Secrets of Louisville Food & History Tour

Your ticket includes 4–6 food tastings of iconic Louisville and Kentucky dishes, 1 barrel-aged local craft beer, a knowledgeable local guide for 3 hours, a lightweight audio headset so you can hear every story clearly, digital tour photos taken by your guide and sent directly to your phone, and a 20% gratuity for the staff at every restaurant and bar we visit. You do not need to tip anywhere we go. Guide gratuity is not included but is appreciated.

You’ll be eating quite a bit — please arrive hungry! You’ll make 4–6 stops (each tour is a little different) and sample a variety of delicious local foods that tell the story of Louisville and Kentucky. You will be full by the end of the tour, so plan to skip dinner or eat something light afterward.

Just one barrel-aged local craft beer is included with your ticket. You can purchase additional drinks at each stop on the tour if you’d like, or add a bourbon upgrade package at checkout for 4 premium, hard-to-find bourbon pours served throughout the tour.

Absolutely! The focus of this tour is food and history, and the craft beer is just one small part of the experience. You’ll enjoy delicious food tastings and fascinating stories about Louisville’s heritage regardless. Non-alcoholic beverages are available at each stop. Just let your guide know at the start so they can make sure you’re taken care of everywhere we go.

On this tour we can easily accommodate vegetarians and guests with nut allergies. For other food restrictions, we will do our best but you may miss out on eating at stops that don’t have suitable menu options — for instance, this is a difficult tour to adjust for gluten-free or dairy-free guests. We cannot safely serve guests with celiac disease. Please indicate your food restrictions when you book and remind your guide at the start of the tour.

The tour meets at 820 E Main St (NuLu Marketplace), Louisville, KY 40202. Please arrive 5–10 minutes before your tour’s start time. Your guide will be there to greet you.

The NuLu Food & History Tour runs Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM. The tour lasts approximately 3 hours. Check current availability at our booking page — this tour frequently sells out, especially on weekends and during peak season, so we recommend booking at least 1–2 weeks in advance.

Yes, there is one difference. The 1:00 PM tour visits Muth’s Candies — one of Louisville’s most beloved and historic candy shops — but the 1:30 PM tour does not stop inside. Guests on both tours will enjoy two delicious Muth’s confections (including their famous bourbon balls and modjeskas), but the 1:30 PM tour will not have the opportunity to browse and shop inside the store. We recommend that 1:30 PM tour guests visit Muth’s before their tour to shop for treats and gifts, as the store will be closed by the time the tour ends. It’s just one block from the tour’s starting point.

The tour lasts approximately 3 hours and covers 1–1.5 miles of flat sidewalks at a relaxed, leisurely pace with frequent stops for tastings and stories. Comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended. The route passes through NuLu and into historic Butchertown.

The tour ends about one block away from where it begins. Your guide will make sure you know exactly where you’ve ended up and how to get back to your car or your next destination.

There is a paid parking lot at NuLu Marketplace right at the tour’s meeting point at 820 E Main St. You can also try your luck with free street parking on the side streets nearby — they’re your best bet for avoiding the meter. The NuLu neighborhood is walkable from several downtown hotels if you’d prefer to walk over.

Yes — the NuLu tour runs rain or shine. Please check the weather and dress accordingly. In the event of severe or unsafe weather, the tour may be cancelled or delayed; we wait until about an hour before the tour to make that call. Refundable tickets receive a full refund for weather cancellations; non-refundable tickets receive a rain-check credit for a future tour.

Yes — the NuLu Food & History Tour is fully wheelchair and stroller accessible. The route follows flat sidewalks throughout. All guests receive a lightweight audio headset so they can hear the guide clearly from any distance. Service animals are always welcome. If you have specific accessibility needs, please contact us before booking and we’ll make sure everything is arranged.

All ages are welcome on the NuLu Food & History Tour! That said, there is a lot of walking, standing, and listening, and some menu items contain alcohol. We leave the decision to your discretion, as you know your child best. Children under 2 who will be sharing food with their parents do not need a ticket. For private tours, we can offer a child-friendly version of our Highlands tour with an alternate route — get in touch if interested.

It’s ideal for first-time visitors. The NuLu Food & History Tour is Louisville’s most popular and most comprehensive food tour, designed to introduce you to the city’s food culture, history, and neighborhoods in one delicious 3-hour experience. You’ll leave knowing the stories behind the dishes, the neighborhoods, and the people that make Louisville unique — and with a list of places you’ll want to come back to.

This tour frequently sells out, especially on weekends and during peak travel season (spring through fall). We recommend booking at least 1–2 weeks in advance. During major Louisville events — Kentucky Derby week, Bourbon Festival, or large conventions — book as early as possible. You can check real-time availability at louisvillefoodtours.com/schedule.

Refundable tickets can be rescheduled or cancelled for a full refund up to 48 hours before the tour. Non-refundable tickets cannot be cancelled or rescheduled for any reason. To cancel or reschedule, call or text (502) 591-6155, email [email protected], or submit a contact form.

Yes! The NuLu Food & History Tour is available as a private experience for groups of all sizes. Private tours can be customized for your group’s dietary needs, interests, and occasion — perfect for corporate events, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, and family gatherings. Visit our private tours page to learn more, or contact us for a custom quote.

Guide gratuity is not included in the ticket price but is genuinely appreciated. Most guests tip between 5–20%. You can pre-tip during booking if you prefer. Another great way to show appreciation is to leave a 5-star review mentioning your guide by name — this earns them a paid bonus directly from us. Note: your ticket already includes a 20% gratuity for every restaurant and bar we visit — you do not need to tip anywhere we go.

Yes! Both Angel’s Envy Distillery and Rabbit Hole Distillery are located in NuLu just a few walkable blocks from the start and end of the tour. Angel’s Envy is open late and is the easiest to visit after the tour ends. Rabbit Hole closes at 5 PM, so you won’t have much time after the tour — plan to visit before instead. Both distilleries book out well in advance, especially on weekends, so reserve your spot early.

Not all of our restaurant partners are open or able to accommodate our group during the week. We chose the best restaurants in NuLu to feature on this tour, and the tour can only run as often as those wonderful local businesses can accommodate us. If you’re visiting on a weekday and can’t make the NuLu tour, our Beyond the Barrel evening tour and Phantoms of Prohibition both run Tuesday through Friday.

NuLu (New Louisville) is one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods and there’s plenty to explore beyond the tour. The neighborhood is known for its street art and murals, LGBTQ+-owned businesses, independent boutiques, local art galleries, and some of Louisville’s best restaurants and bars — many of which you’ll visit on the tour itself. After your tour ends, we recommend grabbing a cocktail at one of the speakeasies on East Market Street, browsing the local shops, or walking down to the waterfront for a sunset view of the Ohio River.