Louisville

Win a VIP Trip to the Kentucky Derby with Woodford Reserve

Filed under: Spirits, Events, Art, Sports

Woodford Reserve, the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, is once again honoring the country's favorite horse race with the release of a Kentucky Derby commemorative bottle (pictured above) full of their celebrated whiskey. The 2011 limited edition design features the work of award-winning artist and Virginia native Brett Amory.

Amory showcases two horses racing in those final moments towards the finish line with the only splash of color on the bottle. "The build up to the Derby is unlike any other sporting event," Amory notes. "Louisville is absolutely transformed, and people from all over the world come to join the excitement. I wanted to capture on canvas that one key moment they all came to see."

The limited edition liter-size bottle will be available in early April in 42 US states at a suggested retail price of $42.99. In addition to purchasing a true collector's item, consumers can enter Woodford Reserve's Kentucky Derby Sweepstakes with a chance to win a VIP trip to the 2012 Derby. They can enter by either registering their bottle's unique number printed on the neck label, by entering any random five digit code at www.WellCraftedDerby.com, or by mail.

Upon registering, entrants will be given a randomly-generated post position, from 1-20, for the 2011 Kentucky Derby. If the horse that starts from their assigned post position wins, he/she will be entered in the grand prize trip drawing. Official Rules are available at www.WellCraftedDerby.com; no purchase is necessary but you must be 21 or older to participate.

Tags: art, bourbon, contests, equestrian, horse racing, horses, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, Louisville, Virginia, whiskey, whisky, Woodford Reserve

The Classicist: Thoroughbreds, Bourbon and Private Planes from Flexjet

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Wings, Events, Sports, The Classicist

The Classicist: Thoroughbreds, Bourbon and Private Planes from Flexjet

Private jet juggernaut Flexjet is offering an alluring incentive to new fractional owners via a promotion with Kentucky's Keeneland, one of the world's leading thoroughbred racing and auction facilities. The three-day Unbridled experience centers around the 2011 Breeders' Cup World Championships this fall. Known as the thoroughbred industry's most prestigious championship event, the Breeders' Cup attracts fierce competition for the richest prize-money event in the world with over $26 million in purses at stake. There's a lot more to the Unbridled experience, however, as you'd expect considering the cost for a 1/16th fraction (or 50 hours / year) on one of the company's Learjet 40XRs starts at $362,500.

Each owner and their guest will enjoy the Breeders' Cup races in the comfort of a finish-line owner's suite at the iconic Churchill Downs, one of the world's greatest racetracks and home of the Kentucky Derby, as well as an invitation to attend sun-up morning workouts. A one-on-one meeting with a renowned thoroughbred trainer and an insider's look at a famed horse farm are also in the offing. The Unbridled experience is available in limited quantities at no extra charge for Flexjet customers purchasing a new fractional share now through June 12, 2011; the all-inclusive experience takes place November 3 - 6.

Gallery: Flexjet Unbridled Experience

Tags: 21c Museum Hotel, Bombardier, bourbon, Breeders Cup, Buffalo Trace, Churchill Downs, distillery, equestrian, events, Flexjet, fractional ownership, horse breeding, horse farm, horse racing, horses, jets, Keeneland, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, lear+jet45, Learjet, learjet45, Louisville, luxury travel, Private jet, private plane, spirits, sports, stables, the South, thoroughbred, whiskey

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Upper River Road, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home sits high above the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky. This brick Tudor is on five acres of gardens and lawns. Designed by architects Nevin & Morgan in 1937, this brick Tudor-style home has a formal living room with decorative leaded celerestory windows and a banquet-sized dining room. A beautiful charcoal-gray library lies behind the center hall (alas, the chandelier is not being sold with the home), and accesses the terrace and gardens through French doors. A breakfast room with original cabinetry and a sitting room are located near the kitchen. The kitchen has a Viking professional range, Northland designer series refrigerator with matching beverage and wine cooler, ample cabinetry and hardwood countertops.

