When was the last time you vacationed in Louisville? If it’s been more than a year or two, we invite you to come back and stay at the Inn at Woodhaven while experiencing some exciting new places and activities that have recently opened up around town. While it’s still great to visit Churchill Downs or hit the Bourbon Trail, we are sure you’ll want to work these three things on our list to your next Louisville vacation itinerary.
Enso Louisville
1758 Frankfort Ave.
Louisville, KY 40206
Our first stop is Enso Louisville, a restaurant located in Louisville’s Clifton neighborhood. Opened in Fall 2023, Enso is a culinary experience. With an a la carte menu that is served as soon as the food is prepared, it’s a rare opportunity to experience food at its peak and really focus your attention on just one or a few dishes at a time. Kentucky-born chef, Laurence Weeks, is responsible for Enso’s impressive menu that “interlinks Japanese and Southern culture to create thoughtful and authentic dishes.” Weeks trained under James Beard-recognized chef Todd Richards, who encouraged Weeks to “find his roots in food.” The result is a unique array of Asian flavors, creatively combined with local comfort foods.
While most visitors to Louisville have bourbon on the brain, it’s worth expanding your beverage horizons with Enso’s extensive sake and Japanese whiskey menu. Their food menu makes it a challenge to choose, with homemade udon noodles and coal-grilled dishes. One of our favorites is their lamb meatball skewers that are served with a Kentucky black bbq glaze and pickles. While you’re at it, be sure to try their dry-aged wagyu beef Tataki with a Louisiana tea and soy rub, and french bleu cheese. And definitely don’t leave until you’ve had their Japanese fried chicken… or maybe their octopus hushpuppies. Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong!
Important to Note: Enso is open Wednesday through Sunday and reservations are highly recommended.
Louisville Food Tours
900 E Main St
Louisville, KY 40204
We’ve got plenty of bourbon tours and museum tours, but have you ever been on a food tour? It’s time for you to experience Louisville Food Tours during your next vacation. With tours ranging from three to five hours, it’s a great way to hit several Louisville foodie spots while also enjoying an informative audio tour and getting some light to moderate exercise (see their Boards & Bites: Stand-up Paddleboard and food tour option).
Louisville Food Tours features several different types of excursions, with both daytime and evening tour options, including their Highlands Heritage Tastes & Tales Tour, Beyond the Barrel Bourbon Food Tour, and Phantoms of Prohibition Cocktails, Bites & Ghosts Tour.. We love their NuLu Food & History Tour, which is three hours long and includes six stops in the fun and funky NuLu neighborhood and historic Butchertown. It’s a great way to maximize your local Kentucky flavor experience with bourbon balls, fried chicken, and more.
Be sure to research which tour you’d like in advance so that you can plan it into your itinerary. Each walk is approximately 1 to 1.5 miles, so wear comfortable shoes. We love the fact that they keep their tour groups to about 12 people max and offer lightweight audio headsets, so you can always hear the guide regardless of where you are in the group or what local noise is around. With over 700 reviews and a 5-star rating, this is an activity you will not want to miss!
Important to note: Tours are rain or shine, but they do have umbrellas if need be.
The Local Seltzery NuLu
828 East Main St.
Louisville, KY 40206
Our final recommendation offers a trending light and refreshing way to whet your whistle. The Local Seltzery is new to the NuLu neighborhood and has become a favorite for folks looking for a unique beverage experience. Brothers, Braxton and Clay, started The Local Seltzery for people who had hopped on the seltzer trend, but wanted a cleaner and better taste. The Local Seltzery has really paid attention to details, both in the design of their modern venue and their choice of all-natural ingredients.
Start your experience by either choosing an alcohol base, such as Tito’s vodka or Conciere tequila, or go non-alcoholic. Then selection from one (or more) of their flavor additions like jalapeno pineapple, blueberry cobbler, or their most popular honeydew black-ras. If you’re like us and have a difficult time narrowing it down to just one, consider doing a flight of three or six beverages and find your personal favorite. Either way, The Local Seltzery will satisfy your thirst and save you calories over some of Louisville’s other beverage options.
Important to note: Create the perfect concoction that you want to enjoy again later? They can create your cocktail in a to-go can for you to crack open when you return to the Inn at Woodhaven or wherever your vacation takes you.
A Historic Favorite– Refreshed!
If you are a previous guest of the Inn at Woodhaven, but haven’t stayed with us in a while, we’d love to welcome you back to Louisville and show off our own property refresh. From new Stearns & Foster mattresses to thoughtfully renovated bathrooms and new decor, we strive to bring you the best of historic charm and comfortable, modern features.
We hope you’ll take a look at our redesigned rooms and will book your next Louisville vacation with us. We’re a small business that is here to support and uplift our small business community, so please ask us questions about where to go and what to do as you plan your trip. That’s just one of the personalized perks that our bed and breakfast has to offer (but also caramel french toast casserole!).
