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LEX Horse & Bourbon DO XXI, April 21-23, 2023

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Old Apr 16, 2023, 2:13 pm
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Last edit by: HPN-HRL
TENTATIVE ITINERARY

Thursday 4/20
10:30am - TOUR Lux Row Distillers, Bardstown, KY (if interested in joining, book your own advance reservation)

12:00n (approximate) - LUNCH at the restaurant at Bardstown Bourbon Company or, if full, somewhere in downtown Bardstown

3:30pm - TOUR Preservation Distillery, Bardstown, KY (if interested in joining, book your own advance reservation)

6:30pm - DINNER at Heirloom, Midway, KY
  • cocobird
  • Herb687
  • icurhere2
  • HPN-HRL (not definite)


Friday 4/21
1:00pm - Maybe races at Keeneland

BOGO BOURBON at Chevy Chase Inn? Arrive before 5:30 and order, 2nd will be 1/2 price
5:15 HPN-HRL

6:45pm - DINNER at Merrick Inn, cocobird is managing that reservation
  • cocobird +3
  • Herb687
  • rxgeek + 1
  • HPN-HRL



Saturday 4/22
???



Sunday 4/23
8:59am - BREAKFAST and BOURBON BALL COFFEES at Stella's







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LEX Horse & Bourbon DO XXI, April 21-23, 2023

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Old Jan 20, 2023, 7:39 pm
  #1  
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LEX Horse & Bourbon DO XXI, April 21-23, 2023

NB: Quick post to get this up so people can reserve flights/hotels. Likely to edit some later.

Dates are set, April 21-23, 2023, for our 21st gathering, to visit Keeneland, horse farms, and bourbon distilleries and enjoy some southern food and hospitality. We also visit brewpubs and have the best ice cream in KY (bourbon honey is my favorite). Sometimes there are even MS opportunities at a convenient Officemax and/or good fuel reward opportunities at Kroger. And of course we share lots of miles/travel/points talk.

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.

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.

https://www.keeneland.com

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 classic southern breakfast available to the public. You may even meet a famous jockey or trainer.

Admission for the races is $5 as I recall. Someone may organize a group purchase of premium seats for a few dollars more (under cover) if desired. Tailgating in the free parking lot before entering the grounds is a classic event.

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, where most of the flavor originates.

"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. Stop at West Sixth Brewing? They have picnic-style tables and there is a seafood takeout counter next door. A new little distillery next door has tours.
6. Drinks/pub? The Chevy Chase Inn, the oldest bar in LEX, is co-owned by a friend and for Happy Hour W/F/Sun at 5:30, you get a free one of whatever you have ordered, except for super-top-level bourbon, which is 50% off for a second shot. These can be shots you'd almost never find elsewhere.
7. Afterparty at some hotel, maybe the Hyatt Regency downtown?

SATURDAY

1. POSSIBLE:

1. 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. May then go out to dinner/dessert place. Various possibilities.
4. Drinks?
5. Afterparty at some hotel?

SUNDAY

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

MONDAY

Usually people depart Sunday, but some stay longer. Activities to be determined on the fly.

TUESDAY

Likely my departure day.

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).
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; here is one such listing, but there are tons of other fantastic donut shops all over: http://www.kentuckymonthly.com/explore/places/cycling-the-doughnut-trail/
8. See "Cocaine Bear" (https://kyforky.com/blogs/journal/cocaine-bear) about which there is a new feature movie (which looks utterly horrible judging from the trailer).

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

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 tiny 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.

If you are flying in, check LEX, SDF, and CVG particularly, the latter two since you very well may want to rent a car anyway. Interstate all the way from those airports. Avios can work very well from PHL, ORD, CLT, and DFW to LEX. AA often offers reduced AAwards to/from LEX.

Other airports to consider (all easy access via interstate, ~3 hours max): CMH, DAY, CRW, IND.

Lexington is very easy to get around, but you'll need to have a car or share with someone. Public transportation is hopeless. 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 good Uber service 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.

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.

On the northeast part of town there is a Costco with a ton of bourbon at good prices. You never know what they will have.

The Liquor Barn chain is good and gives military discounts.

Many of us have stayed at the Hyatt Regency downtown, a cat 2 property. Centrally located. Free parking for all Hyatt guests (and likely anybody if there are no events at the Convention Center), as they use the giant 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

Very nice buffet in non-COVID times, including custom egg station and best gravy to pour over biscuits I ever had at a standard hotel. Full-service Hilton is across the street. New Marriott and Residence Inn likewise a few blocks east. 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


MAYBE/INTERESTED


CANNOT MAKE IT/UNLIKELY

Last edited by toomanybooks; Jan 22, 2023 at 11:28 am
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Old Jan 21, 2023, 10:35 am
  #2  
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I'm interested, though won't be able to confirm just yet as I don't know my work schedule beyond the first weekend of April. Out of curiosity, is there some major event also happening the same weekend? I've always gotten dirt cheap rates at the HR LEX, though even my Gov rate is unavailable and it was quoting me $300+/night
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Old Jan 21, 2023, 4:17 pm
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Originally Posted by FriendlySkies
I'm interested, though won't be able to confirm just yet as I don't know my work schedule beyond the first weekend of April. Out of curiosity, is there some major event also happening the same weekend? I've always gotten dirt cheap rates at the HR LEX, though even my Gov rate is unavailable and it was quoting me $300+/night
Not sure. Did not see anything huge scheduled at the LEX visitor center website.

