The temperature is getting colder, but our hearts are getting warmer. The LEO editorial staff have compiled a list of 22 seasonally-suitable Louisville dates for you and your favorite people — friends, significant other(s), or that hottie from Tinder.
1. Pick apples at Huber’s Orchard & Winery, 19816 Huber Road, Borden, Indiana
Get your fall photoshoot out of the way before you even become a couple at this popular Indiana destination. “U-Pick” season is already over for all of their produce except apples, as a representative for the farm confirmed, but even those will go quickly. Call to confirm availability before you go.
2. Spend a day at the Parklands of Floyds Fork
The spacious Parklands of Floyds Fork (also featured below) provide a lot of opportunities for walking, jogging, and hiking –– a great way to spend time with a new date. Climb the Brown-Forman Silo at Turkey Run Park to get a nice view of the trees.
3. Meet the Giants at Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest, 2075 Clermont Road, Clermont, Kentucky
Technically, these Giants aren’t real –– they’re fantasy sculptures that “live” in the Bernheim Forest. If you and your date are down for a two-mile walk to see all three of them, you’ll get to spend time in a lovely forest and take photos of the larger-than-life art.
4. Check out the Speed Art Museum (and its chilling new exhibit), 2035 S. Third St.
Halloween is over, but the Speed’s new exhibit on the supernatural in art is spooky enough for horror fans to appreciate throughout the season. (Plus, going to the Speed gives you an excuse to tell your date that they’re the most beautiful artwork in the room.)
5. Book an IgLOU at 8Up, 350 W. Chestnut St.
These heated, indoor-outdoor see-through igloos are equally suited to group dates, not just couples –– they seat up to 8 people. Yes, they’re expensive –– minimum $250, depending on the day –– but the experience is both novelty and picturesque. Space is limited, so make sure to book your spots soon.
6. Progress Park Airstream Resort, 4501 Progress Blvd.
Before it gets too cold, take a weekend staycation at this outdoor destination in the Buechel neighborhood, where you and your boo can kayak, canoe, hike, swim, and play volleyball during the day, then lounge around the fire pits at night.
7. Watch a movie (and meet Santa!) at the Sauerbeck Family Drive-In, 3210 D.W. Griffith Lane, La Grange, Kentucky
Go on a drive-in date, just like your grandparents used to do. At the Sauerbeck, you and your date can get a headstart on your Christmas movie watchlist –– upcoming showings include “Elf,” “A Christmas Story,” “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.”
8. Eat at the Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen (various locations)
There’s something very fall-y about pie, in a Pinterest-y kind of way. Bring your date there to try some sweet treats together. (If you’re feeling really audacious, you could bring one of their pies home and claim you made it… you didn’t hear that from us, though.)
9. Check out a farmers market
It’s a win-win: support local farmers, get outside, and enjoy fresh produce. Before you go, you and your date can decide on a new recipe, then shop for the ingredients together. Afterwards, cook it together –– but don’t forget to sneak in your Lady-and-the-Tramp moment!
10. Go on a coffee shop tour
What’s cozier than a bar crawl? A coffee shop crawl, perfect for fall! We recommend Bean, Safai, Quills, Sunergos, and Please & Thank You (the latter sells amazing chocolate chip cookies.)
Another one of the many LEO-sponsored Louisville food weeks is coming up soon! Pizza Week, which runs from Nov. 15 – 21, involves 15 local restaurants that will be serving up $9 pies. You and your date can compare your favorites and complete your pizza passports together –– probably not all in one go, but who are we to stop you?
12. Tour a brewery or distillery
Louisville, one of the best bourbon cities in the world, has plenty of free and low-cost tour options for alcohol fans to choose from –– and a lot of the tours include free samples! Learn about one of the many industries that keeps our state moving at places like Old Forester, West Sixth Nulu, or Copper & Kings.
13. Buy a book from Carmichael’s Bookstore and read your picks at a nearby restaurant
Now’s a great time to support local bookstores, and a Carmichael’s date is perfect for introverts. Take your books to a nearby cafe afterwards to enjoy some quiet time together. (Not to mention, if you don’t have a date yet, a bookstore is the perfect place for a meet-cute!)
14. Go horseback riding at the Red Fern Riding Center, 5063 Aiken Road, Simpsonville, Kentucky
Even if you haven’t ridden a horse since your friend’s sixth birthday party, there’s no time like the present to go on a guided trail ride. Yes, horses might be kind of intimidating up close, but so is dating, right?
15. Go to the North American Championship Rodeo, 937 Phillips Lane
If going riding unlocks your love of horses, then why not see them (and plenty of other livestock animals) in action? The North American Championship Rodeo features barrel racing, bull riding, steer wrestling, and other Western sports fun. It comes to the Kentucky Exposition Center later this month.
16. Enjoy a day at the Churchill Downs track, 700 Central Ave.
If those last two ideas weren’t enough for your love of horses, spend an afternoon at Churchill Downs watching thoroughbreds race, minus all the Derby Day madness (and expenses.) General admission tickets go for as low as $5, but there’s no rule that you can’t dress up in your best first-Saturday-in-May finery anyway.
17. Tour Cave Hill Cemetery, 701 Baxter Ave.
The peaceful grounds of Cave Hill Cemetery are beautiful in the fall. The cemetery houses famous Louisvillians –– Muhammad Ali, Colonel Sanders, and Patty Hill, amongst others –– and thousands of war veterans. History buffs will enjoy the walking and golf cart tours.
18. Book a fall picnic with LouPiqueNique
If you want to seriously impress your date without much effort, a luxury picnic experience is the way to go. Simply pick a package, date and location and LouPiqueNique will provide a table and perfectly curated decor — and a charcuterie board, drinks and dessert if you pay extra. We don’t want to pressure you, but it’s also a great idea for an engagement setup.
19. Go on a hayride
The season of haunted hayrides is over; now is the time for heartwarming hayrides instead. Cozy up to your sweetheart on this classic fall date.
20. Challenge each other at an arcade bar
RecBar and Zanzabar both have pinball and arcade machines. You and your date could challenge each other: best two out of thre and the loser has to buy drinks; best three out of five, they buy a meal; best seven out of 10, they give the other person a kiss.
21. Spend a day at Barn8 farm and restaurant, 10510 W. Highway 42, Goshen, Kentucky
This fancy farm-to-table restaurant in Oldham County makes for a romantic dinner getaway outside of the city. Before your reservation, check out the rest of the grounds at Hermitage Farm, which includes a greenhouse, art exhibition, and horse stable.
22. Tour the Louisville Nature Center, 3745 Illinois Ave.
The trails at this idyllic location near the Zoo are free and open daily. They’ve also got a number of bird-related events coming up this month, including a Turkey Trek and two Owl Prowls, plus a guided hike to introduce beginner birders to the hobby. If you go, make it a game: whoever spots the most birds first gets to choose the next date!
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article gave the wrong address for Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest. It is located at 2075
Clermont Road, Clermont, Kentucky.
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