2004 Bourbon Festival

[Gillman]

This may be a bit of a stretch, but maybe they mean that while the name of the town suggests a literary association (Shakespeare - the Bard), the true vocation of the burgh is Bourbon whiskey. Or, less fancifully perhaps, that while the town goes by the moniker of Bardstown, its real name is simply, Bourbon.

Gary

[angelshare]

Okay, it would be a long shot if our personal and professional schedules allowed it, but we would love to attend the Bourbon Festival. We know that festival propaganda touts it as fun or the whole family. We were hoping that the Bourbonians might offer some more pointed commentary on the "family" trip to the Bourbon festival.

Our lovely children, Jennifer & Claire, would be five and three in September. Have any of you bourbon lovers out there experienced the festival with children in that age group, especially if travelling? I'm sure that our strategy would be to divide for some of the "adult" events -one doing child care in a hotel room or orchestrating a child-oriented diversion, one enjoying the bourbon experience. Still, it's a drag to travel with the family to an event only to find that the children are bored or are prohibited in areas of great interest. If you have any guidance, we're all ears.

The dream: Granddaddy & Grandma keep the kids, and Dave & Tina live it up in bourbon country. That, however, is a long shot squared.

[cowdery]

I'm not a parent, but I can tell you that some of us criticize the festival for being a little light on bourbon content. In many ways it's just a typical small town community festival that happens to have a bourbon theme.

The best activity at the Bourbon Festival, however, is an unofficial one, which is the nightly gazebo parties at the General Nelson motel. At five and three, I don't know how you would feel about leaving them sleeping in the room while you're nearby socializing. You probably could even arrange to get a room with line-of-sight from the gazebo so, if nothing else, you could keep an eye on the door.

As for other activities, distillery tours are open to the whole family and include enough strange sights, sounds and smells that even children that young might find them amusing.

Another thought would be to hire a local babysitter. I'm sure some of the Bardstown locals who frequent this board could make recommendations.

I hope this is helpful.

[TNbourbon]

Something like: "A Bardstown by any other name would smell like bourbon", you mean?

[CL]

A Biltmore in KY? Or are you referring to the Biltmore in NC?

[gr8erdane]

Chuck, you might try calling Mary Jane at the 800 number listed. After talking to her for an hour or so you might be able to get it out of her. (Not a criticism of MJ, just an insight on just how friendly she is).

[angelshare]

The best activity at the Bourbon Festival, however, is an unofficial one, which is the nightly gazebo parties at the General Nelson motel. At five and three, I don't know how you would feel about leaving them sleeping in the room while you're nearby socializing. You probably could even arrange to get a room with line-of-sight from the gazebo so, if nothing else, you could keep an eye on the door.

Your comments, although "non-parental", are appreciated and helpful. Assuming we could get a room at the General Nelson (how likely is that at this date?), we would probably tag-team staying with the girls on an hourly basis or something. That is completely reasonable from our standpoint. The gazebo photos from the Sampling sure looked like a good time was had by all!

We, especially Tina, are always a little wary of unfamiliar babysitters, so I doubt the babysitting option would work.

As for distillery tours, Jennifer (5) would probably be ok. Claire, however, has a short attention span and is very rambunctious. I am having a mental image of fishing her out of the mash as I write this.

As I'm sure many of you with children know, traveling can sometimes turn into a painful process of forcing a square peg in a round hole with no one having fun in the end. A personal testimonial or two can sometimes make the difference in our willingness to gamble.

Even if 2004 did not work out, it's never too soon to plan for the 2005 Sampling or Festival!

[gr8erdane]

A piece of advice when trying to book a room at the General Nelson is to call them directly. I had heard that they were booked up when calling the Best Western reservation line but called them directly and had no problem booking my reservation. Of course I booked my Sampler reservation first and then the September dates. Having worked in the hotel industry, I know that for special events there are sometimes blocks of rooms that are held back and released later to prevent overbooking. In other words, keep checking back with them in case they open such a block or someone cancels their reservation.

[Gillman]

The (very nice) lady who runs the Best Western GN told me the other day it is full up for the Festival except for one room. There is the motel across the street, but the name escapes me for a moment. I do find however that even shortly before a trip it is possible to book a room in Bardstown. Often people cancel at the last minute for example. Not that you want to let it go too long, of course. There are a number of B&B's in town which may be more suitable for children if they accept families (I am sure most do, but it is always good to ask).

Gary (a non-parent, but I now realise, I should have listened to my mother. ).