Travel

Below you’ll find details about flying into Louisville, hotel options, and food recs.

Arriving in Louisville

Traveling by plane

For folks coming in from out of town, flying into Louisville (or a nearby airport) may be the easiest route for most. Louisville’s Muhammad Ali Interrational Airport (SDF) is one of the busiest airports for cargo traffic in the world (thanks, UPS!), and it has flights for people too. You can find direct flights between SDF and several major cities, including DC, NYC, and Boston. If you don’t see any good flight options to SDF, the airports in Lexington (LEX) and Cincinnati (CVG) are both within a 1-2 hour drive of Louisville.

Traveling by car

Did you know that Louisville is within a day’s drive of over half the U.S. population? Anyways, for anyone driving, we’ll leave the specific instructions up to Google Maps or Waze.

Making Yourself at Home

 

Wedding Venue Location

Copper & Kings

1121 E Washington St, Louisville, KY 40206

Neighborhoods

Our major venues, B-Side and Copper & Kings, are located in the Butchertown neighborhood in downtown Louisville. If being within walking distance of the venues is important to you, we recommend staying in the Nulu or Butchertown neighborhoods. Both neighborhoods have plenty of great coffee shops, restaurants, shops, and bars, but Nulu is particularly popular with out-of-towners for its pedestrian-friendly shopping along E Market Street and excellent hotel offerings (several of which are featured below).

For those who still value walkability but are willing to go a tiny bit further afield, we highly recommend the Highlands, the neighborhood that we (Lucy, Stove, and Jack Harlow) call home. The Highlands neighborhood connects to downtown via Baxter Avenue and continues south along Bardstown Road. It has everything: more independent coffee shops, tattoo parlors, numerous bars that stay open until 4am, some of our favorite shops, and many of our favorite restaurants (including local institution Jack Fry’s). We’ve included some local favorite hotels below.

Eating & Drinking

Louisville punches above its weight when it comes to food and drink. Some of our favorite local restaurants and bars are:

  • Gralehaus/Holy Grale - Well done comfort food served in a reimagined old chuch nestled in the Highlands. Gralehaus is one of our favorite breakfast / lunch spots and Holy Grale has great dinner and a vast beer selection.

  • Blue Dog Bakery & Cafe - Old-school patisserie offers some of the best little treats in the city. Stop by the counter to pick up some pastries or sit-down for tasty breakfast and lunch options. Located on Frankfort Ave.

  • North of Bourbon - Louisville meets New Orleans at this univerally-acclaimed restaurant by James Beard semifinalist Lawrence Weeks. Yet another incredible bar / cocktail experience as well. Located in the Schnitzelburg neighborhood, near Shelby Park.

  • Enso - Week’s second restaurant is “a Southern restaurant using Japanese technique and style to connect the parallels in culture.” This newly opened restaurant features gorgeous, nature-forward design and is already hailed as offering some of the tastiest and most unique food in the city. Located on Frankfort Ave.

  • Decade - Our welcome party is just upstairs from Decade, a Really Good Restaurant in Butchertown that serves contemporary American faire made with locally-sourced ingredients. 10/10.

  • Repeal - Classic American steakhouse done right, located in Hotel Distil downtown.

  • Silver Dollar - The Silver Dollar is a re-imagining of a 1950s Bakersfield, California honky tonk. Enjoy comfort food while classic country albums spin on the record player. Excellent brunch. Located on Frankfort Ave across from Enso.

  • Toasty’s - In the running for the best burger and fries in the city. No-fuss eatery serving smash burgers and other diner faves. Located near Canary Club & Breeze Wine Shop in Shelby park.

  • Canary Club / Breeze Wine Shop - Wine bar with small bites attached to the cutest little bodega / wine shop. Located in Shelby Park across from Toasty’s.

  • Foko - Really great Mexican restaurant for breakfast or lunch. Located in Shelby Park next to Logan Street Market.

  • Goodbelly - Classic Jewish deli sandwiches in the Highlands / Douglass Triangle.

  • Canary Club - Wine bar and shop with small bites in trendy Shelby Park.

  • The Pearl - The perfect dive bar, with really good drinks. Located in Schnitzelburg.

  • Darling’s - Gin bar serving perfectly curated craft cocktails til 4am most nights in the Highlands.

  • Vines Wine Bar - Dog friendly wine shop and cocktail bar in the Highlands.

Other Activities

  • Carmichael’s - Our favorite locally owned, independent bookstore. Locations in the Highlands and on Frankfort Ave.

  • Fleur de Flea - Vast indoor flea market with everything you could want or need, located between the Highlands and downtown.

  • Matt Anthony’s - Locally-owned record shop in the Highlands.

  • Cry Baby - Come for the slingshots and toilet paper, stay for the incredible chain stitch embroidery. Located in Shelby Park (near Toasty’s and Canary Club / Breeze).

