Louisville, Kentucky, A Work Weekend Getaway

October 19–20th

Yes, those dates are correct! If you peek back at the UP blog, I surely was there from October 15–17th, and not two days later I left for another trip. I was quite exhausted from the long travel and had to unpack, launder, and pack, so I did not do much that Saturday except for those tasks. I kept the rental car for an extra day because I had to return it at the airport anyways, so I thought I might as well drive myself there using the rental I needed to return anyways.

Early Sunday morning I departed for MSP, and did so a bit earlier because I have never returned a rental there, and it was very slick. I also planned to grab breakfast at People’s Organic and finished the workpaper for my inventory count in UP of Michigan.

What am I doing going to Louisville on a Sunday? Great question. Another work trip!! For the same reason as my Michigan trip, an inventory count! I was asked to go on this count about a month ago to help out one of my coworkers, and I had never been to Louisville nor Kentucky, and I have no reason to go there in my personal life, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to see a place and check off a new state via a work trip. So, yes, another fully funded adventure of mine! I want to preface, I do not usually travel this much for work, but I got lucky with the opportunities being presented to me.

I hopped on my early flight, purposely booking one so that I could have as much time as possible in Louisville on Sunday to do some sightseeing. It was good timing because I arrived at my hotel in Louisville at 12pm. Crazy enough, I was the hotel’s Guest of the Day! They upgraded my room, gave me special access to a room with food and work spaces, and gave me a $10 voucher to use on food there. How cool! I already had my plans set for the day, I was going to make my way to Churchill Downs, stopping at a nearby restaurant for lunch, Annie’s Cafe, and then head over to the tracks for their museum. My ticket here was out of my own pocket because Deloitte is not paying me to brush up on my equestrian knowledge, but it was well worth the stop because I learned so much about the races and it made me appreciate the sport so much more.

Here are my favorite photos from the museum:

Included in the entrance ticket was a guided tour out to the track, so we got to see the actual field where it all happens and how massive it is. There were many exhibits with facts about the Kentucky Derby, horses, jockeys, the famous Secretariat, I did not remember his heart was three times the size of a normal horse, and an exhibit on the most recent long shot winner, Rich Strike in 2022, at odds of 80–1. This was the second biggest upset in the history of the race, behind only Donerail’s 91–1 victory in 1913. Wild. There was also a betting simulation, and having known nothing about the horses and barely knowing how to read the odds, my imaginary bid won me $5 from guessing the third place horse correctly. An adorable elderly couple had just arrived at the end of the simulated race, and I got to share the good news with them that I had won my bet. I think that means I need to go to the casino asap.

A fun time and a must see while in Louisville. Next up on my agenda was heading back downtown to walk around the city before the sun set. My entire walk I was on the phone with a friend, so for two hours, I was accompanied by someone while exploring a new city. Best case scenario for the solo traveler. I wanted to see the Big Four bridges, which I did not understand how this was an attraction in the city until I saw four actual bridges spanning across the river, connecting Kentucky to Indiana.

These photos are a few more stops I made while on my walk. I felt much more acquainted with the city after my lengthy and thorough tour. I was on my walk from 5:30–7:30 and ended my journey as both the darkness and my hunger came in strong.

As you can imagine, there are not a lot of vegan places in Kentucky, so instead of hopping in an Uber and trekking across the city for a good meal, I thought I might as well enjoy the upgraded hotel room and ordered Uber Eats from a vegan fast food place called Shahar. It was really good for being vegan and getting to try some southern flavor. But, it was quite unhealthy and permeated a very distinct smell, so I had to throw out my leftover food and trash outside of the room. Lol. Plus, I was a bit bummed when the cookies I ordered were forgotten, but truly, that was best for my health. I spent the rest of the evening chilling, prepping for my work tomorrow, and fitting in a quick workout.

Monday, October 20th

I had an early start for work, so I had a quick breakfast at the hotel, and of course a Starbucks to fuel me for the day. I headed to work around 8am, it was the best and fastest inventory count I have ever had, I was so proud of my client for that alone. I was back at the hotel at 10am, had to work and go to a meeting at 11am, so I worked a little longer before reaching a good stopping point because I had one more thing to do on my list before leaving the city. I had a later flight, and thankfully so because I was really excited about this next museum.

The Louisville Slugger Museum!! I have to admit, I knew the name sounded familiar, but I truly thought I was going to a baseball museum. And in a sense, I was, but also, it was more about the baseball bat manufacturer, Louisville Sluggers. Again, part of the museum was a tour of the factory, where we got to see baseball bats being made. Also, all of the baseball players that used a Louisville Slugger in the MLB, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Kirby Puckett, and Derek Jeter. I even got to hold the bats used by some of these legends! As a souvenir from the museum, we got to take home our own mini slugger, and of course that made my travel display.

Here are a few of my favorite exhibits from the museum!

And that was my time in Louisville! A very quick but satisfying stay. I feel as though I saw most of what I wanted, although I was hoping to catch a horse race, maybe stop by the Muhammad Ali Museum, or dive deeper into the rich culture of the city. But, I cannot complain about the opportunity to visit this city, and do so on a work trip. I felt so blessed this fall, as I did not anticipate traveling as much as I did. I told myself that I had my time this summer, but the blessings kept coming and brought me to new places with amazing nature and culture. 2025 is shaping up to be quite the year of travel! How grateful am I to do this all while I am so young.