Arriving in Louisville, KY today, check into the Drury Inn North for the next three nights.  This evening, enjoy Drury’s “Kick Back” Happy Hour with a rotating menu of free food and drink.  Then you step out to Frazier Museum for a Bourbon Reception at 7:00pm.

The Frazier History Museum is the Official Starting Point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and home of the Bourbon Trail Welcome Center.   You will see The Spirit of Kentucky Bourbon which gives a fantastic overview of the history of Bourbon and why Bourbon is so vital to Kentucky. It is also a great way to start your Bourbon Trail Experience.

You will also see a film and have a Bourbon Tasting Experience with some “Old Favorites” such as Old Forester Signature, Old Grand-Dad and Old Bardstown to start your trip off with a bang.  The Frazier is also a Museum. Artifacts on exhibit once belonged to famous politicians and celebrities, noted frontiersmen and soldiers.  No other museum in the world houses the ceremonial sword of founding father Josiah Bartlett, the family bible of legendary of pioneer Daniel Boone and so many more unique and historic artifact spanning 1,000 years of history. (HH)

You start today at the Kentucky Derby Museum located at Churchill Downs, here they celebrate the tradition, history, hospitality and pride of the world-renown event that is the Kentucky Derby.  Here is your education takes on a serious “Hatitude,” with a class on how to make your own Derby Hat.  You will discover that The Kentucky Derby is as much about watching people as it’s horses, every woman accessorizes with stylish hats.  You will also enjoy a seminar titled “Horse Talk,” where you will learn the secrets of picking a winner, including tricks like reading a horse’s eyes, ears and tails.

Following lunch on own return to the Kentucky Derby Museum for the remainder of the day.  Your group will enjoy a tour of the museum and guided walking tour of Churchill downs, featuring view of the Grandstand, Finish Line and Winner’s Circle.

Once school’s out at the Museum, it’s off to the races in Churchill Down’s Millionaires Row.  During the Derby these seats are reserved for the world’s most renowned racing enthusiasts.  Dinner is included in the Dining Room and comes with scenic vantage points from a tiered balcony overlooking the finish line.  You can also watch the races from television monitors overhead.  Plus, while you are here, you will receive Ten (10) Free $2.00 Bets to get you started. At Derby Camp you don’t have to lose your money.  (Racing available in the Spring or Fall.) (B,D)

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to love Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.  It’s iconic, it’s linked to legends and it is one of Louisville’s best-known tourist attractions.  The Slugger Museum has upped their game with an exciting new factory tour experience!  This world-famous tour now begins with a thrilling movie that transports you to the forests and mills where every Louisville Slugger bat begins.   After that, walk through the heart of our factory production line and check out never-before-seen steps in the bat-making process including the creation of the fan favorite mini-bats. Receive a mini-bat at end of tour.

After the Slugger Museum you receive you receive your Kentucky Bourbon Trail Guide Book and Passport for a day of fun on the Bourbon Trail.  First Stop is Barrels & Billets Bourbon Blending Experience.  Barrels & Billets, Louisville’s only create-and-bottle-your-own bourbon experience, invites you to step into a world where bourbon meets craftsmanship.  Located within the iconic Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, this unique experience offers bourbon enthusiasts and the bourbon curious an unparalleled blend of excitement and flavor.

You then have free time for lunch on own at 4th Street Live.  A 350,000 square foot entertainment and retail complex is located on Fourth Street between Liberty and Muhammad Ali Blvd.

Afterwards continue on with your Bourbon Tour with a visit to the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience.  It is an artisanal distillery located in downtown Louisville on Whiskey Row and celebrates the legacy of Evan Williams, Kentucky’s first distiller.

Next you take a step back in time for a Prohibition-themed distillery tour!  See the “tools” bootleggers used to make moonshine in the early ’20s when alcohol was prohibited.  Walk among a collection of historical memorabilia of the era.  You’ll hear true accounts of the crazy and often dangerous things that were done to illegally produce, transport, and sell liquor.  Experience how they handcraft liquor today and the similarities between now and then.  After the tour, wander over to our tasting bar and enjoy our spirits.

You’ll likely want to try PCS Distilling Company’s newest creation — “NULU™” a Blue Agave Reposado imported from Mexico, then brought home to Louisville to aged in Bourbon Barrels.

