Bourbon & Belonging

Walking Food & History Tours

Experience Louisville one bite at a time on a guided food tour.

Louisville Food Tours is excited to offer two guided food tour options exclusively for participants of Bourbon & Belonging, the first ever inclusive Bourbon festival in the country! Read on for details about each option.

Pride Plates: A Taste of Kentucky’s Queer History history and food tour feature image by Louisville Food Tours
Pride Plates: A Taste of Queer Kentucky History

Come out with us and explore the queer stories of Louisville’s past and present as you eat and drink your way through Louisville’s gay epicenter!

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Mint cocktail at Bar Genevieve in Louisville Kentucky on a bourbon food tour
Beyond the Barrel Bourbon Food Tour

Explore the taste, history, and impact of bourbon through expertly paired bites, pours and cocktails designed to unlock bourbon’s depth and versatility.

Learn More
Buy Tickets

Pride Plates: A Taste of Queer Kentucky History

Come out with us and explore the queer stories of Louisville’s past and present as you eat and drink your way down Bardstown Road, Louisville’s gay epicenter!

As you stroll through the lush avenues of historic Cherokee Triangle, you’ll taste classic Kentucky bites such as fried chicken, spoonbread, and shrimp and grits paired with a selection of bourbon cocktails. Along the way, you’ll uncover the diverse history of Kentucky’s Queer folx, from a Black Prohibition-era drag queen to the poets, authors, and activists that paved the way for Kentucky’s Queer community.

Over the 2.5 hours you’ll spend with us, you’ll enjoy …

  • 5 Delicious dishes representing Louisville & Kentucky
  • 4 Refreshing bourbon cocktails
  • Fascinating stories of Kentucky’s queer history and its home-grown artists, authors, and activists
  • Audio headset (to help you hear your guide)

TOUR DETAILS

  • Time: Thursday, October 3, 6-8:30 PM
  • Distance: 1.5 miles, flat
  • Duration: 2.5 hours
  • Food Stops: 4 stops for local dishes & drinks
  • Capacity: 12 per tour
  • Accessibility: Wheelchair and stroller friendly
  • Starts At: Meet outside of 1321 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY
  • Ends At: Chill Bar on Bardstown Road
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Bourbon Bottles at Taste Fine Wines on the Bourbon Food Tour in NuLu with Louisville Food Tours in Louisville Kentucky
Guide and guests on the sidewalk in NuLu on a food tour with Louisville Food Tours
Food at Nami on the Bourbon Food Tour in NuLu with Louisville Food Tours Louisville Kentucky
Twilight over the skyline in Louisville, Kentucky from a rooftop bar
Cocktail in speakeasy on bourbon food tour in Louisville Kentucky
Bourbon and cheese pairing in NuLu, Louisville, Kentucky
Dessert cookie plate at Bar Genevieve in Louisville Kentucky on a bourbon food tour
Gertie' Whiskey Bar a speakeasy in NuLu Louisville
Cocktail and food at Nami on Bourbon Food Tour in NuLu with Louisville Food Tours in Louisville Kentucky
Tour guide and group at Taste Fine Wine and Bourbons on the Bourbon Food Tour in NuLu with Louisville Food Tours Louisville Kentucky
Mint cocktail at Bar Genevieve in Louisville Kentucky on a bourbon food tour

Beyond the Barrel Bourbon Food Tour

Explore the taste, history, and impact of bourbon on the world’s only walking bourbon food tour! Led by expert guides, you’ll explore the complex notes of bourbon through expertly paired bites and cocktails that highlight the surprising versatility of Kentucky’s beloved amber spirit.

As you explore the vibrant NuLu neighborhood, you’ll discover hidden speakeasies, rooftop terraces, and cozy tasting rooms. This guided tour is both a fantastic introduction to bourbon for the uninitiated, and a master class in bourbon and food pairing for experienced aficionados.

