At the end of May, post Chattanooga 70.3 my husband and I decided to take a road trip back to Pittsburgh and stop in some new to us cities. We spent a couple days in Chattanooga before heading to Nashville, Louisville, and Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati. My husband Pat and I also stopped for a night in Knoxville so I’ll include those recommendations as well. Instead of my typical detailed recaps I’m just going to list a couple things not to miss in each spot! FYI this was a more eat, drink, explore, chill type of trip- I wanted to relax post race and not do too much physical activity plus it was 90 degrees so staying inside was preferable.
Knoxville
We were basically just here for dinner and an early bedtime but it was a cute downtown area and seemed to have a lot to offer! We hi up a couple breweries before dinner- highly recommend the Elkmont Exchange- beer was awesome and ambiance was amazing. For dinner were in between Chivo (tacos) or Stock & Barrel– we were craving burgers so we headed to later and enjoyed some of the best burgers of our lives. I had the Blue and Blue burger that had buttermilk blue fondue which was every bit as amazing as it sounds. We popped into a couple shops around the square and debated dessert before calling it an early night. Will have to make it a longer trip next time!
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Obviously the biggest highlight here for me was the race- full recap here! We had heard good things about the city so we decided to stick around for a couple days and check out the area. Frothy Monkey was a go to spot- we ended up eating there for lunch twice. Pre-race night dinner was at Il Primo- and OMG it was a great pick! I went with mushroom ravioli to keep it simple for my stomach but there were so many dishes that looked fantastic. After the race we enjoyed beers at Heaven & Ale– they even gave race finishers a free pint. The next day we did a short hike to Lookout Mountain to view 7 states at once as well as Ruby Falls waterfall cave (more touristy that I like but it was a cool experience).
Nashville, Tennessee
This was my second time in Nashville but Pat’s first so we did the typical hopping bar to bar to hear live music. Meals here were great- we loved Pinewood Social and had one of the best meals ever at The Catbird Seat. It’s a 12 course eclectic tasting menu with two seating’s nightly, only 22 spots. Each course was more delicious and fantastic- while it was pricey, it was worth it. Don’t miss Five Daughters Bakery for delicious donuts! If you’re looking for a brewery stop check out Southern Grist.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville was small and our time here was pretty short but we made sure to check out Maker’s Mark which was about 40 minutes away for a tour (very cool!) and tasting (very gross!)- we did bring home a handle of the mint julep. We also spent a night at Churchill Downs which was my first time at the horse races- that was definitely a fun and unique experience! I didn’t really have any food that wowed me but Proof on Main was cool and has a free art museum next door that’s worth checking out while you wait to be seated.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
Pat and I visited Cinci a few years ago for a friends wedding so we had already done some of the touristy stuff and just wanted to chill with friends and check out some casual spots and of course breweries. Braxton Labs Brewing was by far our favorite but we also enjoyed the beers at Listermann’s and the atmosphere at Madtree Brewing. Eats- delicious made to order Mexican at Mazunte and brunch at Taste of Belgium.
Have you been to any of these cities? Any favorite spots!??
