville a major whiskey producer and supplier in the U.S.
Drew Shryock, a.k.a. "The Bourbon Baron," knows it all, and a little bit more, and leads this popular tour, the Courier Journal previously reported.
"I have always loved bourbon and I have always loved history," Shryock previously said. "After I retired from Louisville city government, I spent many years driving for bourbon tour businesses and getting to know legends in the industry like Bill Samuels Jr., Jimmy Russell and Freddie Noe. But I realized that when people were coming to Louisville, they were having a hard time booking tours at distilleries if they hadn't reserved a spot week in advance so I created Whiskey Row Walking Tours."
WHEN: Tours are available Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Sundays from 1-3 p.m.
WHERE: Departs from Frazier History Museum, 829 W. Main St.
COST: Tours are $49
MORE INFORMATION: For more information, whiskeyrowwalkingtour.com
You may like: Louisville's 'Bourbon Baron,' gives a taste of bourbon history with these walking tours
Reporter Kirby Adams contributed to this report. Reach news clerk Gege Reed at greed@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Explore Louisville's food history with walking Louisville Food Tours
