Review of the Old Louisville Ghost Tour as Recommended by The New York Times with Viator | Top Things to Do in Louisville, Kentucky

(By using the affiliate links and/or codes in this blog post, you help support Myles Katherine Photography. I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. Thank you for your support!)

When you’re thinking “vacation”, you’re probably not thinking of Louisville, Kentucky. Well, I’m here to change your mind. I’ve been there twice now and I absolutely love it. I’ve traveled all over the US and Europe, from sipping port wine in the Douro Valley of Portugal to touring the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio in London to taking a sightseeing tour in New York City and Louisville is still at the top of my list. Maybe not first place, but there’s definitely more than meets the eye when it comes to Louisville. We had so much fun the first time around that we dragged my family along for our next visit because we knew they’d love it. They didn’t believe us either, but now my family constantly talks about wanting to go back! And if you’re in a historic town like Louisville, you absolutely have to take the Old Louisville Ghost Tour. Louisville was founded in the 1770s so there is definitely a lot of spooky history! We had the best time exploring the neighborhoods, taking photos of the gorgeous mansions, keeping an eye out for ghosts and getting to know some of the other visitors in our tour group.

Obviously, one of the main things to do in Louisville is tour all of the bourbon distilleries. Louisville and the surrounding towns, like Bardstown, are home to the most bourbon distilleries in the world. I highly recommend taking an all day distillery tour and stopping by a handful of them. Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey, Old Forester and Evan Williams are all close to Louisville and are incredibly stunning places to visit. I like to call Buffalo Trace a Disneyland for adults. The grounds of these distilleries are immaculate and are beautiful places to sit and drink bourbon, particularly in the fall. The first time I visited Louisville was in July, and I promised myself that if I ever came back, it would be in the fall. There is so much gorgeous farmland around the city, which makes sense because the Kentucky Derby also takes place there. I just knew it would be colorful and stunning in the fall. All that to say, the second time we visited we went in September and it was everything I hoped it would be. There’s something so magical about sipping bourbon in the fall. I promise you, you’ll walk away from Louisville feeling like you’ve uncovered a secret to American history, and that secret is bourbon.

But just because Louisville is known for bourbon doesn’t mean there aren’t a million other things to do there with your family. The Louisville Mega Cavern is a must along with the Louisville Zoo and the Cave Hill cemetery (Muhammad Ali is buried here)! But one of my favorite things we did on our second visit was the Old Louisville Ghost Tour with Viator. I’ve been on so many ghost tours, in London, England, Savannah, GA, Williamsburg, VA and so many more. It’s always such a great way to learn more about a city. Usually the tour takes place in a well-known area so it’s also the perfect way to get your bearings when you first arrive in a new place. The Louisville ghost tour was even better than I thought it would be though. Our tour guide was incredible and the stories were some of the spookiest ones we’ve heard. We walked past some incredibly gorgeous homes and learned so many things about Louisville and the spirits that haunt the city.

I definitely recommend doing a ghost tour towards the beginning of your trip because it provides a foundation of knowledge regarding the city, the buildings and the neighborhoods. Not to mention, the tour guides are locals so they typically provide a ton of recommendations, from restaurants to hotels to bars to events. Make sure to book a tour that is either at sunset or at night to get the full spooky effect. I’ve taken a few daytime ghost tours and it’s just not the same!

Our tour guide had even lived in one of the houses that was mentioned in one of the ghost stories and had seen a ghost herself! She even contributed to one of the books that was written about the ghosts of Louisville. It even inspired me to take a ghost tour in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia. It’s funny how you never really explore your own city sometimes just because you get caught up in the ups and downs of life!

It was just a fun way to spend the evening before heading off to the bourbon bars downtown. You absolutely have to visit Hell or High Water (a speakeasy-style bar) or Neat Bar if you’re interested in bourbon and cocktails. Or you can just meander around Whiskey Row and pop into a few places, though keep in mind that most of the distilleries close around 5 or 6pm.

I highly recommend the Old Louisville Ghost Tour if you’re visiting Louisville. It was just a great way to feel engaged in the city and to fully understand everything that Louisville had to offer. And if you’re visiting in the fall, you absolutely have to take this tour. There’s nothing that screams fall like a ghost tour. It was a flat walk so nothing too treacherous, and even though we covered quite a bit of ground, it was never too much at once. My parents are in their 60s and they were totally fine. You’ll get to see the Witches’ Tree, Conrad’s Castle and stunning mansions throughout the walk. It was worth every penny and I’d even take the same tour again next time I’m in Louisville.

If you’re interested in taking the same tour, you can find it here! And I’ve included a handful of other recommendations for Louisville below. :)

LOUISVILLE RECOMMENDATIONS

Old Louisville Ghost Tour

Whiskey Row Ghost Tour

Kentucky Derby Museum

Cave Hill Cemetery

Bourbon Tour (Buffalo Trace, Woodford, Wild Turkey, etc.)

Full Day Private Bourbon Tour

3 Hour Food and Walking Tour

I hope this helps you with planning your trip to Louisville! You won’t regret it. You should also consider going to Bourbon and Beyond - a 4 day music festival with huge names like Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews Band, Kacey Musgraves and so many others. We went to the festival in 2024 and it was an absolute blast. I’ll never forget it!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Happy travels!