The master suite offers plenty of storage with a wall of custom cabinetry. It has an adjoining bath and large connecting bedroom used as a sitting room. Four additional bedrooms and two baths are located on the second level and the third floor contains one large and two smaller bedrooms as well as a craft or wrap room, and TV room. Outside a cobbled pathway leads to the broad limestone terrace at the back of the home, which overlooks the formal English garden. The property also has a carriage house with a two-room apartment over the four-car garage. This home is listed at $2.35 million.

Gallery: Upper River Road

Tags: estate of the day, kentucky real estate, louisville, louisville real estate

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Emeril Lagasse Heads New Kentucky Food Festival

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

Louisville Kentucky's Churchill Downs will be the setting for a new food and wine festival called Fork, Cork and Style. The event, scheduled for September 12 from 1:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at Churchill Downs racetrack will feature chef Emeril Lagasse among other celebrity chefs who will offer cooking demonstrations. A wine testing will feature Grgich Hills, Jordan Winery, Cloudy Bay and many more. Festival tickets run from just $15 (for festival admission and the first plate of food) to as much as $500 for a VIP ticket that includes a meet and greet with celebrity chefs, reserved seating at the cooking demo stage, access to the wine tasting and VIP parking.

[via Wave 3]

Tags: churchill downs, emeril lagasse, food festival, food festivals, kentucky, louisville, wine festival, wine festivals

Win a VIP Trip to the Kentucky Derby with Woodford Reserve

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Art

Woodford Reserve, the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, has unveiled its limited-edition commemorative bottle for this year's event. The 2010 bottle features the work of nationally-acclaimed, Louisville-based artist Jeaneen Barnhart, and also includes a chance to win a trip to the Derby.

Barnhart's image depicts the vibrancy and intensity of Kentucky Derby racehorses as the jockeys charge toward the finish line. The artist's signature adorns the neck of the bottle, and an attached neck tag bears information about the artist and product.

The limited edition liter-size bottle will be available later this month in 42 U.S. states at a suggested retail price of $42.99. In addition to purchasing a true collector's item, consumers can enter Woodford Reserve's Kentucky Derby Sweepstakes with a chance to win a VIP trip to the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

Though no purchase is necessary, buyers can enter by registering their bottle's unique number, printed on the neck label, at www.WellCraftedDerby.com. Upon registering they will be given a randomly-generated post position, from 1-20, for the 2010 Derby. If the horse that starts from their assigned post position wins, he/she will be entered in the grand prize trip drawing.

For the twelfth year in a row Woodford Reserve Bourbon has been selected the "Official Bourbon of Kentucky Derby." It also sponsors a Grade I race, the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, which is run on Derby Day, May 1, 2010, and has become one of thoroughbred racing's premier turf events.

Tags: bourbon, equestrian, horseracing, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, Louisville, Woodford Reserve

Another Spooky Old Hospital Becomes Hot Real Estate

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

It's already happening in Massachusetts and New York, now the next state to turn a former mental health facility into quality real estate is Kentucky. The creepy Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville will become a 78-room boutique hotel with a spa, fitness center and meeting space for business groups. The historic landmark, which once housed tuberculosis patients is reputedly haunted and has been on a variety of televisions shows as one of the most haunted places in the U.S.

Charles Mattingly and his wife Tina, who bought the property in $225,000 for 2001 are planning to keep the ghostly theme of the building during the $18 million renovation. The couple have lived on the property for the last year and have videos that show steaks of light and glowing orbs. The Real Waverly Hills website has a file dedicated to paranormal photos. There is also a slideshow with recent photos that show a building in need of some serious work.. The Mattinglys are planning an eco-friendly hotel with a solar-powered electric system, geothermal heating, a parking structure with a rooftop garden and floors made of either cork or recycled rubber. While the couple are hoping that the ghostly allure will attract some customers they are also hoping that the hotel will attract those who may not be aware of its spooky reputation.

