Click here to read my first post about my trip to Louisville and support my blog by buying the trip itinerary in the shop.

Cherry on top: when you and your friend are aligned in how early you want to get to the airport. Rachel and I fell in this category. We met at my parents’ house as they’re 20 minutes from the airport and my mom kindly offered to drop us off. Thanks, mom!

We consulted the weather multiple times, discussed all our clothing layers and outfit plans, and concluded we’d bring umbrellas. It. Was. Time. The weather while we’d be in Louisville should’ve been a high of 61 and a low of 47 degrees Fahrenheit, but once we got there, it was definitely colder. I don’t think it was above 56 degrees Fahrenheit for the duration of our trip. Not awful, but a stark difference from the sunny warmth of South Florida in April.

We got to the airport and security took no time at all. If you don’t have global entry or TSA pre-check, I highly recommend it, especially as security wait times increase due to staffing shortages. It makes traveling easier and more comfortable, like getting to keep your shoes on during screenings. Ew airport floors. As we were vastly early for our mid-afternoon flight, we hung out in the American Airlines lounge and got some snacks. Neither of us like to be rushed and this set the relaxed tone for our trip.

Our plane was a small one, like those used for regional flights. It had maybe 25-30 rows with two seats on each side. I took the window as I’d fall asleep and Rachel kept herself busy in the aisle for the 2 hour 15 minute trip. The flight was slightly turbulent, which made us both uncomfortable but thankfully it was nothing severe. My mom reminded me that we were likely flying over the tornado storms that were occurring across the southern states.

Upon landing, it was an easy 15 minute Uber ride to our hotel downtown, the Aloft Louisville Downtown. It was a busy weekend for the city! In our few days there, we saw: baseball teams, soccer teams, dance teams, and families going to Disney on Ice. The hotel is on the block diagonal from the KFC Yum! Center. It was a spacious room for the two of us for the trip.

After freshening up, we had dinner at Doc Crows. It was a delicious way to start off the trip. We shared pimento beer cheese and chips. I ordered a veggie burger while Rachel picked the pulled pork and mac’n’cheese. And we each had a drink too! After dinner, we strolled down the block and found this grungy pub called Troll Pub Under the Bridge. They were closed but I still snapped this picture with the bridge troll. Maybe next time, he’ll let me pass through…

It wasn’t too late at this point, about 9:30 p.m., so wandered into another bar down the street from the hotel. Their last call was at 10 but we took our drinks to go and called it a night! Once back inside, we had fun with sheet face masks I brought with me and rested up for our first day of tours. We were starting off with Angel’s Envy!