PBS travel show 'Samantha Brown's Places to Love' visits Kentucky

After more than 20 years traveling the world, becoming what some say is the most recognized and trusted woman in travel television, Samantha Brown finally visited Louisville last summer on her first trip to Kentucky.

For several days, she filmed an episode featuring Our Town and the Bluegrass for PBS’ two-time Emmy Award-winning series Samantha Brown’s Places to Love.

After having visited more than 70 countries during her career, what did she think of our house?

I caught up with Brown on the phone ahead of the episode, which airs Saturday on PBS. Sure, the host of a travel show will have great things to say about a place they feature, but you know what? His enthusiasm for Louisville and Kentucky was sincere.

Growing up with an acting background and hearing about our famous arts and theater scene, “Louisville was just the place to go if you were an actor,” she says.

How refreshing is it to hear Louisville considered an arts destination? (I mean, we all know this, but I can tell you from my much more humble jaunts around the world that most people mention a certain fast-food chicken purveyor in the same breath as Louisville.)

But it was Muhammad Ali’s legacy, specifically the Muhammad Ali Center, 144 N. Sixth St., that elevated Louisville to a world-class destination in his mind. He may have belonged to the world, but we claim it, and the museum that honors him helped lure Brown here. That, and the bourbon — her husband Kevin, who is the producer of the show they created together, is a big fan of bourbon, she says.

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“We wanted to do Louisville, Kentucky for a long time because of its history,” Brown says. But she’s not stuck in our storied past. It’s “entering the more modern era as a real city of the moment”, she says.

What’s appealing about this show’s format and its approach is that it takes the tropes of a destination and looks for new ways to tell those stories. And it does this by showcasing the people who live, work and play there.

“What I love about the show is that it really sees a destination through its people,” she says.

“So the process always starts with ‘what is he known for?’ “, she explains. “And how can we show this from a different perspective?”

Namely: “It’s absolutely known for the horses, for the Kentucky Derby,” she says, but instead of the standard images of hats fluttering on Kentucky Derby day, she featured the Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farms, where she chats with founder Michael Blowen for a unique lens on the industry synonymous with Kentucky.

This approach continues, with a visit to Buffalo Trace Distillery where local legend Freddie Johnson shares the story behind the bourbon boom – including correcting any misconceptions that the first producers were just old whiskey guys. with guns and dogs, in funny hats. It’s not, he says. They were structural engineers, biochemists, arborists, he explains.

This retrospective look at postcard-perfect aged rickhouses contrasts with the modern facilities and approach of Bardstown Bourbon Company, where Brown learns she can sip barrel-proof bourbon like a champ — and finally understands what what is bourbon, anyway.

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“I mean, my husband explained bourbon to me for about 10 years, and all of a sudden Dan [Callaway, vice president of hospitality] arrives and I say to myself, I understand, OK! »

Although they couldn’t spend all 23 minutes of the show’s airtime on bourbon – Brown was particularly impressed with the arts program at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, and devoted time to it as well as at Louisville Stoneware, tro, .

When her husband scouted Louisville for the show, she explains, Jamar Mack of KOBBE, Kentucky’s Original Black Bourbon Enthusiasts, took him to Bourbons. (And that’s where it’s especially fun to look in the mirror on a travel show.)

“That night he was like, ‘you won’t believe the night I had,'” she said. As a bourbon enthusiast, “he’s found his Mecca.”

Those of us who live here probably take it for granted that any day of the week we can see bourbon celebrities living their lives, but for someone not from here to run into what Kevin called “great people in the bourbon industry” is a big deal.

And it was a slice of Louisville life that in many ways shows who we are as a city.

Brown was only here for a few days, but it’s clear she did her homework and took her job of uncovering and showcasing what drives us seriously. Kudos to her for going below the surface.

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“Louisville is this city that has such a history,” she says, “and yet is very sophisticated.” She was struck by people’s passion, but observed that we are laid back.

“People are really comfortable with themselves,” she says. “You come to Louisville, and all of a sudden you feel this energy and, and it’s really lovely. You really felt this kind of raw spirit.

“I’m so excited to do Kentucky and Louisville for the first time,” she says. “What travelers need to understand is that with every destination, there is a soul of that place. It comes from people, and you have to get to know people.

Tell it to Dana! Send your restaurant “dish” to Dana McMahan at [email protected] and follow @bourbonbarbarella on Instagram.

“Samantha Brown’s Places of Love”

WHAT: Samantha quickly learns at the start of her journey that Kentucky is synonymous with Bourbon. Her first stop is Buffalo Trace Distillery where Samantha talks about her storied history with third-generation employee Freddie Johnson. She then stopped at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farms, where she met founder Michael Blowen to discuss horse racing and his mission to save the lives of these horses. With many interesting and exciting stops along the way, Samantha ends her trip in Bardstown, dubbed the “Bourbon Capital of the World,” to taste some whiskey and talk more about the history of bourbon.

WHEN: Saturday February 5

HOW TO WATCH: on PBS, check local listings for exact date and times

Samantha Brown’s Top 3 Experiences in Kentucky:

Tour of Bernheim Arboretum and Experimental Forest, ature preserve located in Clermont, Kentucky.
Check out the Muhammad Ali Center, 144 N. 6th St., which celebrates the life of the Louisville-born “greatest boxer of all time.”
Have a drink at Bourbons Bistro, ., nestled in the historic Clifton neighborhood in a building dating back to the 1870s. With a selection of over 130 bourbons, including a cask selection program, Bourbons Bistro is the Louisville’s largest bourbon bar.

PBS travel show ‘Samantha Brown’s Places to Love’ visits Kentucky

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