This evening, enjoy a dinner cruise and sightseeing on either the Mary M. Miller or the Belle of Louisville.  With that big red paddlewheel kicking up a whitewater feather trail, you cruise on the mighty Ohio River while enjoying a delicious meal. (B,D)

This morning, tour the Muhammad Ali Museum.  Explore two-and-a-half levels of interactive exhibits and multimedia pieces present Ali’s life and legacy and motivate visitors to explore their own values.  Enjoy learning about Ali’s Louisville roots, unprecedented boxing career, his social and religious convictions and global humanitarianism.

Following the tour, depart Louisville and head to Owensboro, KY, the birthplace of bluegrass music and Western Kentucky BBQ.  Arrive in time for lunch on own downtown.

The afternoon features a tour of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.  Located on the riverfront in downtown Owensboro, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is a state-of-the-art institution shining a light on the cultural music of Kentucky…Bluegrass.  Come, immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of a music built on the foundations of gospel, jazz, and blues by the Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe.  A Kentucky native he cultivated bluegrass music as a sound built on rhythm and harmonies.

The Hall of Fame tells the story of the greats who played the music including Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers and more and continues the story to present day leaders in the genre.  From Alison Krauss and Kentucky greats Ricky Skaggs and Sam Bush, to those who’ve taken bluegrass music to further heights, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is waiting for you.

Check into your hotel for the night then enjoy dinner at Moonlite BBQ, a revered BBQ mainstay known for its smoked meats (including mutton).   (B,D)

After breakfast, depart Owensboro and stop in nearby Rosine, KY for a guided tour of the Bill Monroe Homeplace.  Here the guided tours are often given by those who knew Bill or members of his family.  Step back into music history at the beautifully restored boyhood home of Bill Monroe, the “Father of Bluegrass Music.”  Imagine the musician’s life with his family high on wooded Jerusalem Ridge.

Travel continues to Nashville, TN where you arrive in time for lunch on own and some free time for a little shopping or sightseeing.

The afternoon features a visit to the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum and the Grammy Museum Gallery, an interactive facility where you can learn about every aspect of music.  Play guitars, drums & keyboards.  Record a Garth Brooks song, sing with Ray Charles or jam with Jimmy Jam.  The Musicians Hall of Fame is the only museum that actually honors the greatest musicians of all time.  Some like Jimi Hendrix are well known and others, like legendary studio musician, Hal Blaine, you’ll get to know.  It’s great fun for the whole family and will lift the curtain on the music industry in a way you haven’t seen before.

Then check into one of Nashville’s beautiful downtown hotels for a two night stay.

Tonight, you get your Honky Tonk On with dinner at restaurant and music venue Ole Red.  In the heart of Downtown, Ole Red is inspired by Opry member Blake Shelton’s clever, irreverent song about the Warden’s dog, Ole Red. (B,D)

This morning you meet your Singer/Songwriter guide for a Troubadour City Tour.  This is an “Only in Nashville” kind of experience and brings new meaning to the phrase “Entertaining Narrative.”  It’s an immersive experience blends storytelling, sightseeing, and live performance into a toe-tapping adventure through the city’s most iconic landmarks.

Lunch break today will be included at Fifth + Broadway.   With eats and entertainment for all ages, it is changing the way Nashville lives, works, and plays.  Enjoy premier shopping & ridiculously good food at Apple Store, Ariat, Free People, Cava, Hattie B’s, Shake Shack, Slim & Husky’s and much more all while taking in the downtown views. From lunch breaks to post-concert hangs, this multi-level mecca is a must-see.

This afternoon, get ready to be a Star!  Start with a group recording session at the Historic RCA Studio B.  Here legends like Elvis and Dolly have recorded timeless classics.  Then you visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, the keeper of priceless Country Music Treasures.  Your self-guided tour is a walk through history, one that leads you from the earliest folk traditions to the music that thrills millions of fans today.  Every tour ends in the Hall of Fame Rotunda, the never-ending Circle, and storied home of the inductees.

Tonight, dinner is provided by the Grand Ole Opry who manages the Opry Backstage Grill on Music Valley Drive.  They serve signature Southern Cooking paired perfectly with Live Country Music.  Here your love of food and your love of music will meet in our casually cool restaurant.  And at the Opry Backstage Grill, your waitress might even jump on the stage and sing a country favorite or two.

Next, it’s showtime.  For more than 100 years, country’s best performers have mesmerized audiences at the Grand Ole Opry – a continuously broadcast Live Radio Show.  Each Opry features a variety of new stars, superstars and the legends of music.  You’ll hear the very best in country with a little bluegrass and comedy added in.  This is live and unrehearsed, you never see the same show twice. (B,D)

After breakfast depart for home.  (B)