Where to Drink
Bourbons Bistro
Serious fans of Kentucky bourbon culture should plan for at least one study session at this Frankfort Avenue mainstay, since bellying up to its long bar feels like entering American whiskey’s Library of Congress. Let the learned barkeep walk you through Kentucky’s whiskeyspeak (Wheated, Small Batch, Single Barrel, Bottled in Bond) three one-ounce samples at a time. Take notes if you’d like. This is the smooth-drinking material you wish was on life’s final exam.
2255 Frankfort Ave.; bourbonsbistro.com

Flabby’s Schnitzelburg
No flash, nothing fancy—just a traditional neighborhood tavern in the district known as Schnitzelburg. Beer is cheap, the crowd local, and most of the food either fried or in traditional sausage form. Friday nights are perfect for a fried chicken doused in vinegary hot sauce.
1101 Lydia St.

Magnolia Bar
Universally known as the Mag Bar, this neighborhood dive has a street rep as Old Louisville’s wood-paneled punk bar and home of a damned solid Lebowski-esque White Russian (depends on the barkeep). Nice touch: a centerpiece portrait of J. Edgar Hoover with fishnet-clad crossed mannequin legs.
1398 South 2nd St.

Nachbar
This blocklike brick barroom is run by brew geeks from way back and maintains a list with near-complete lineups from the great European beer cultures (Germany, Belgium) as well as a broad selection of the American craft movement. If you’re in the mood for a special Belgian Trippel, the barkeep will pour it in the appropriate glassware.
969 Charles St.

Old Seelbach Bar
In the half-basement of the Seelbach, the bourbon list goes on for days (or days and nights, depending on your drinking schedule). At one of the landmark dark-room barrooms in a bar-heavy town, you can taste and marvel at the many dedicated barrels and blends that the Seelbach has commissioned over the years, including a high-proof rye whiskey if you want a spicy break from the high-end bourbon scene.
500 Fourth St.

Where to Shop
Edenside Gallery
Local gallery packed with a wide range of fine arts and crafts, with an emphasis on local artists. From silk to ceramic to mixed media, handcrafted is the key at Edenside, where there always seem to be hidden treasures among the shelves.
1422 Bardstown Rd.

Just Creations
Sustainable, fair trade, and green seem to crop up as constant product descriptors in this local boutique with a worldwide reach. Aisles are packed with a multitude of products, art projects, and crafts, each from a different country and each with a conscience-soothing story behind it. Snack on fair-trade chocolate or shade-grown coffees.
2722 Frankfort Ave.; justcreations.org

The Makery   
A delightfully DIY shop of local products and independent design, the Makery has everything from a wispy hand-printed scarab dress to the latest issue of the local art magazine (Bejeezus) to prints from local artist Kathleen Lolley and rustic knitwears from Mi Scusi Handmade.
1572 Bardstown Rd.; ilovethemakery.com

Old Town Wine & Spirits
If this venerable Highlands liquor store doesn’t have the broadest selection of whiskey in the land, it’s definitely got the best guides to Kentucky’s native spirit.
1529 Bardstown Rd.; oldtownwine.com

Scout/Scout Home
As East Market Street becomes its own boutique shopping district, Scout and its new sister store, Scout Home, anchor the area with a playful take on modern design and what owners Sam Bassett and Jim George call “the pretty”—from exquisite hand-hammered silver bowls to Jonathan Adler ceramic seafood to Technicolor slab glass tiles.
801 East Market St.; scoutonmarket.com

WHY Louisville
Don’t mistake this tiny store’s name with a Derby City identity crisis (the WHY stands for the catch-all category “What Have You”), because the shelves are stocked with modern, sometimes retro-kitschy, Louisville-proud products. T-shirts from local graphic designers; posters, stickers, and merchandise from the annual Lebowski Fest; constant riffs on the city’s symbol (fleur-de-lis) and its area code (502). 1609 1/2 Bardstown Rd.; whylouisville.com