Over the 3 hours you’ll spend with us, you’ll get …

  • 2 bourbon pours to sip and savor
  • 3 bourbon cocktails showcasing bourbon’s versatility
  • 8-10 delicious & surprising paired bites
  • Guided bourbon tasting on the Urban Bourbon Trail
  • The unfiltered history of bourbon in Kentucky
  • Jokes that we proof-tested on other people first, probably

TOUR DETAILS

  • Time: Friday, October 4, 5-8 PM
  • Distance: 1.5 miles, flat
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Food Stops: 4 stops for local dishes & drinks
  • Capacity: 12 per tour
  • Accessibility: Wheelchair and stroller friendly
  • Starts At: Meet outside of Taste Fine Wines & Bourbons in NuLu
  • Ends At: Bar Genevieve in NuLu
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What to Expect

We’ll be making several delicious stops on each of our food tours, so come hungry! In addition to food, you can expect…

Food & Drinks

You won’t leave this tour hungry OR thirsty. (Mocktails are also available.)

Audio Headset​

To help you hear us from a distance.

Small Group

Our tours max out at 12 people.

Walking

About 1.5 Miles. Wear comfy shoes!

Tour Reviews

Read why thousands of guests have rated our tours 5 stars!

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FAQ’s About This Tour

Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions about the food tours offered for Bourbon & Belonging.

No matter which tour you choose, you’ll be eating quite a bit – please arrive hungry! You will be full by the end of the tour. In addition to food, you will be enjoying refreshing cocktails (or mocktails). We serve half pours, but you might leave with an enjoyable buzz.

Yes! We make sure that every cocktail stop has an equally delicious mocktail served to anyone who’d prefer not to partake for any reason. On your tour, you’ll eat plenty of delicious food, have refreshing mocktails, admire beautiful scenery, and enjoy fascinating stories.

Each tour ends close to where it begins, and our tour guide will make sure you know exactly where to go to get back to your car.

For the Pride Plates tour on Thursday, we will leave you within a block of the evening’s Late Night Party at Chill Bar.

For the Beyond the Barrel tour on Friday, we’ll leave you about a mile away from Play in Butchertown, where the Late Night party is that evening.

Our two Bourbon & Belonging tour options are very different! Here are some comparisons to help you decide:

  • History: Thursday’s Pride Plates tour focuses on the history of Louisville and Kentucky in regards to its queer community, while Friday’s Beyond the Barrel tour focuses on the history of bourbon.
  • Food: The food and drinks featured on Pride Plates is representative of Louisville and Kentucky’s culinary heritage, while the food on Beyond the Barrel is designed to bring out complex tasting notes in each bourbon pour and cocktail.
  • Neighborhood: Pride Plates is in the lush, historic Highlands Neighborhood, while Beyond the Barrel is in the modern, urban NuLu district.

There is ample free start parking in Louisville. We always recommend parking on quieter side streets!

We are a locally-owned, small business created with the goal of telling the the story of Louisville one bite at a time on guided food & history walking tours (more about our founders here). We are particularly passionate about telling untold stories, and our tours never shy away from complex history.

To create our tours, we dive deep into research to ensure we are telling history with accuracy and respect. For instance, our Pride Plates tour was created with the wealth of historical resources available in the William Nichols collection, one of the largest Queer archival collections in the South, located right here at the University of Louisville.

It is important to us to support locally owned businesses, so we partner with as many as we can. Our staff and talented guiding team are comprised primarily of members of Louisville’s thriving theatre community.

During your tour with us, your safety and comfort is our primary concern. Please do not hesitate to let us or your guide know if you are feeling unsafe or unhappy during your tour, so that we can assist you.

Have more questions about our tours? Visit our FAQ’s page:

SEE MORE FAQ’s

Premium Bourbon Upgrade

Louisville Food Tours Premium Bourbon Package

Elevate your experience with 3 hard-to-find, top-shelf bourbon pours! You’ll also take home a custom rocks glass, sleek slate coaster, and a set of engraved whiskey stones. The perfect tour enhancement for bourbon enthusiasts and a memorable gift for birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions.

This upgrade package includes:

  • 3 Rare, premium bourbon pours
  • Customized rocks glass
  • Engraved whiskey stones
  • Slate coaster

Learn more about how you can elevate your tour.

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Curious about our other offerings? Take a look at our other Louisville tours!

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