Frequently Asked Questions
What’s on your mind?
Whether you’re a food tour connoisseur or you’ve never been on one before, we want to make sure you know exactly what to expect. Here are answers some of the other things you might be wondering about:
Wear comfortable walking shoes – you’ll be walking and standing on your tour. And ne sure to dress for the weather (check it that morning, it changes frequently).
And you might want to wear stretchy pants with a little extra waistband space too – you’ll be eating a lot of food!
Yes, they do! We always have a few extra umbrellas on hand, just in case. That said, in the event of unsafe conditions or extreme weather, we will cancel the tour with as much advance notice as possible and you’ll get a full refund or the chance to reschedule.
Each tour is different, so check your confirmation email to find your start location. Parking in Louisville is typically very easy to find.
Most of our tours do, but a couple do not – your confirmation email will have exact details. We try to at least get you within a block or two of your start location at the end of your tour, and your guide will direct you back.
Our tours last for about 3 hours.
Our tours cover the history of Louisville and Kentucky, which does include unsavory and complex subjects that some guests may find uncomfortable. These historical events include human trafficking and enslavement, battles fought on Louisville’s soil, devastating floods and other tragedies. We firmly believe that being aware of our history is important and critical to humanity’s progress and growth, and that we owe it to those who lost their lives or suffered for us to continue to remember those events and their impact.
As company policy, we do not tolerate racist guest commentary on our tours. We reserve the right to ask any guest making our guides or guests uncomfortable to leave without receiving a refund.
Our daytime NuLu tour can accommodate guests under age 21. Our tours do involve drinking alcohol, walking/standing/paying attention for long stretches, and learning about some of the more unsavory aspects of Louisville’s past, so we’ll leave that up to your discretion – you know your child best.
That said, we are happy to have children join our NuLu tours with a non-drinking ticket, and children under 2 are welcome to join for free!
For private tours, we are also able to run a child-friendly version of our Highlands tour with an alternate route. Please get in touch if you are interested.
Don’t worry – you’ll enjoy plenty of delicious, yummy treats and refreshing mocktails during your tour. Please let us know either when you book or day-of so we can make sure to account for your needs!
It depends on what your dietary restrictions are. We can usually accommodate vegetarians and most food allergies with minimal issues. Gluten-free is a challenge on our NuLu tour in particular.
That said, though we’ll do our best to make sure you’re getting plenty of things to taste, you may not get to experience food at all of our restaurant partners. In certain situations where there are multiple food allergies/restrictions, we are happy to offer a partial refund. Please let us know when you book or before your tour so we can plan ahead to accommodate you!
Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate pet dogs on our public tours, as by Kentucky law, dogs are not allowed inside restaurants. (Service animals, by law, are always welcome.)
However, we CAN offer a private, dog-friendly version of our Highlands tour – and it will even include a plate of yummy, locally-made food for your pup! This part of the Highlands neighborhood is fantastically dog-friendly, with both a dog park and a dog bar within walking distance (in addition to several dog-friendly restaurant and bar patios).
Note that the dog-friendly version of the tour will be outside only, so it’s best to do during warm weather months. Please let us know when booking your private, 2 PM Private Highlands Tour that you will be bringing a dog and would like a dog-friendly tour (and a dog loving tour guide).
Tips are greatly appreciated by our guides, but not expected!
While your tour price does include a 20% gratuity for the staff of our restaurant partners, who may be currently earning as low as $2.13 per hour under Kentucky law, gratuity for your tour guide is NOT included in the price of your tour.
If your tour guide gives you a fantastic experience, a cash tip is deeply appreciated. You can also pre-tip during your booking. We find that most guests tip their tour guides between 10-20%.
Another way to demonstrate your appreciation for a fantastic tour guide is by leaving a 5-star review that mentions them by name, which earns them a paid bonus.
Our company has chosen to provide optional pronoun pins for our guides to wear to identify their preferred pronoun. Please use the indicated pronoun when referring to your guide, IE she/her, he/him, or they/them.
In addition to helpfully indicating preferred pronouns, the pins represent an important symbol of support for our trans community, particularly in the context of the recent passing of State Bill 150, nicknamed the “anti-trans” bill, which targets trans Kentuckians (trans youth in particular).
As company policy, we do not tolerate anti-LGBTQ+ commentary on our tours. We reserve the right to ask any guest making our guides or guests uncomfortable to leave without receiving a refund.
The minimum number of guests needed to run a tour is 4 (with fewer guests, our tours actually COST us money to run)! If your tour does not have at least 4 people on it, you may get an email from us asking you to reschedule or a cancellation.
We cap our public tours at 12 guests maximum. We think that smaller tours make for a more enjoyable experience!
For private tours, we can accommodate up to 20 guests at a time. Groups larger than 20 may need to be split up.
We would love to host a private tour for your group! Please take a look at our private tour page to learn more and book. If you’re looking on behalf of a company, take a look at our corporate private tours page. If you’re celebrating a bachelor/ette party, head this way.
You can book a ticket on our website, or give us a call at (502) 276-5596 to book over the phone.
We sure do! You can purchase one here.
We offer full refunds up to 24 hours before your tour. You’ll find a modify/refund link in your confirmation email. If it’s less than 24 hours before your tour, you may be able to reschedule depending on your tour. Please reach out to us if you need help cancelling or modifying your booking.
We have a whole blog post about this on our sister site! Take a look. In short:
- Base yourself in downtown if you want to be right in the urban center of the city, next to the waterfront, museums along Museum Row, speakeasies and restaurants along Whiskey Row, and two bourbon distilleries. We recommend staying in a hip boutique hotel on Museum Row, like The Grady Hotel or 21C Museum Hotel.
- NuLu: Base yourself in NuLu if you want to stay close to downtown while being within walking distance of fantastic food and great nightlife in a quirky, up-and-coming neighborhood. We recommend a vacation rental, like this chic, hip loft one street over from the shops and restaurants on Market Street, or this budget-friendly historic apartment right next to the NuLu Marketplace. We also We recommend this artsy apartment in neighboring Butchertown.
- The Highlands: Base yourself in the Highlands if if you prefer to be a little away from the urban Downtown core surrounded by Historic Victorian homes, trees and lush greenery, a giant urban park, walkable neighborhoods, and Louisville’s best places to eat and drink lining the thriving Bardstown Road corridor. We recommend a vacation rental like this stylish Highlands 4br Home, this Charming Apartment on the 2nd floor of a fairytale-esque Victorian home, or this modern Five Bedroom Apartment in the Cherokee Triangle.
- Old Louisville: Base yourself in Old Louisville if you don’t mind not having much “stuff” to walk to, but still want to be surrounded by beautiful Victorian homes, trees and lush greenery in Louisville’s most beautiful neighborhood. We recommend staying in our favorite Louisville vacation rental on beautiful little Central Park, or in the charming The Inn at St. James Court.
Our sister site, Let’s Go Louisville, is a Kentucky travel blog full of helpful tips to plan your trip! Check out our ideal Louisville itinerary, guide to distilleries in Louisville, tips for attending the Derby, and more.
Yes! We are a small, local, family-owned company, founded by a second-generation Louisvillian (and her California-born husband). We actually live in one of the neighborhoods we run tours in, so there’s a good chance you’ll see us walking past your tour group at some point, attempting to wrangle a toddler and a dog.
You can read more about our founders, Lia & Jeremy, on our About page.
Still have questions?
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