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Tags: haunted, kentucky, louisville, waverly hills

Win, Place or Show Luxury Kentucky Derby Packages

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events

I know, we are not even through with Christmas yet, so the Kentucky Derby and the month of May seems like a whole world away but Churchill Downs recently announced a limited number of 2007 Kentucky Derby experience packages. There are 22 packages which cost from $4,000 to $25,000. There are three experience levels: Win, Place and Show. The "Win" package is the priciest and includes two tickets to a table on Millionaires' Row for the Derby and Oaks, hotel accommodations, limo service, tickets to the Barnstable Brown Party, tickets to the Kentucky Derby Winners' Party, tickets to the press party and a tour of the stable area during workouts on Kentucky Oaks morning. There are only 4 win packages available at $25,000 each. The Place package which includes two tickets to a third-floor clubhouse box for Derby and Oaks, hotel accommodation tickets to the Kentucky Derby Winners' Party and two tickets to the press party sells for $15,000 and there are six packages available. The Show package includes two tickets to a first-floor clubhouse box for the Derby and Oaks, tickets to the Derby post position draw and tickets to the Press Party. There are 12 packages which sell for $4,000 each.

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Tags: churchill downs, horse racing, kentucky derby, KentuckyDerby, louisville

Westin To Be Part Of Louisville's Museum Plaza

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

It used to be that in Louisville, Kentucky, hotel choices were pretty simple, it was the Brown or the Seelbach. Now there are a host of exciting projects set to renovate the downtown area, some already open like the 21C Museum and Hotel and some yet to come. More plans have been revealed for the Museum Plaza, a massive project which will dominate the downtown area. It has now been announced that the 62-story skyscraper will have a 246-room Westin Hotel with a ballroom, fitness center, spa, three-meal restaurant and a bar/lounge. The project also includes luxury condos and an elevated park. The $465 million Museum Plaza project is expected to bring over 10,000 tourists per day and provide a huge boost to the Kentucky economy. Construction on the project should begin in summer 2007 and last through fall of 2010. You can watch video on the project from a local Lousiville news station here.

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Tags: condo, development, hotels, kentucky, louisville, museum plaza

Rostrevor, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

In honor of the Kentucky Derby, our estate of the day takes us to this great property in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the most beautiful houses in Old Louisville, Rostrevor was created in 1908 by design firm Carrere & Hastings. The 23-room mansion was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jouett Ross Todd. The home is built of limestone and has a Renaissance style with a red tile roof. The property has classic lines and details that include ornate moldings and stone fireplaces. There is a wood paneled library, formal dining room and a wine cellar. The landscaped grounds of over two acres include an additional lot, formal gardens, a swimming pool and a three-car garage. It is listed at $7.5 million. A few pictures of the elegant interior after the jump.

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Tags: estate of the day, kentucky, louisville, real estate, rostrevor

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Kentucky Derby Houses for Rent

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

If you are thinking of heading to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby it's still not too late to rent a local house but it will cost you. Like Super Bowl houses the Kentucky Derby options run from the relatively modest to the deeply extravagant. This five-bedroom home has a master suite with a Jacuzzi, formal dining room and a workout area. It comes with six free Derby tickets and rents for $50,000 Thursday through Saturday.

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Tags: housing rentals, kentucky, kentucky derby, KentuckyDerby, louisville

21C Museum and Hotel Opens in Louisville

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Just in time for Derby season, a new hotel has opened in Louisville, Kentucky. The 21C Museum and Hotel is located in downtown Louisville and offers 90 rooms including six suites. The rooms have high ceilings, flat-screen televisions, 450-thread-count sheets, iPods and original works of art from the owners' $10 million collection. The hotel also includes a 5,000-square-foot contemporary art museum and a fitness center as well as a new restaurant, Proof on Main that serves American cuisine with a Tuscan flair. Room start at $199, but Derby weekend is already all booked up. Given that many most of Louisville's luxury hotel options are more on the traditional side, it's nice to see a touch of modern come to downtown.

[via Hotel Newswire]

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Tags: 21c museum and hotel, 21cMuseumAndHotel, kentucky, louisville, new hotel