FlyerTalk Forums - LEX Horse & Bourbon DO XV, October 3-6, 2019

Dates are set, October 3-6, 2019, for our 15th LEX gathering, to visit Keeneland, horse farms, and bourbon distilleries and enjoy some southern food and hospitality, likely including a lakeside party on Saturday afternoon. The schedule given below is likely to be altered as time goes on. Different people want different things, or have already been on specific tours, so we do not run around as a group the whole weekend.

I did a poll and this, the first weekend of the fall race meet, was preferred at least 2-1 over the following weekend.

EVOLVING TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Nothing is mandatory during the whole weekend of course. Do what you like. I would appreciate a general heads-up on things you are doing in case reservations or food procurement is involved. Restaurants get testy if there are no-shows on Keeneland weekends.

Keeneland is a gorgeous racetrack, one of the best in the world. Owned by a charitable foundation, it is maintained beautifully. You can get very close to the horses, attend morning workouts with breakfast available, and see KY derby contenders. There is a track kitchen with southern breakfast offered to the public.

Admission for the races is $5. For an additional $5, you can get a reserved seat under cover. Sometimes we do that, sometimes not. Someone will organize a group purchase if desired.

https://www.keeneland.com/

Bourbon is a US-only product, and about 95% is made in KY, mostly because the limestone-filtered water is perfect for it and the variable seasons/barometric pressure cause the aging product to expand into and be forced back out of the wood.

"Smithsonian" magazine has listed the KY Bourbon trail as a Top Ten tourist activity in the US.

.

THURSDAY

1. Some folks arrive, including me.
2. Probably beers back at the hotel or maybe Beer Trappe or Country Boy or Ethereal (see below).

FRIDAY

1. Most people arrive.
2. Keeneland at 1 pm?
3. Bourbon tours (see above, or on your own)
4. Lunch undefined
5. Dinner/beers at West Sixth Brewing? They have picnic-style tables and there is a seafood takeout counter next door
6. Drinks/pub?
7. Afterparty at some hotel, maybe the Hyatt Regency downtown? I have Globalist, so maybe that will get us something.

SATURDAY

1. POSSIBLE:

Morning visit to an Icelandic horse farm, run by a high school friend of mine and her daughter. Between LEX and Louisville. See training, babies, etc. Lettleiki Icelandics ? Icelandic Horses, Boarding, Shows and More It is about 25 miles past Four Roses, so the trip could be combined somehow.
2. Keeneland. 1:05 pm. Many people go for 2-3 hours, but there are about 9 races, 30 minutes apart.
3. Not sure about the potluck/party at my parents', as in DOs past. Maybe.
4. Or go out to dinner. Various possibilities.
5. Drinks?
6. Afterparty at some hotel?

SUNDAY

1. Brunch at Stella's (see below). ~9:00 am.
2. Maybe Icelandic horses today
3. Usually go to Barrel House Distilling at 11 am (5 minutes from Stella's). Pizza, ice cream, brewpub in the same complex.
4. Keeneland 1 pm?. LEX is across the street. Depart directly.
5. And/or another bourbon tour?.

OVERVIEW

For those not familiar, what we have done in the past is:

1. Go to Keeneland (one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world) (Home Keeneland) including breakfast on the backstretch
2. Hit a couple nice restaurants during the weekend
3. Consume some adult beverages, perhaps at Country Boy (Country Boy Brewing) or the Beer Trappe, a Top 100 US beer bar (The Beer Trappe ? LEXINGTON?S FIRST CRAFT BEER STORE!) or Ethereal Brewing (Ethereal Brewing Co. Craft Brewing out of Lexington, KY). The last one has a nice outdoor deck and is next to a good ice cream parlor, pizza place, and excellent bourbon bar. One of my best high school friends is a part-owner of the Chevy Chase Inn, supposedly Lexington's oldest bar, where they have a private back patio and live music sometimes. And 2-for-1 on everything Wed/Fri/Sun at 5:30. Free chili dogs Saturday afternoon and a $1.50 Bloody Mary. (https://www.facebook.com/chevychaseinn/)
4. Visit a horse farm or two
5. Tour one or more bourbon distilleries on the KY Bourbon Trail (http://kybourbontrail.com), including the newer Craft Bourbon Trail.
6. Dinner somewhere like City Barbecue (http://www.citybbq.com), Columbia's Steakhouse, Village Idiot, or other fine establishment.

Or maybe somewhere else for a KY specialty like a Hot Brown. Top 10 Hot Brown competition 2016:

http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/...n-in-kentucky/

A plate with toast, sliced turkey, sometimes sliced country ham, Mornay sauce, sometimes cheddar cheese sauce, a couple strips of bacon, some sliced tomato, a bit of Parmesan/Romano cheese, baked in the oven. A "heart-attack-on-a-plate." Fantastic, one of the world's best comfort foods.

https://www.brownhotel.com/dining/hot-brown

(There is not as much cheese on there as it appears!)

