Kentucky’s Bluegrass, Bridles & Bourbon

Day 1 – Welcome to Kentucky!

Optional transfers from our departure points will have us at LAX for a morning flight arriving in Louisville, Kentucky this evening. Those guests making their own flight arrangements can request the group’s flight schedule (subject to change) to coordinate a flight arrival time that would allow them to be included on the complimentary transfer to the hotel. Upon arrival, we’ll board a deluxe motorcoach and continue the short distance to downtown Louisville where we’ll begin a five-night stay at an historic, yet chic boutique hotel. This distinctive and upscale AAA Four Diamond hotel built in 1907 as the Stewart’s Department Store, has been reincarnated as a sparkling hotel, featuring large, well-appointed, modern suites and a stunning lobby with lovely Corinthian columns, a variety of unique artwork and custom lighting fixtures. Located in the heart of Louisville’s vibrant and historic South Fourth Street District, our hotel is adjacent to Fourth Street Live!, Louisville’s premier dining and entertainment destination. Enjoy the balance of the evening at leisure with a complimentary, nightly reception available in the hotel lobby.

Day 2 – Louisville

After an included made-to-order breakfast, we’ll visit Churchill Downs, the legendary thoroughbred racetrack where they “Run for the Roses” on the first Saturday each May. On a guided walking tour during the morning workout, our guide will share the ins and outs of the track and the “Sport of Kings” as we stand on the rail to experience the thrilling sound of hooves pounding dirt and the exhilarating sight of horses running 40 miles per hour beneath the historic Twin Spires. At the Kentucky Derby Museum you’ll be surrounded by the sights, sounds and history of the longest running American sporting event as you explore two floors of interactive exhibits and artifacts dating back to 1875, the year of the first Kentucky Derby. Experience The Greatest Race, an 18-minute, 360° multimedia experience that puts you at the center of the “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports.” This film will give you chills as it sends your heart racing and emotions soaring as you are immersed in the magic of the Derby. Following a Louisville driving tour with a local guide, we’ll visit the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and connect with a genuine American icon on its hometown turf. On a fascinating guided tour of the bat factory, we’ll follow the timber from the forest to the field and see the wood chips fly as we learn the extraordinary role Louisville Slugger baseball bats have played in the sport's past, present, and future. Enjoy time at leisure exploring the museum’s newly renovated main exhibit gallery and the hallowed bat vault where 3,000 original models are carefully stored. Enjoy an included welcome dinner at a locals’ favorite this evening. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 3 – Bourbon, Biscuits & Bardstown

This morning we’ll travel to Bardstown, Kentucky, known as “America’s Most Beautiful Small Town” and the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” We’ll visit My Old Kentucky Home State Park, and step back into the days of the antebellum South as costumed guides showcase the stately mansion and formal gardens on a tour of this 200-year-old plantation home. Learn how the Georgian-style mansion known as Federal Hill became the inspiration for Stephen Foster’s Kentucky state anthem, “My Old Kentucky Home.” In the beautiful carriage house a culinary guide dressed in antebellum clothing will provide a live biscuit making demonstration. Not only will we learn how to make the south's iconic beaten biscuits, but we’ll savor them with homemade jams and cold, refreshing lemonade. We’ll continue to the Bardstown Historic District and enjoy an included lunch at The Old Talbott Tavern, where Abraham Lincoln, General Patton, Jessie James and countless others have slept and dined. Built in 1779, the tavern is the oldest western stagecoach stop in America and home to the oldest bourbon bar in the world. Enjoy time at leisure exploring Bardstown’s historic Court Square and downtown district, home to nearly 200 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This afternoon we’ll visit a bourbon distillery where we will learn the history and heritage of Kentucky’s native spirit on a guided tour followed by a guided bourbon tasting to educate us on the subtle flavors and aromas of true Kentucky bourbon. This evening we’ll make the short drive across the Ohio River to Clarksville, Indiana for an included dinner and show at the Derby Dinner Playhouse, one of the country's oldest and highest-rated professional dinner theatres. Enjoy a freshly prepared home-style meal followed by a performance of Singin’ in the Rain. Hollywood of the 1920’s is the setting for this light-hearted and romantic MGM classic filled with show-stopping dance numbers, memorable music and rain onstage! (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 4 – Lexington

