Victorian Ghost Tour in Old Louisville

This is no ordinary Ghost Tour!   The Old Louisville Victorian Ghost Tour www.oldlouisville.org/ghostwalk/ held this weekend (October 28-31) is outdoor theatre in America's most haunted Victorian neighborhood.  It is entertainment with a history lesson - spooky tales rooted in fact!  It is an architectural tour among the largest collection of Victorian homes in America.  You may not be scared, but you will be fascinated by the Victorian characters roaming the streets.  David Domine, the author of this production is well known to Louisvillians.  David has disclosed his methodical paranormal research about Old Louisville in three separate best-selling books about Ghosts, Phantoms and Haunts of Old Louisville www.ghostsofoldlouisville.com/ .

The producer of the Old Louisville Victorian Ghost Walk is the former NYC resident, now Old Louisville transplant, Ron Harris.   Ron is nationally known as the stand-in for the District Attorney, Fred Thompson, on the TV favorite "Law and Order".    Ron is perhaps best known locally as the "producer", along with his wife Jane, of "HAPPY BALLS" candy (Bourbon Balls) www.gethappyballs.com/ and as the "ghost" whom appears annually during the Old Louisville Holiday House Tour www.holidayhousetour.jpaul.us/ as "Mr. Alfred DuPont" as the DuPont Mansion Bed and Breakfast.

Will Mr. DuPont be in Central Park this year?  Or, will he show up at the Inn at the Park Bed and Breakfast with Annie Whipple, who dared meddle in Black Magic in an effort to save her favorite little child.  Production details are secret - we just know the event will be fantastic!  Come see it.  Stay the night at the DuPont Mansion www.dupontmansion.com  or Inn at the Park www.innatpark.com Historic Bed and Breakfasts.  You will love it!

Kentucky Wine Trail

No longer in its infancy, Kentucky’s wine industry (www.kentuckywine.com) is maturing and thriving and a great place to visit.  In fact, with our help, you can make your own Wine Trail!   Kentucky wines earned 11 honors, including two gold medals, at the recent Indy International Wine Competition, one of the nation’s premier wine festivals.  The number of Kentucky wines entered in Kentucky State Fair competitions has doubled within the past two years, from 100 to 200.   In addition to making wine, 42 wineries have tasting rooms, five have restaurants, 21 host special dinners, and 28 host music events.   Kentucky was a leading wine producer in 1900 in the United States, and then prohibition put them out of business Kentucky wine is now back!  Come stay at a Kentucky Bed & Breakfast and hit the Kentucky wine trail.

Remember Our Heroes

We join you in remembering those whose lives were taken.

Remembering those who were lost, their loved ones,

and the tens of thousands who responded without hesitation on that fateful day.

Please join all of us at the DuPont Mansion and Inn at the Park

as we pay our sincerest respects to the

Tenth Anniversary of the events of that terrible day - September 11, 2001.

Entertaining Guests

Recent guests at Inn at the Park entertained all our guests at breakfast with a impromptu musical recital.  Our guests, Chrissa Walsh, the Executive Director for Finance and Development at The Pastoral Counseling Centers in Nashville, Tennessee and her friends from Nashville, Mary Corby and Rebecca Horton were all attending the Louisville convention for church musicians.  Besides raising money and children,  Chrissa's resume says her interest in music and drama keeps her busy "after hours".

Well, some of her "after hours" last week was spent at the DuPont Mansion and Inn at the Park where Chrissa, Mary and Rebecca serenaded the breakfast guests on two successive mornings. The music was breathtaking. What spontaneity!  What fun!  This delightful threesome told us they are coming back soon.  We can't wait!  Genny, our innkeeper at the DuPont Mansion, reported that the music was so beautiful that she cried when they sang "Amazing Grace". 

This kind of event is not likely to happen at any hotel in Louisville (or elsewhere).  Aren't bed and breakfasts fun?  Come back soon Chrissa, Mary and Rebecca!

