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Where to eat
Harvest White walls and plain tables let the details shine: attentive service, exquisite seasonal fare and oversize portraits of the farmers whose, ahem, harvest fills your plate. (502) 384-9090; harvestlouisville.com
Hillbilly Tea A sunny cafe offers loose-leaf brews and a creative menu with backwoods flair. (502) 587-7350; hillbillytea.com
Lilly’s This “Kentucky bistro” serves inventive dishes like fried oysters with grits, chipotle butter and spinach. (502) 451-0447; lillyslapeche.com
Lynn’s Paradise Cafe Other spots have better food and shorter lines, but Lynn’s is a kitschy classic. Browse the goofy gift shop before digging into boulder-size biscuits. (502) 583-3447
Mayan Cafe The cuisine of the Yucatán Peninsula inspires innovative dishes. The lima beans are legendary. Don’t hold your nose. Just try ’em. (502) 566-0651; themayancafe.com
Toast on Market Our pick at this popular breakfast-lunch cafe: lemon souffle pancakes. (502) 569-4099; toastonmarket.com
Wagner’s Pharmacy Featured in Secretariat, this utterly unfroufrou drugstore diner serves the Churchill Downs crowd. (502) 375-3800; wagnerspharmacy.com
Where to stay
Brown Hotel Historic hotel fans will love the updated rooms. In the ornate lobby bar, try a Hot Brown, a turkey sandwich created here nearly a century ago. From $159. (888) 888-5252; brownhotel.com
21c Museum Hotel Everything just works: stylish rooms, free exhibits, hip hospitality and delicious food at Proof. From $260. (877) 217-6400; 21cmuseumhotels.com
For more information: Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau (800) 626-5646; gotolouisville.com
(A version of this story appeared in Midwest Living® September/October 2012.)
