There were three things we had to do while visiting Louisville, Kentucky (First obviously going to the Brown Hotel and getting hot browns). As most of you probably already know Louisville is home to the famous Kentucky

Derby which is held every year on the first Sunday in May at Church Hill Downs. We were excited when we got there and headed over to the race track in hopes to witness a race or two. There were a few races that day and we got to expirience two of them before our reservations at the hotel. Parking at the track costs some money- I think around ten dollars, but since it wasn’t a major race day we were able to find street parking. Just a tip- if you are going to go to Church Hill Downs- even if you don’t intend to bet there is still a charge to get in ($3) and they only except cash. I know it’s a little rare these days but just a heads up.

It’s fun to watch the races, wander around the garden, and even try your hand at the minimum bets which are $2. We didn’t know anything about betting or what we were getting into so we stopped at the information desk and found they were pleasantly patient with us being newcomers. We actually managed to win a whole 60 cents!

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We visited Kentucky this past weekend and realized we couldn’t visit the state without a visit to Louisville and the Brown Hotel. It just had to be done. Last year for our anniversary we made Hot Browns, which is a dish the Brown Hotel is famous for and ever since then it has been a dream of ours to visit Louisville and try the original for ourselves.

The Brown Hotel, which is conveniently located in the heart of Louisville, is a gorgeous luxury hotel that originated in the 1920s. During that time people flocked to the hotel each evening for its dinner dance and would stay dancing well into the night. Because of this Chef Fred Schmidt decided to create a dish that wasn’t quite breakfast or dinner but a happy mix of both, and thus created the Hot Brown, an open-face turkey sandwich covered with bacon, tomatoes and smothered in a delicious mornay sauce. Just writing about it now is making me hungry!

This isn’t your ordinary turkey sandwich so don’t be fooled. You can get it at the J. Grahams Cafe at the Brown Hotel for a very reasonable price. I can’t tell you how perfect of a lunch this was. I ate up every bite and even finished my sister-in-laws! Please don’t make a trip to Louisville without tasting this bite of history. Watch out for copy cat Hot Browns at restaurants throughout the city- if you want the original you must visit the Brown Hotel.

And who could forget about dessert? I was told on the plane that I couldn’t leave Kentucky without trying derby pie- I mean the name itself screams Kentucky, so I was delighted to see the Brown Hotel have it on the menu. Wikipedia describes derby pie as a chocolate and pecan tart, but I would describe it as a combination pecan pie with chocolate and a warm half baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Clearly it’s indescribable and really just something you will have to experience for yourself!

The hotel was beautiful and the food and atmosphere perfect. We can’t wait for our next visit!