DuPont Mansion "Art in the Garden" During the Old Louisville Hidden Treasures Garden Tour

The DuPont Mansion has hosted "Art in the Garden" for the past 9 years as a part of the Old Louisville Hidden Treasures Garden Tour.  Held each year during the second weekend in July,  the Garden Tour welcomes garden lovers into the private green spaces of the nation’s largest Victorian residential neighborhood.  Visitors attending the tour get a glimpse of many Old Louisville gardens and personal retreats tucked behind Victorian homes and carriage houses.  The garden tours are designed to be walked so that visitors can experience the scale of Old Louisville residences and the peacefulness of its gardens. This year's Garden Tour was held July 9 and 10.

DuPont Mansion's "Art in the Garden" featured 7 local artists painting their own selections in the DuPont gardens each day from NOON to 5:00 PM.  Garden tour participants were invited to tour the DuPont gardens, then visit and talk with the artists.  We introduced the 4th in a series of DuPont Mansion "Art in the Gardens" posters and made it available to garden guests.   This year's poster featured the side garden entrance of the DuPont Mansion.   It was created from an original painting by local artist, Patricia Hagan.  Copies of all four posters (limited editions, signed and numbered by the artists) are available at the DuPont Mansion as a set for $30.

We have commissioned local artist, Linda Jones, to paint next year's poster art.  Linda has been an artist painting in the DuPont gardens during "Art in the Garden" for each of the 9 years.

Thunder Over Louisville

Thunder Over Louisville http://thunderoverlouisville.org will be held this year on April 16.  It serves each year as the official opening of the Kentucky Derby Festival and is rated as one of the top 100 events in North America.   More than 500,000 people are expected to attend the day-long event this year.  The Thunder Air Show will dazzle the crowd with more than 100 planes, aerobatics teams, daring sky diving teams and breathtaking stunts.  Then, when it gets dark, the Thunder rolls.  The fireworks will feature the latest in pyrotechnic power from Zambelli Internationale, America's "first family of fireworks".  Six barges that are 100-foot open top each will be assembled on both sides of the 2nd Street Bridge to form the stage from which the fireworks spectacular ignites.  The breathtaking and mind-numbing 28-minute show includes Thunder's signature one-mile "waterfall" effect off the bridge, making the fireworks seem to rain down forever. And in the crowd's memory of the show, it certainly does!  After more than a decade, the show remains the largest annual pyrotechnic display in North America.

We do have some availability for Thunder Night (April 16).   Guests that stay with us that night will enjoy all the amenities of our lovely mansions AND they can walk to Thunder and avoid the massive traffic jam before and after the event.  Whether you live in town or out-of-town, make our home yours during Thunder Over Louisville!

Antiquing in Louisville

JOE LEY'S ANTIQUES

Our guests find us because they are looking for alternatives to traditional hotel lodging in Kentucky. They are looking for something different and at a Bed and Breakfast like ours, they invariably find it. Many of our guests are also interested in new and different places to find antiques. Well, Louisville is the right place for that as well.

Goss Avenue Antique Mall www.gossantiques.com, a turn of the century knitting mill, has probably the largest collection of everything, big and small, in Kentucky.  Joe Ley's www.joeley.com has perhaps the most unusual items you will ever see for sale (and a few not for sale). You may also want to check out the Derby City Antique Mall www.derbycityantiquemall.com and later stroll down the Bardstown Road and Frankfort Avenue corriders.

We currently have over 90 rooms in our Louisville home and B&B's furnished with antiques all purchased in Louisville or within  30 miles of Louisville.  Come visit and we will gladly tell you about our favorite places, ranging from hi-end European import places,  to what we lovingly call "junk  shops" -  to us, this means that you don't know if you will find anything you would have in your home, but occasionally you do and it's a real bargain.

Inn at the Park is Pet Friendly!

