Essential Louisville
elcome to Bourbon City! I was excited to find that Louisville, Ken- tucky is one of the most unique and authentic destinations in the US. Louisville is a city that combines heritage with innovation, authenticity with originality and quirkiness with friendliness in true Southern style. Bour- bon literally made Louisville what it is today and there certainly is a Bourbon rage happen- ing here in Kentucky and across the country. So much so that you can’t even get your hands on certain elusive bottles, even at the distilleries themselves. More on that later. We happened to be visiting the weekend after the Kentucky Derby, which means we missed the insane crowds, however, there was a lot of Bourbon needing to be restocked!
W
We stayed at what I would consider THE most unique and quirky hotel down- town – the 21c Museum Hotel (https://
www.21cmuseumhotels.com/louisville). It starts with an encounter with a double-size replica of David (yes, THE David by Michel- angelo). Just look up when you arrive at 7th and Main St – you literally can’t miss it. The 21c Museum Hotel is a multi-venue con- temporary art museum, an award-winning 91-room boutique hotel, and home to ac- claimed Proof on Main restaurant. And an iconic Red Penguin, well actually multiple Red Penguins throughout the hotel.
It’s an Art at the 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville
There are lots of reasons people open hotels: to make money, to have fun, to satisfy their egos. Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wil- son, the owners of the 90-room 21c Museum Hotel, had a different motive: to introduce the world to their vast contemporary art collec- tion and their beloved city of Louisville at the same time. North America’s only museum dedicated solely to art in the 21st century, 21c has 9,000 square feet of gallery space that is free and open to the public 24/7. Art is so es- sential at 21c that the museum hosts rotating concerts, screenings and even Yoga with Art classes. Re-purposing the former home of a series of 19th-century warehouses; architec- ture and interiors firm Deborah Berke Partners designed 21c Louisville to reflect both its historical bones and its contemporary new life. The rooms are exquisite and spacious with high ceilings and large windows. Some even feature original historic features such as exposed brick walls, and all are outfitted with custom-designed furniture, luxurious beds and bedding, plush robes, and Malin + Goetz bath amenities – my favorite! You even get your own personal rubber ducky.
38 Natural Nutmeg - November/December 2019
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
