Kevin Gibson--100 Things To Do In Louisville Before You Die

Last night I attended a book signing at Carmichael’s bookstore where I met Kevin Gibson, author of the new book 100 Things To Do In Louisville Before You Die. Mr. Gibson is a proud Louisville resident who works at Maverick Marketing & Media and writes for Insider Louisville and The LEO.  This book will primarily be of interest to Louisville residents, but will also hopefully encourage outsiders to visit the Derby City and experience its rich culture. Mr. Gibson explained that his current book is #28 in a series of similar books about 27 other cities in the United States written by various authors.

Before his talk officially started, Mr. Gibson spoke informally with the few early bird attendees. I took this opportunity to ask the question of whether or not he had done all 100 things mentioned in the book. He admitted that he had not, but that he had done most of them. He added that he is extremely afraid of heights so he strongly doubted that he would accomplish #37, Zip Line at Louisville MegaCavern.

He told the audience that when he sat down to start writing the book he brainstormed activities he personally knew existed in the city and came up with about 60. Then he asked his friends on social media for their ideas and they came up with 100 more. From there he whittled the list down to the 100 things that ultimately made it into the book. Louisville is known for its bourbon history, so naturally many of the activities in the book involved bourbon. When Mr. Gibson sent the manuscript to his editor he got the note back that, “Louisville must be a city of drunks.” He subsequently took the note and made the book a little more “family friendly.”

Mr. Gibson was asked which things he personally recommended as must-see items for Louisville residents and visitors. His first response was to take the backside tour of Churchill Downs (item #38). Mr. Gibson told us that his uncle was a horse guy so he grew up working on the backside cleaning up after horses. He said that this is where you meet the real people who live and breathe Churchill Downs. Although I have been on the regular tour of Churchill Downs and bet on my fair share of horses (most of them losers), I have never done the backside tour and plan to put it on my to-do list.

Two of the more colorful activities he highlighted included visiting Cave Hill Cemetery to eat KFC and throw the bones on Colonel Sanders’ grave, and to pour some Pappy Van Winkle (if you can even get your hand on a bottle) on the grave of the man who bears the bourbon’s name. Other items of note were the Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville Slugger Museum, and Jack Fry’s restaurant.  He added that one unique thing about Louisville residents is that when they first meet each other they always ask what school they attended and by this they mean high school.

Mr. Gibson proceeded to ask the audience what things we like to do in Louisville. My answer was to drink beer at Holy Grale which happens to be #8 in the book. Holy Grale is a craft beer bar located in a converted church on Bardstown Road. A few years back my husband and I took a beer tasting course at the bar taught by one of the owners, Lori Beck. Since then we have frequented the bar on occasion (wink wink) and also twice attended their annual New Year’s Eve 5-course dinner party with beer pairings. The iconic bar is mentioned in the current book as well as his previous book, Louisville Beer: Derby City on Draft.

Although I have not finished reading the entire book, it appears to include a well-rounded assortment of interesting and unique things to see and do in the city. The activities in the book are broken down into 5 categories: Food and Drink, Music and Entertainment, Sports and Recreation, Culture and History, and Shopping and Fashion. There are also 2 additional sections: Suggested Itineraries and Activities by Season.

After listening to Kevin Gibson and perusing his book, I recommend it to all Louisville residents even if you think you have seen and done it all because there may be some things that surprise you. It is also a good guide to have on hand when friends and relatives come to visit. For out-of-towners, it is a nice preview of potential activities to accomplish when you come to visit our eclectic city on the Ohio River.

I will end with the inscription Mr. Gibson wrote in my book, “To Sarah, Louisville rocks and so do you.” Thanks Kevin, same to you!

You can follow Kevin Gibson on Twitter @kgramone and Carmichael’s bookstore for upcoming book signings @carmichaelsbook.