A Day in the Highlands
Written: Sep 12 '00 (Updated Jan 24 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Off the beaten path attractions, One of a kind local restaurants, unique shops
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Louisville's neighborhoods are still a vibrant part of the city. Spend a day exploring the Highlands, one our most interesting neighborhoods
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Louisville |
Review Topic: Sights & Attractions
Louisville, Kentucky was founded in 1778 at the falls of the Ohio River as the staging area for George Rogers Clark’s Revolutionary War campaign against the British in Vincennes. The little village grew to be an important city, and by 1800 was the gateway to the west. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (the younger brother of Louisville founder George Rogers Clark) met here to organize and plan the “Corps of Discovery’s” expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase and open an overland route to the Pacific.
Charles Dickens visited on his American tour, and expressed some surprise that there were pigs in the streets, Thomas Edison worked in Louisville as a telegrapher before he invented the lightbulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera. Diane Sawyer started her career as the Weather Girl for a Louisville television station, Ali lived and fought here as Cassius Clay, before winning his Olympic gold medal, and beating Sonny Liston for the Heavyweight boxing crown. "Gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson, author of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, grew up in Louisville's Highlands neighborhood
Louisville is a city that loves it's neighborhoods, and local residents are fiercely loyal to to their little piece of turf. One of Louisville's most charming and eccentric neighborhoods is the Highlands area, along Bardstown Road. The “Highlands” is characterized by small "Mom & Pop" shops, esoteric "one of a kind" restaurants, streets lined with beautiful old trees, yards filled with flowers, historic houses, and green urban oases.
We’ll begin our tour at the Mid-City Mall Louisville’s first indoor shopping mall. This is the home of Louisville’s oldest bakery Ehrmann’s founded in 1848. Step inside and notice the décor, small wooden tables with tiny chairs, and a turn of the century Walnut, Stained Glass, and Onyx soda fountain, nothing has changed since the bakery moved here in 1962. Check out the display case, and order one of the “cream filled” (this donut, unique to Louisville, looks like a hot dog bun filled with whipped cream) and a coffee.
Our next stop is Cave Hill Cemetery 701 Baxter Avenue. Cave Hill (chartered 1848) is one of the nation's best remaining examples of 19th century landscape architecture, with more than 500 species of trees and shrubs. Many of these are rare and unusual, to include a gigantic 160 year old Ginko, brought back from China on a Clipper ship, which is currently undergoing a sex change. Soldiers from every war fought in America’s tumultuous history rest here. The Civil War section of the cemetery is the only place in the country where Union and Confederate soldiers lie at rest together. The graves of Confederate veterans cover the top of one of the many hills, while the final resting place for thousands of Union veterans cascades, in row after symmetrical row, down the slope of the same hill to a decorative pond at the bottom. George Rogers Clark, Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and 120,000 other departed souls are buried here, truly a city of the dead. Several spring fed lakes on the grounds provide homes and shelter for hundreds of geese, ducks, and swans. The cemetery is Louisville’s only arboretum, and is at its most beautiful in the spring and fall. Open daily from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm, free.
Were going to visit a few of the eclectic, eccentric, and quirky little shops and stores that the “Highlands” are famous for. First is Chuck Rubin Photographics 1031 Bardstown Road. Chuck is a former thespian from Brooklyn, New York. His store is part dusty attic, every corner and surface yielding new discoveries and treasures, and part mini museum of the history of photography. Chuck buys and sells every conceivable type of photographic equipment; cameras, lenses, tripods, and books. The "laid back" ambience provides the opportunity for even the shyest neophyte photographer to have his/her technical questions answered by a group of professional and amateur photographers who hold court here. They all love to talk, and questions can occasionally spark heated and enthusiastic debate.
Steve Tipton Antiquarian 1328 Bardstown Road is Louisville’s classiest antique shop. Unlike most antique shops, this one is well organized and neatly laid out. Steve loves to talk and enjoys visitors. The shop is filled with wonderful “one of a kind” treasures from eras past. Every piece comes with a story, so be prepared to find something you can’t live without, the shop is USUALLY open from around 11:00 am until 3:30 or 4:00.
At the intersection of Bardstown Road and Eastern Parkway, turn left and follow the road past the statue of Daniel Boone, Cherokee Park (designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in NYC) is the jewel of Louisville’s extensive park system. Here you’ll see joggers, walkers, cyclers, rollerbladers, sunbathers, young lovers, frisbee fanatics, and volleyball players. The scenic loop will give you a very good idea of how the citizens of Louisville spend some of their leisure time. The wildflower meadow (at the bottom of Cherokee Hill, our premier sledding venue, when it snows) is filled with an ever changing palette of colors. As the seasons change, the selection of flowers in bloom changes as well. Dogs, children, and photographers love this area. Autumn provides a breathtaking display, as the many varieties of huge old hardwood trees along Beargrass Creek put on their visually stunning array of fall colors.
Back on Bardstown Road, our next stop is the Twice Told Coffee Shop 1604 Bardstown Road, a funky little shop with a "retro" sixties look that features, in addition to espresso and cappuccino, a selection of sandwiches, soups, and salads. Grab a copy of LEO (Louisville’s Eccentric Observer, our free independent weekly newspaper) and sit at one of the sidewalk tables and watch the ebb and flow of activity along Bardstown Road for a while.
Feel like a something sweet? The Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen just past the intersection of Bardstown and Taylorsville Roads is a Louisville favorite. This award winning little sweet shop has a large selection of "home made" ice cream flavors and dozens of varieties of pie and cake. Making a decision can be overwhelming. Everything offered is made fresh, including a selection of "low cal" and sugar free treats. Be sure to try the “Shaker Sugar Pie” it’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted before.
The Bambi Bar is just a block up Bardstown Road. This is one of Louisville’s neatest neighborhood bars, with food, pool, and a truly incredible cast of local characters. The Bambi Bar opened in 1940 (and is named for Walt Disney’s “Bambi” which opened in theatres the same week) Order a “World Famous Bambi Burger” Louisville’s best cheeseburger and ask the bartender to explain the Bambi Walk, a long standing Louisville tradition for 21st birthday celebrations.
Our final stop is Farmington one of Louisville’s most famous historic homes. The Federal style house was built in 1813 from a plan by Thomas Jefferson. Farmington was a 500 acre hemp plantation, much of which has been preserved. The grounds, outbuildings, historical displays, and furnishings give a very good idea of "ante bellum" life in Louisville. Farmington’s most famous visitor was Abraham Lincoln, who stayed at the house for a month and half during one of his semi regular separations from Mary Todd. Call (502) 452-9920 for hours and additional information.
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Recommended:
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Howard_Creech
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 334
Trusted by: 1276 members
About Me:
Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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