  • Aurora Gallery - You never know what you’ll find at this interesting little gallery and shop, but it’s hard to escape without purchasing at least one little curiousity. Located in Shelby Park next to Toasty’s.

  • Old Town Liquor - If you’re looking to take a bottle of bourbon home with you, this is our favorite local liquor store. Located close to home in the Highlands.

  • Angel’s Envy - This is one of the few distilleries that is fully based in Louisville. Their beautiful downtown distillery offers several great tours and tastings.

  • Speed Art Museum - located on the University of Louisville’s campus, this one-of-a-kind contemporary art museum is a feast for the eyes.

Where to Stay

General Tips

We have highlighted some of our top hotel choices below, but Louisville has plenty of hotel and rental options beyond this selection. In choosing a place to stay, we highly recommend choosing accommodations that are located in the NuLu, Butchertown, Downtown, or Highlands neighborhoods, as these are some of the more walkable neighborhoods in the city and offer the easiest access to our wedding venue.

AC Hotel by Marriott Louisville Downtown

727 E Market Street, Louisville, KY 40202

NOTE: We have a small guest block at the AC Hotel in NuLu. Use the Room Block link below to access the special rate.

The AC Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of NuLu, only steps away from a number of interesting shops, restaurants, and bars. We’re also big fans of their in-house restaurant, Bar Vetti, for brunch, dinner, or just drinks. Nearby hotspots include Mayan Cafe (one of the most unique restaurants in the city), Clayton & Crume leather goods, and Garage Bar. The AC Hotel is only a 15 minute walk or 3 minute drive to Copper & Kings.

* Held under name Fox-Boots (see FAQ)

Hotel Genevieve

730 E Market Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Hotel Genevieve is a relatively new boutique hotel in NuLu (just across from the AC Hotel). From what we’ve seen, the aesthetics are as perfect as the location. The hotel also features Rosettes, their Paris-inspired in-house cafe and bar, which is known for hosting local book clubs and drag brunches. As mentioned above, for those staying in NuLu, we recommend checking out Mayan Cafe, Clayton & Crume leather goods, Garage Bar, and Feast BBQ. Hotel Genevieve is only a 15 minute walk or 3 minute drive to Copper & Kings.

Hotel Distil

101 West Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Located just west of NuLu in downtown Louisville, Hotel Distil offers a trendy, upscale hotel experience with easy access to the bars and shops along Whiskey Row. We are HUGE fans of their in-house restaurant, Repeal, which features wood-fired steak, the most glorious whipped potatoes, and excellent cocktails. Hotel Distil is located around the corner from the hidden speakeasy, Hell or High Water, which offers one of the best cocktail bar experiences in the city. Hotel Distil is about a 40 minute walk or a 5 minute drive to Copper & Kings.

The Myriad Hotel

900 Baxter Avenue, Louisville, KY 40204

Did you know that Louisville used to be one of the world’s top producers of disco balls? The Myriad is a fun, new boutique hotel built on the site of a former disco ball factory in the upper Highlands. The Myriad is home to the Myriad Swim Club, an outdoor pool and lounging area (pictured); Paseo, a trendy indoor / outdoor restaurant; and Switchboard, a cozy coffee-to-cocktails lounge space. The Myriad is located within easy walking distance of a number of our Highlands favorites, including Jack Fry’s steakhouse, Holy Grale brewpub and Gralehaus cafe, and Epiphany cocktail bar (as well as a trio of famous Irish bars - O’Shea’s, Molly Malone’s, and Flanagan’s). The Myriad is about a 25 minute walk or 5 minute drive to Copper & Kings.

The Bellwether

1300 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40204

The Bellwether is a boutique hotel in a recently converted police and fire station set in the heart of the Highlands. This hotel is nestled among several of our favorite Highlands spots, including Carmichael’s and Carmichael’s Kids bookstores, with several top-notch bars and restaurants within a 1-2 block radius. The Bellwether also features an in-house bar and restaurant, Nostalgic, with a nice outdoor patio for observing pedestrian traffic along Bardstown Road. The Bellwether is a bit further from our wedding venue, about a 45 minute walk or 10 minute drive to Copper & Kings. NOTE: Louisville Pride Festival is taking place on Bardstown Road on Saturday, September 14th, and the Bellwether is located right near the entrance to the portion of Bardstown Road that will be closed for the festival. This is a great spot for folks interested in checking out Louisville Pride Fest but it may take longer to get a ride share.

21C Museum Hotel

700 West Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202

This is the original 21c museum hotel, which is famous for being a boutique hotel that doubles as a 24-hour modern art museum. The rooms are beautifully designed and extremely comfortable. 21c’s Proof is known for being one of the best bars and restaurants in the city. 21c is on the western end of the main downtown district and is right next door to several famous Louisville attractions along Main Street, including the Louisville Slugger Museum with the world’s largest bat, the Frazier International History Museum, the Kentucky Science Center, the Muhammad Ali Center, and several distillery outposts. 21c is about a 40 minute walk or 5 minute drive from Copper & Kings.