This morning we’ll travel to Lexington, Kentucky, the epicenter of American Thoroughbred horse breeding located in the heart of Kentucky’s “Bluegrass” region. Known as the “Horse Capital of the World,” Thoroughbred horse racing has been a tradition here since 1780 and this region is home to the world’s highest concentration of thoroughbred breeding farms in the world. We’ll visit the famed Kentucky Horse Park – set on 1,200 acres of prime bluegrass farmland, this Kentucky State Park founded in 1978 is the world’s only park dedicated to man’s relationship with the horse. Enjoy ample time at leisure to meet a variety of horses, enjoy live equine presentations and explore a variety of horse barns and museums. Board a trolley pulled by two beautiful draft horses for a guided orientation tour of the Park. The Hall of Champions Show showcases legendary racehorses live and up-close – so you can admire their beauty and discover stories of their triumphs on the track. The Parade of Breeds Show will introduce you to rare horse breeds as they parade around the arena. Trace 55 million years of equine history at the International Museum of the Horse, the largest and most comprehensive museum in the world dedicated to the history of the horse and its unique relationship with humans through time – from ancient times to the many popular sporting events of modern times. This afternoon we’ll visit the Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm and get up-close and personal with stars of the turf such as Kentucky Derby winner, Silver Charm – the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner. On a guided tour of this 136-acre working farm, we’ll discover how these Thoroughbred athletes live out their golden years in peace and quiet and with lots of friends at this serene sanctuary. We’ll travel through Lexington’s picturesque rolling hills and past the stunning blue grass pastures surrounded by white picket fences enroute to a Thoroughbred horse farm and nursery renowned for raising and selling first-class Thoroughbreds. A guided tour of the farm will provide an intimate look into the daily life of thoroughbreds and a journey through the life of a racehorse. We’ll interact with horses of varying ages including foals and learn about the business side of Thoroughbreds including breeding, training and selling. We’ll return to Louisville this evening. (Breakfast)

Day 5 – Lincoln & Mammoth Cave National Park

This morning we’ll travel south to rural Central Kentucky and honor the humble beginnings of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who spent the first 7 years of his live in Kentucky. We’ll visit Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, featuring our nation's first memorial to Lincoln, on the site where Lincoln was born. In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, The First Lincoln Memorial – an improbable Greek-styled temple in the Kentucky woods – was built here, with President Theodore Roosevelt laying the memorial’s cornerstone in 1909. President Taft dedicated the memorial in 1911, a decade before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. was built. Once the memorial building was finished, the Symbolic Birth Cabin – a one-room cabin that reflects Lincoln's humble beginnings – was enshrined and remains there today. We’ll continue to historic Hodgenville, Kentucky where we’ll visit the Lincoln Museum, featuring a series of life-size dioramas, period artifacts, and a superb collection of wax figures that brings to life the major events in Abraham Lincoln's life – from the "Cabin Years" to Ford's Theatre and the years between. After an included lunch at a locals’ favorite we’ll continue to Mammoth Cave National Park, featuring rolling hills, deep river valleys, and the world's longest known cave system. The only national park in Kentucky, Mammoth Cave is home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the designation of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. We’ll enjoy time at leisure to explore the exhibits within the visitor center and take a short nature walk on the Heritage Trail. If available once the cave tour schedule is released in the coming months, we’ll also experience an “easy,” ranger-guided cave tour during our visit. Note that all cave tours require a minimum of 125 stairs and ¾ mile walking and visitors with limited mobility may find the cave tours too strenuous. (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 6 – Louisville, Journey Home

This morning we’ll visit the Muhammad Ali Center, a multicultural center and museum dedicated to the life and career of Muhammad Ali. The museum features three levels of award-winning, interactive exhibits and galleries focused on Muhammad Ali’s incredible life and the six core principles that have fueled his journey: respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, and spirituality. After watching an orientation film in the amazing five-screen theater, we’ll enjoy time at leisure to watch historic videos of Ali’s fights and explore the exhibits, an interactive timeline of Ali’s life, two art galleries, hands-on boxing fun and more. We’ll continue to The Brown Hotel, the famed AAA Four-Diamond, historic hotel in downtown Louisville featuring Old World elegance that is inextricably woven into the fabric of the city. Here we’ll enjoy an included lunch featuring their signature dish, the “Hot Brown” (with alternate entrée available). The world-famous dish that was invented here in 1926 is an American version of the traditional Welsh rarebit and features turkey, bacon and Mornay sauce. This afternoon we’ll arrive at the Louisville Airport to board a return flight arriving in Los Angeles this evening. Those guests making their own flight arrangements can request the group’s flight schedule (subject to change) to coordinate a flight departure time that would allow them to be included on the complimentary transfer to the airport. Back in Los Angeles, those guests with pre-arranged transfers will be returned to their respective destinations. (Breakfast, Lunch)

While we make every effort to operate our tours as outlined in the itinerary, we ask for your patience, understanding and flexibility and to retain a sense of adventure while traveling with us. Situations may arise that necessitate changes to the itinerary. Should we need to adjust the itinerary either prior to or while on tour, these changes will be communicated to you and only done when absolutely necessary.