<3 Myles Katherine


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Review of the Complete Douro Valley Wine Tour with Lunch, Wine Tastings and River Cruise with Viator in 2026 | Porto, Portugal Travel Tips

Updated July 5, 2026

THE BEST DOURO VALLEY WINE TOUR FROM PORTO, PORTUGAL

When I was planning our trip to Portugal, I knew I’d want to spend a day at the vineyards in the Douro Valley drinking port wine. I just wasn’t sure how we were going to get there from the city of Porto! I stumbled across the Complete Douro Valley Wine Tour with Lunch, Wine Tastings and River Cruise by Viator and after reading a few of the reviews, it sounded perfect. A guided bus tour, two vineyard tours and tastings AND a boat ride through the Douro Valley. It sounded too good to be true! I’ve taken many bus tours in my time and I’m always a little hesitant because I tend to get carsick rather easily. I’ve survived tours on St. Lucia’s twisty mountain roads, Maui’s Road to Hana and the treacherous cliffs along the Amalfi Coast so I tried to remind myself that it couldn’t possibly be worse than those. Luckily, it wasn’t bad AT ALL and I would say it was one of my favorite all-day bus tours I’ve been on so far! We saw stunning views from the bus and it was a nice peaceful break from the hustle and bustle of Porto. While it was a tad dreary outside during our tour, it made the day feel even slower and more relaxed, which was much needed after traveling all the way from the United States to Portugal. We had a few stops along the way so there was never too long of a stretch of driving time, which makes a huge difference if you tend to get carsick. Our first stop was in the town of Amarante, a cute town with lots of historic, medieval buildings. We were given about 30 minutes to wander around and grab a pastry and coffee. We popped our heads into a lovely church and took photos along the canal. Having a few moments to sip our coffee and take in the day made a huge difference in our moods and we felt ready to head to the wineries and see the gorgeous views! It wasn’t on the agenda to stop here, so we were pleasantly surprised and also desperately needed that espresso!

(By using the affiliate links and/or codes in this blog post, you help support Myles Katherine Photography. I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. Thank you for your support!)

We also had the most amazing tour guide, Margarida. She was super bubbly, informative, and just plain sweet. She told us all about the Douro Valley during the bus ride and made sure we didn’t miss a thing as we passed by dozens of wineries off in the distance. We took the English tour but there are other languages like Portugese, Spanish and French if you need it!

We visited Casa dos Barros winery first. There was a beautiful terrace with ivy-covered walls, with peacocks and cats roaming the property. We ate lunch inside a lovely dining room and enjoyed a three-course meal and lots of wine. They even asked us if we wanted refills! Honestly, for the price of this Viator tour, I honestly can’t believe everything that’s included! The guide who led our tasting at the winery (a different guide than Margarida) was incredibly entertaining and hilarious, and we got to try multiple styles of port in an incredible smelling wine cellar. There was also cheese and crackers for us to munch on while the guide told us stories about the port wine.

Our next stop was the boat ride! We hopped on a traditional rabelo boat for a peaceful ride on the Douro River, soaking in the views of the stunning green hillsides. You can see many of the wineries as you cruise along the river. I’m not going to lie, I got a little sleepy on the boat ride because it was so calming! I kept myself busy taking tons of photos though and I think about this boat ride all of the time because it was so serene. It was longer than I expected too which was nice because it didn’t feel rushed at all. I’m usually a ball of stress when I’m traveling, so it was a lovely respite from the rushing around I’m used to. That’s why I love visiting Europe though, it’s nice taking life at a slower pace!

We ended the day at Croft Port, one of the oldest port wine producers in the world. Croft was probably the most beautiful vineyard I’ve ever seen in my life. It was incredible. They led us around the property teaching us all about how they create and produce their port, and then we had a full port tasting that we could enjoy at our leisure. I still think about this vineyard all the time, because it truly was straight out of a dream. My husband and I were the last ones on the bus because we didn’t want to leave! We ended up buying a bottle of our favorite port wine from our tasting, and it was somehow only 10 euros! If I ever went back to Porto, I will definitely be taking a trip back to this winery. I could have easily spent an entire day there taking in the rolling hillsides and sipping the port. I’ll never forget it!

Croft Port - View from the Terrace

I posted a full video on my YouTube channel about our tour so you can decide for yourself if it’s something you’d want to go on! I’d highly recommend it though because the views were gorgeous, the port wine was delicious, and it was totally worth the price. It’s only about $100/person which is crazy to me. The vineyards we visited were absolutely stunning. I’d even take this same tour again if we went back. I loved it so much. It also helped that the weather was perfect, despite a little rain earlier in the day. We were even given two glasses of wine each with our lunch too, which was included with the cost, along with all of the entrance fees, the boat ride, and the tastings! We had also taken a 3 Hour Food and Wine Tour in Porto the day before and we loved that too! You can read more about it on my blog here. :)

It was so nice to be able to relax for the day, instead of staring at the maps on my phone trying to find a restaurant or figure out how to get back to our hotel. I’m always the trip planner when it comes to me and my husband, Chris, mostly because I’m type A and need to be in control of everything. :) Plus, I like to save money where I can, so the fact that this tour was so affordable made it even better.

If you’d like to book this same tour to the Douro Valley, you can find it here!

And if you’re on the hunt for an affordable hotel in Porto, I’d highly recommend Memoria Porto FLH Hotels. It was quiet, beautiful, close to the water, super clean, and we were even greeted with port wine upon our arrival! You can read more about my Portugal hotel recommendations on my travel blog that I run with my sister called C’est Le Brie - Cute & Affordable Hotels in Porto & Lisbon.

If you’re heading to Portugal anytime soon, you absolutely need to visit both Porto and Lisbon. And while you’re in Porto, make sure to book this Douro Valley tour. You won’t regret it. It would even be great for a larger group because it takes all of the guesswork out of traveling. I would have loved for my parents and siblings to have joined us for the tour. Maybe next time! There were people of all ages on this tour and I always love getting to know other travelers from all over the world.

If you’d like even more details about this specific tour, you can find it on my travel blog here! And make sure to check out my Viator shop to see all of our favorite tours around the world so far! And you can watch more videos from our trip to Portugal on my YouTube channel. :)

Have a magical day!

<3 Myles Katherine

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