8. Try other KY specialties, such as beer cheese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_cheese_(spread). Others are discussed here: (Cuisine of Kentucky - Wikipedia)
9. We always have Sunday brunch at Stella's (www.stellaskentuckydeli.com), for real southern fare including Bourbon Ball Coffee, genuine southern biscuits and gravy, locally fresh-ground grits with cheese, unparalleled tomato bisque, etc. They made the "Top 10 KY Hot Brown" list linked above.
This will be reserved for 8:45-9:00 am.

10. Some folks go to Keeneland again, with LEX conveniently across the street for a last-second departure.

Other things to visit in the area:

1. Shakertown, the restored Shaker community outside LEX: http://shakervillageky.org/
2. Mary Todd Lincoln's girlhood home. Future president courted her there: http://www.mtlhouse.org/
3. Ashland, grand home of Henry Clay, the "Great Compromiser": Henry Clay - Henry Clay
4. Hiking, perhaps at Red River Gorge: Red River Gorge Online
5. KY has one of the best state parks systems in the country: Best Kentucky State Parks - State Parks - KY State Parks
6. Berea College, where there is no tuition and the students work for their education; great restaurant: https://www.berea.edu/
7. Kentucky Donut Trail: This website is currently unavailable.

AIRLINES SERVING LEX: http://www.bluegrassairport.com/airlines.html

Alerted by krazycanuck, as of November 2017, the bar at LEX is now part of the Priority Pass network. $28 free per person per visit, it appears. That's almost 4 bourbon-barrel-aged beers at the bar! At that point you will not care if your flight is late.
https://www.prioritypass.com/en/loun...5-ec854aba7e77

If you cannot get award space or a good fare into LEX, keep trying. At least on AA (including with Avios), it opens up often.

WN NOW FLIES TO CVG, which as result has gone from one of the most expensive in the US to well down the list.

There is an airline club at LEX, with access for the following:

AA Admirals Club
DL Sky Club
UA Red Carpet Club
"Day Passes," presumably Priority Pass (?) and maybe for anyone. Perhaps also free for military.

Other airports to consider (all easy access via interstate, ~3 hours max): SDF, CMH, CVG, DAY, CRW, IND. SDF and CVG are the closest.

Lexington is very easy to get around, but you'll need to have a car or share with someone. Public transportation is hopeless. It's not as much of a pain as usual to fly into an airport with an hour drive, since you'll likely have to rent a car anyway. Please post if you are driving in and can bring someone, or if you are looking for a ride.

Taxis are available, but expensive and time-consuming to wait for. They have Uber in LEX. Recent quote per driver for normal charges: approx 80 cents a mile plus 16 cents a minute. The airport tends to be a bit expensive to fly into/out of, but Avios redemptions work well for cities like ORD, DFW, CLT, or wherever you can get a nonstop flight. Or you can fly into one of the alternate airports given above and rent a car; some beautiful scenery along the way.

bk3day scored a nice UA bump out of LEX a few years ago, as did iris30 on AA. Those planes can get quite crowded during Keeneland.

Party Central has historically been at the SPG 4 Points, a low-category BONVOY! hotel on the north side of town.

Low redemptions (12.5K), near I-64/I-75 intersection. At this writing about $176 plus tax. However, reports from 2017 are that it is slipping. But pretty inexpensive and OK.

PLEASE WEIGH IN ON HOTEL IDEAS.

In April 2019 I stayed at the Hyatt Regency downtown along with several others. As I said above, I am Globalist. If I reserve for you, you inherit my status. So that's free buffet breakfast, late checkout, possible upgrade, etc. Free parking for all Hyatt guests, as they use the giant Convention Center lot across the street.

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/ke...exington/lexrl

HYATT REGENCY LEXINGTON
401 West High Street
Lexington, Kentucky, USA, 40507
Tel: +1 859 253 1234

Hyatt category 2. As I write in mid-May, it's 8000 points vs. over $300 if you stay Thurs-Sun. Stay over until Monday and it drops by $75 a night.

Very nice buffet, including best gravy to pour over biscuits I ever had at a standard hotel. Full-service Hilton is across the street. Other hotels not far. Walking distance to plenty of restaurants/bars.

Any spot in LEX to any other is only about 20-25 minutes driving max, so where you stay is not 100% important.

Youtube channel for Lexington, with some nice material:

Bourbon news from the Lexington "Herald-Leader": Search Lexington Herald Leader

Please post if you are definite, maybe, or can't but want to consider another time.

ATTENDING/Likely
u2fan
ChrisFlyer66
cocobird
Governator
Grjapp
HPN-HRL
krazykanuck
Long Train Runnin
MSPeconomist
toomanybooks plus one
Zorak

MAYBE/INTERESTED

CANNOT MAKE IT, or unlikely