Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers some of the things you might be wondering about:
Wear comfortable walking shoes – you’ll be walking and standing on your tour. And be 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. Please be sure to check the weather before your tour and plan accordingly!
In the event of severe or unsafe weather conditions, the tour may be canceled or delayed. Because weather in the Ohio River Valley is fickle and ever-changing, we wait to make the call until about an hour before the tour, when radar is most up-to-date and accurate.
In the event of a tour canceled for severe weather, refundable tickets will receive a refund, and non-refundable tickets will receive a rain-check credit to use on a future tour.
Each tour is different, so check your confirmation email to find your start location. Parking in Louisville is typically very easy to find. We typically recommend street parking. Note that parking meters are free after 6PM!
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 food 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 Secrets of Louisville 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 Secrets of Louisville tour, and children under 2 do not need a ticket.
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 still enjoy plenty of delicious, yummy treats and refreshing mocktails and alcohol-free beverages during your tour. Please let us your guide know so we can make sure to accommodate your needs!
We always do our best to make sure every guest has something they can eat and will enjoy. Due to our restaurant partner’s policies and our set menu, some food allergies may be difficult to accommodate, and we are unable to accommodate food likes/dislikes on our public food tours.
We recommend eating a bit before your tour if you have a very restricted diet or multiple food allergies, or if you are vegan, dairy-free, or gluten-free (particularly celiac). You’ll get some bites on our tour, but likely not enough for a full meal replacement.
Please let us know when booking and let your guide know at the beginning of your tour if you have allergies, do not drink alcohol, or cannot eat specific ingredients, so that they can help you avoid consuming those things.
That said, on our customized private tours, we are always happy to make menu changes to fit your group’s needs! For guests with food restrictions and allergies, booking a private tour with us will ensure the best possible experience.
Service animals, by law, are always welcome on our tours. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate pet dogs on our public tours, as by Kentucky law, non-service animals are not allowed inside restaurants.
However, we do 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 and a special stop at a little dog library where your pup might just find a new treasure to take home with them!
This part of the Highlands neighborhood is fantastically dog-friendly, with both a dog park and a dog bar within walking distance (as well as a dog-friendly hotel and several dog-friendly restaurant and bar patios). In fact, there’s a good chance you’ll see us out and about with our dog, too – we live nearby!
Note that the dog-friendly version of the Highlands 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 would like a dog-friendly tour (and a dog loving tour guide!).
Gratuity for your tour guide is NOT included in the price of your tour. Tips are greatly appreciated by our guides, but not expected! One of our company values is to compensate our hard-working guides fairly and above a livable wage (read more about our values here).
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 5-20%.
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 from us.
Please note that your tour DOES include a 20% gratuity for the staff of our wonderful restaurant partners, who may be currently earning as low as $2.13 per hour under Kentucky law. You do not need to tip at any of the restaurants or bars we visit!
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.
We are passionate about telling the story of our beloved home city, and we try to support as many locally-owned businesses as we can on our tours! Most of the eateries we visit are also small, local and family owned. Read more about our values and our commitment to equity, sustainability and our community – and how we’re upholding those values – on this page.
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 team outings page. If you’re celebrating a bachelor/ette party, head this way.
You can book a ticket on our website, or give us a text or call at (502) 591-6155 to book over the phone.
We sure do! We offer both digital and physical gift cards, which can be mailed anywhere in the USA for a small fee. You can purchase one here.
We offer full refunds up to 48 hours before your tour, or up to 4 hours if you purchase Trip Cancelation Protection. Please reach out to us if you need help cancelling or modifying your booking at (502) 591-6155 or by submitting a Contact Us form.
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.