Come....sit....lie down....roll-over....stay..... While many of you might consider these words “commands” for our 4-legged furry friends, they could also be construed as our special invitation to you and your pet to “come, sit & stay” for a visit at the Inn at the Park.  Yes!!! We are a “pet-friendly” B & B, with our Carriage House the perfect place to stay, along with your devoted K-9 companion.  The accommodations are not only comfortable, but a really great feature of this beautiful home is Central Park, located directly out the front door & right out the front gate, then presto!! You are there!!  The park is a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy, but particularly those who are traveling with pets.  The greenbelts and walkways are wide, plus the people are friendly – a perfect place to exercise your pet.

We've included a picture of us with our two young Cavalier King Charles Spaniel pups, Pancho & Lefty.  We'll be ready to welcome your well-behaved K-9 companion with special home-made treats and a paw shake.  Just let us know in advance – special conditions do apply.

NOTE:  If there are readers of this particular blog who (for whatever reason, i.e. allergies, etc.) do not care for pets, please be assured that we have pet-free suites located in the Main House of the Inn.

Our Innkeeper Sends You a Special Invitation

My life as the Innkeeper at the DuPont Mansion is like being on vacation 365 days a year.  The peace and contentment felt in this glorious home is like a day at the spa.  All my stress (and yours) just seems to melt away after one night in this wonderful home.

When you arrive I will greet you at the door with a big smile and welcome you with open arms (sometimes literally).  Then, I will take you on a short tour of the first floor while I tell you the history of the Mansion, then on to the second floor.  A courtesy kitchen is provided for your convenience on the second floor with all kinds of goodies on the counter and in the fridge. 

You will be shown to your beautiful, comfortable room on the second or third floor and then allowed to do as you please.  There are no curfews in this home, you have your own set of keys and may come and go as you please.

I want you to use the many amenities of my home and make it your own.  Please enjoy a book and a glass of complimentary wine in our beautiful parlor or I'll be happy to serve you a glass of hot tea or coffee and one of my decadent desserts.  It's your call!  The next morning I will prepare a sumptuous breakfast on your schedule and if you want to come down in your jammies, feel free.  It happens!

This winter I am making some special soups to share with my guests in case they want to relax and stay inside rather than going out to dinner.  One of my favorites is potato soup.  I love to share the triumphs that I put together in my kitchen!  Here's my recipe:
 
Genny's Favorite Potato Soup
(West Virginia Style)
Serves 6 (if they aren't too hungry)

12 nice size potatoes (cubed)
1 large onion (diced)
1 green and 1 red pepper (diced)
1 can mushroom soup
At least 1 stick of butter
Herbs (basil, cilantro, etc.) to taste
Seasoned salt to taste
Pepper

Cover potatoes with water and cook until potatoes are tender.  The soup tends to become thicker the longer it is simmered.

Serve with hot rolls or biscuits.  Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Special!

Enjoy some quiet romantic time away from home.  Leave the kids with the grandparents and escape to the award-winning DuPont Mansion or Inn at the Park Bed and Breakfasts.  Book Friday and Saturday (February 11th and 12th) or Saturday and Sunday (February 12th and 13th) or the following weekend (February 18 & 19 or February 19 & 20) and receive a complimentary bottle of Champagne or Sparkling Cider chilled and in your room when you arrive.  We'll also provide a heart shaped box of chocolates and a fresh flower bouquet for you and your loved one!

While staying in our warm and cozy Louisville Bed and Breakfast, arrange for an in-room couples massage.  Our certified massage therapists, Cindy and Tyler Richmond, will be glad to work out your stress related knots and help you to relax and enjoy your weekend away.

It will be our pleasure to assist you with dining, entertainment and excursion plans while you put your  weekend getaway together.  It all starts with a visit to our beautiful and comfortable Louisville bed and breakfasts - The DuPont Mansion or the Inn at the Park.  A romantic Valentine’s weekend awaits for just the two of you!