In America, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.
This Thanksgiving, I was blessed to have my fiancé Andrea, and her daughter Amanda, as well as my brother Shane and his girlfriend Jeannine, here for the week. One of the few times my house was full with family.
Family
Spending time with family is much more important now with my father having died years ago and my mom passing away this past March. My daughter and her family live in Arizona, and my brother and his family live in Missouri. Orlando is home for my fiancé and her daughter. Can my family be more geographically dispersed?
It’s takes concerted effort and coordinating schedules to visit and spend time with them. However, it’s worth it, and each trip provides more material for this travel blog 🙂
Andrea and Amanda arrived first, the Friday evening before.
Shane and Jeannine arrived Tuesday night after work. 
I cooked the Thanksgiving dinner since they were my guests. My traditional Thanksgiving dinner is turkey with homemade stuffing, green bean casserole, real smashed potatoes with gravy and homemade pumpkin pie. I make everything from scratch rather than store bought. Andrea made a nice Brazilian salad. Wine was a German Spatlese. Those German grapes are picked later in the harvest when the sugar content is higher. A sweeter, light dinner wine. The food was good but the company and conversation was better. Of course my kiddos had some turkey as well.
Kentucky
It wasn’t just about the food. Since Shane and Jeannine had never been to Kentucky, I took them to a few of my favorite places.
Wednesday
Old Talbott Tavern
First stop was lunch at the historic Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown. Built in 1779, it’s known as the oldest western stagecoach stop in America. www.talbotttavern.com. The thick stone walls, ceiling timbers and built-in cupboards remind you of England. Their Sheperd’s Pie is quite good and the Hot Brown is amazing! History says Jesse James stayed there and left bullet holes in the wall upstairs one night. You can see the bullet holes today. A lovely restaurant and inn right in the center of Bardstown.
Makers Mark
After lunch we toured Makers Mark distillery in quaint Loretto. Kentucky is the bourbon capital of the world, in large part due to its natural limestone aquifers. Real bourbon must be 51% or higher corn. The remaining ingredients are wheat, rye or barley. Markers Mark is 70% corn, 16% red winter wheat and 14% malted barley. www.makersmark.com. Not only do I love the bourbon, I love the black and white decor of the buildings. It’s a beautiful campus. The bourbon tasting at the end is always fun!
Friday
With Thanksgiving over, Friday was a day to get out and about.
Jailhouse Pizza
I decided pizza for lunch was needed after turkey yesterday. We drove to Brandenburg for lunch at Jailhouse Pizza. Built in 1906, it was the original Meade County Jail. It closed in 1976. Turned into a restaurant but keeping history, you can eat in a jail cell or the main dining area. Have you ever eaten in a jail cell?
Churchill Downs
Freed from jail and a filling lunch, we were off to Churchill Downs in Louisville. Churchill Downs is better know as The Kentucky Derby – the fastest two minutes in sports. Ran the first Saturday in May, it’s the premier horse race in the country. Some say the world. The museum tour is amazing and inspiring. Since there was racing that day, we did get to see one race as part of the tour. Jeannine love horses so this was a special treat for her.
Saturday
Another day of adventure down to Bowling Green, Kentucky.
National Corvette Museum
Shane was looking forward to this. An hour drive away in Bowling Green is the Corvette factory and national museum. First built in 1956, the Corvette is known as America’s sports car. It is a fascinating walk through automotive history. My favorite Corvette is the 1975 – 1977 C3 T-top Corvette. Not being an engineer, I am always fascinated about engineering design and technology.
After the museum and a nice Mexican lunch, we went to see a good friend of Shane’s who lived in the area and runs a Christmas tree farm and Bed & Breakfast. It was nice being out in the country and smelling the fire in the fire pit.
Sunday
Andrea, Amanda and I went to church and Shane and Jeanine got to relax and sleep in. An easy day for them to just chill and watch some American football. When guests come, I tend to get carried away showing them attractions. Since Andrea and Amanda are from Brazil, I of course flew the Brazilian flag while they were here. Sadly Andrea and Amanda had to return to Orlando that afternoon but we will see each other again next month.
Monday
For their last morning in Kentucky I took Shane and Jeannine to Louisville for a couple of attractions.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
First stop was the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. All Louisville Slugger bats are made here, both for the public and for every Major League Baseball player. The museum had the life size wax figures of prominent baseball players, from Jackie Robinson to George Brett. Interesting to see how big, or little, they were in real life. Touring the factory and watching wooden bats being made from round cylindrical pieces of wood to the custom specifications of professional baseball players was fascinating. They loved it as Shane is a big George Brett and Kansas City Royals fan.
Lights Under Louisville
A short drive later we were driving through Lights Under Louisville. It is a surreal experience to drive through Louisville’s Mega Cavern to see the 7 Million Christmas lights. As it’s in an underground cave, it opens at 9:00 am since it’s always dark in the cave. A must experience if you visit Kentucky during the Christmas season.
Alas it was time for Shane and Jeannine to depart back home to Kansas City. However, I will see them again next month at my wedding in Orlando.
Being with family this Thanksgiving was wonderful. Good food, laughter, bonding and memories. Those are what matter.
I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving were able to celebrate with family.
See you again soon!
Buddy and Jordan
Hi Jordan – This was such a warm and heartfelt read and it really captures how meaningful time together becomes as life changes. I loved how you focused less on the places and more on the shared moments, the conversations, and the memories being made. It is a beautiful reminder that travel and experiences matter most when they are tied to the people we share them with. This post truly reflects gratitude in its truest form. Great reminder and great stuff!
Thanks, Ernie.
This post was about family and memories. I’ve traveled alone so much that taking trips with those who matter is much more impactful and memorable. As Dean told us, just be real and relatable. I’m just a regular guy who enjoys traveling 🙂
Great blog entry Jordan, I now know a little bit more about that nick of the woods of the USA than before and this Canadian thanks you for that.
Great being with family like that; there’s nothing more important or satisfying. Being brought up as an Army brat and afterwards an Officer in the Army Reserves also brought travel to another dimension for my family and I. Being able to go out and visit local and a little bit further out areas of where we live is also a great way to not only learn about them but support the local economy; a win-win if you ask me!
A little bit of tidbit before I sign off: by the time I was 45, I had move 20 times! Saw a bit of the world during that time and I truly believe that it made me a better person for it.
BTW, was Buddy doing the dishes while you were out & about? Cheers!
Thanks, Marc.
You have me beat. I’ve had 17 moves in my career. That’s what sparked my love for travel – already getting to experience different states and countries. So many people live in a city but never go out and explore their state or surrounding locale. I especially enjoy exploring new places in the area on my motorcycle on a summer Saturday afternoon. Buddy was relaxing comfortably. I am his servant.
Hi Jordan,
Sounds like you had a brilliant Thanksgiving week. Family time becomes more precious when everyone’s scattered across different states. You packed quite a bit into those few days with your guests.
The mix of history and local attractions works well. From bourbon distilleries to eating pizza in an old jail cell, Kentucky certainly offers variety. The Louisville Slugger factory tour must have been a treat for your brother.
Lovely that you’ll all be together again at your wedding next month.
Cheers,
Atif
Thanks, Atif,
Whenever I have guests, I do my best to be the compleat host. I want them to enjoy their stay, both in my home and showing them the local area. Cheers.