Ouita Michel is an award-winning chef. She owns and runs several local restaurants in the Lexington area (collectively called Holly Hill), and all are unique and interesting. I’ve been on a few Bites of the Bluegrass tours (check out this post to see my experience with the Bites of the Bluegrass Danville tour), and I recently had the pleasure of attending a tour of locations in the Midway and Versailles areas in Kentucky, sampling some Ouita Michel creations – The Just A Few Miles South Culinary Tour.

Bites of the Bluegrass is one of my favorite experiences in Lexington. It’s fun, interesting, a great way to try new foods and drinks, full of history facts, and is an easy way to explore parts of Lexington that you may not have tried yet. Erin, the owner, is fabulous and highly entertaining, and clearly puts so much thought and effort into her tours. If you haven’t taken a Bites tour yet, I highly recommend it! You do receive cocktails on this tour, but one thing I love about Bites tours is the option to sub out alcohol for a mocktail instead.

We started the tour at Holly Hill Inn Cooking School in Versailles. It’s a new spot in Versailles, and we tried bourbon (Maker’s Mark, to be specific), along with pairings for the drink. We tasted the different flavors that can be brought out in bourbon through their pairings, which was very interesting. We had a chance to do a little shopping in the store at the end, and I picked up one of the items from the tasting, as well as Ouita’s cookbook (I can’t wait to make some of the recipes soon!).

I love that Bites of the Bluegrass tours are usually walking tours, because everything is within walking distance, but this tour is a bus tour. You’re shuttled around between locations, which is fun! You even receive a cocktail in a pouch on the bus (and it’s delicious).

Our second stop was Saxony Farm, a horse farm between downtown Versailles and downtown Midway. We had cocktails and light bites, and had a chance to pet one of their horses. We learned a little history of the farm (I learned that they used to have safety pins for the horses’ blankets, and each horse had an individual pin specified for them, which was pretty interesting).

The third stop of the tour was Holly Hill Inn. The restaurant is in an old house, and it’s beautiful. We had a buffet-style meal, including salmon, mashed potatoes (some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had), a cocktail, stuffed mushrooms, and salad. The meal was great, and I’d love to head back over there in the near future. I feel like this would be an absolutely beautiful spot for dinners for special occasions.

The last stop of the tour was the Woodford Hotel. This is a new business in Versailles that recently opened. It is an inn with rooms styled after different types of bourbon. Each room is uniquely decorated, some including views of downtown Versailles, which I love. I think it would be a beautiful spot to get ready for weddings, and it’s in a great location now that downtown is growing. We had a couple of desserts from Ouita, including a bread pudding. I love that they have coffee out for guests, which was delightful to end the night with.

I love taking tours with Erin. They’re fun and educational, and she is an absolute joy to be around. I highly recommend taking a Bites of the Bluegrass tour if you’re looking for a unique experience. A tour would be a really great idea for a gift, or for families coming in for the holidays. I’m happy to answer any questions about their tours, or check out their website and social media!