They have rooms at 8000 Hyatt points a night, just checked. Probably should grab that.
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Old Jan 21, 2023, 5:17 pm
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Originally Posted by toomanybooks
Not sure. Did not see anything huge scheduled at the LEX visitor center website.

They have rooms at 8000 Hyatt points a night, just checked. Probably should grab that.
Got it. In any event, I secured a room for the weekend. I may drive, though haven't decided as of yet.
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Old Jan 21, 2023, 5:36 pm
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Originally Posted by toomanybooks
They have rooms at 8000 Hyatt points a night, just checked. Probably should grab that.
Yep, I'm not 100% sure I can make April this year but I booked a placeholder.
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Old Jan 23, 2023, 6:50 am
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As usual, I am in! Arriving Tuesday the 18th, although I will be away from LEX Wednesday night (the 19th). A suite is reserved for me at the Hyatt Regency; expect it to be open to all attendees most (if not all) evenings through the weekend for chit-chat, relaxation, and most likely some nice potent potables.
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Old Jan 24, 2023, 12:25 pm
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Originally Posted by FriendlySkies
I'm interested, though won't be able to confirm just yet as I don't know my work schedule beyond the first weekend of April. Out of curiosity, is there some major event also happening the same weekend? I've always gotten dirt cheap rates at the HR LEX, though even my Gov rate is unavailable and it was quoting me $300+/night
Hotel rates in LEX have been going up and up. I see the Marriott is now in the $350-$400/night range for this weekend which is actually an improvement from a couple months ago when our DO weekend was pricing out in the high $400s and up. Seems like for past DOs post-COVID that Marriott even had nightly rates in the low $600s for certain nights. Insanity.

Anyway, I have a points reservation booked at the Marriott for now. I will keep an eye on cash rates around town and rebook if something decent comes up.

Public Service Announcement that Keeneland tickets go on sale Feb 14 at 0900 ET.

Last edited by Herb687; Jan 24, 2023 at 12:43 pm
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Old Jan 24, 2023, 5:02 pm
  #8  
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Newest member of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

https://wildernesstraildistillery.com
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Old Jan 25, 2023, 6:15 am
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Have flights and hotel booked. Bringing at least one friend with the possibility of a second one coming.
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Old Jan 25, 2023, 7:04 am
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Just checked and rooms on points are no longer available. If someone with a placeholder decides not to go, could you transfer a reservation to me? While I have a room, one of my friends does not.
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Old Jan 25, 2023, 7:10 am
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Found the reason for the hotels charging sky high prices. On April 22, Lizzo performing at Rupp and on April 25 Kenny Chesney follows. So unlikely award space will be made unless people refuse to pay over $400 for rooms and the hotel opens up at the last minute.
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Old Jan 26, 2023, 12:29 pm
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Put me down as a maybe for now.

Originally Posted by Herb687
Hotel rates in LEX have been going up and up. I see the Marriott is now in the $350-$400/night range for this weekend which is actually an improvement from a couple months ago when our DO weekend was pricing out in the high $400s and up. Seems like for past DOs post-COVID that Marriott even had nightly rates in the low $600s for certain nights. Insanity.

Anyway, I have a points reservation booked at the Marriott for now. I will keep an eye on cash rates around town and rebook if something decent comes up.

Public Service Announcement that Keeneland tickets go on sale Feb 14 at 0900 ET.
Yeah, the Marriott is great but always expensive on DO weekends. The Residence Inn next door is available right now for $284 a night, a bit less with BreakAway or AAA rates - I'm booked there this time.
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Old Jan 26, 2023, 3:12 pm
  #13  
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The Hyatt Place, about 15 minutes away, is still only 5k. I imagine there are plenty of other deals around
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Old Jan 30, 2023, 4:56 pm
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I have made reservations for Friday, April 21 at 6:45 pm for eight people at Merrick Inn. I have a friend coming, so that leaves room for six others.
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Old Jan 31, 2023, 9:22 pm
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Originally Posted by cocobird
I have made reservations for Friday, April 21 at 6:45 pm for eight people at Merrick Inn. I have a friend coming, so that leaves room for six others.
Count me in! I'll most likely be driving to the DO, but I should arrive with plenty of time for the dinner.
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