About Louisville's Highlands

Twenty six years ago a Louisville tradition was born on Bardstown Road when a candle was placed in a storefront window to welcome passersby and promote friendship in the community. Today that tradition is alive and well with Bardstown Road Aglow. Businesses along the busy Bardstown Road corridor open their doors from dusk until 10 PM on the first Saturday in December to offer deep discounts and treats for shoppers. Several businesses will have hot apple cider, chocolates, and candies for visitors. Trolleys will be available to pick up patrons from Douglass Loop to Lexington Road. Also, the Winston’s Holiday Van will be picking up visitors that park at Winston’s Restaurant at Sullivan University.

Visit with Santa and his elves at Bearnos Restaurant at 6 PM – he’ll be arriving in style in the 21C Museum Hotel Red Glitter Limo! Also, the 3rd Annual Highlands Beer Festival will be happening at Mid City Mall at 5 PM, with 150 beers from all over the world for only $1 per 2 oz. sample. Admission into the Beer Festival will be $5 and benefits local charities. This year, Bardstown Road businesses are expecting record crowds over 10,000 to 15,000 people. As always, rain or shine – the Bardstown Aglow must go on.

This wonderful event takes place in the historic Highlands Neighborhood of Louisville. This eclectic community contains a three mile stretch of businesses, nightclubs, and restaurants. Originally a turnpike, Bardstown Road became a shopping destination after a streetcar line came to the area in the 1890’s. The 1980’s brought revitalization to the street with new oddity shops and antique stores moving in. Soon the area became the city’s main entertainment district and the epicenter of eclectic Louisville. Today, the homes located off Bardstown Road are charming and beautiful, some of which are the most expensive homes in the city. The Highlands neighborhoods have some of the highest percentages of college graduates and income averages in Louisville.

The Highlands is made up of nine neighborhoods – Phoenix Hill, Original Highlands, Irish Hill, Cherokee Triangle, Tyler Park, Deer Park, Bonnycastle, Highlands-Douglass, and Belknap. Each neighborhood offers residents something different, but they are all historic and lovely. Nearly 33,000 people call the Highlands home and the area continues to be very desirable. Homes for sale or rent in the Highlands tend to occupy quickly.

Bardstown Aglow is just one of the many events in the Highlands; this is a neighborhood that loves to have fun. The Highlands and Bardstown Road are both treasured Louisville landmarks that are sure to be loved for some time to come.

If you love dogs and cats, your heart aches at the plight of homeless animals in Louisville. Like many animal lovers, you might support the No Kill Louisville movement that promotes saving, neutering, and finding homes for unwanted animals over euthanizing them. Caring for and finding permanent and temporary homes for abandoned or unwanted pets is costly, especially when then the animals come to shelters malnourished, sick, or disabled. If you want to support this great cause and speak out to promote the No Kill approach in all area shelters, it is not too late to participate in the Million Mutt March on October 16.

When: Sunday, October, 16 - 8am to 2pm

Donation: Walk - $10 day of. Includes gift for dog or cat (your choice).

Run and Timed Walk - $25 day of. Includes t-shirt.

Where: Hogan's Fountain in Cherokee Park

The March: 5K timed run/walk; 3K walk starts at 9am

Day of Registration: 8am until 8:45 am at Hogan's Fountain. Park at the Baptist Seminary at 2700 block of Grinstead Drive and take a free shuttle there and back! Shuttles will run every 10 minutes between 7:30 am and 2:30 pm and will accommodate you and your pets.

And let the race begin: 9:00 am

Take home a pet: 10:30 a.m. - Adoptable animal runway show

After the race, there’s more: Here’s the schedule:

11:00 - 11:30 a.m. - Disc dog demo by Derby City Disc Dogs

11:30 - 11:45 a.m. - Obedience demo by Greater Louisville Training Club

11:45 - 12:15 p.m. - Agility demo by Greater Louisville Training Club

12:15 - 12:30 p.m. - Obedience demo by Greater Louisville Training Club

12:30 - 1:00 p.m. - Disc dog demo by Derby City Disc Dogs

1:00 - 1:15 p.m. - Obedience demo by Greater Louisville Training Club

1:15 - 1:45 p.m. - Agility demo by Greater Louisville Training Club

While you are at the March, you can help the cause by donating old cell phones. Eco-Cell, a partner of NoKill Louisville, will have donation boxes at the Million Mutt March for old, broken phones and hand-held electronics. NKL will have So if you have an old, broken phone lying around, bring it with you and help save a life. For more information on the program, click here.

There will be food, drinks, and pet friendly vendors at the March.

If you read my Louisville Market Update newsletter or follow me on Facebook, you know that I am a dog lover and mom to two spoiled cockers, Joe Cocker and Johnny Rotten, so this cause is dear to my heart. Come out for day of bonding with your pet and supporting a great cause that will benefit the four-legged citizens of Louisville. When you are ready to buy or sell a house, call your pet friendly Realtor®Jessica Gaines! I am yourLouisville real estate resource! I know – excuse the pun - where the bones are buried in our local real estate market and can help you negotiate a great deal.

If you drive through the Highlands, you are undoubtedly familiar with the Louisville is Weird sign we mentioned in our last blog,Celebrate Fall in the Highlands. You may think that is a comment on the out-of the box city we strive to be, but the saying means something else

The slogan was put into our local vocabulary by LIBA, the Louisville Independent Business Alliance, though a couple other cities like Portland, OR and Austin, TX have used the slogan. LIBA’s goal is to promote buying local!

Why? Dollars spent at local business run by local merchants keep the money here. LIBA claims that their studies show for every $100 spent at a local owned business, $45 stays in the community as compared to on $15 when spent at a chain. From the standpoint of helping our community, eating at Vincenzo’s on S. 5th is better than eating at Olive Garden. Local businesses are likely to hire local support services such as architects, marketing firms, tradesmen, sign makers, accountant, lawyers, and insurance brokers in addition to their workforce. The multiplier effect takes over when business and individuals patronize local companies.

LIBA strives to promote the buy local concept in three ways:

• They promote patronizing local business as a way to help to the local economy by buying from fellow citizen.
• They offer group branding, promotion, and advertising to members to promote buying local as a group.
• They work with local media and government to gain support for the buy local movement.

As Max Maxwell of Mom’s Music says in the video below, small business brings in money but send it out the door to pay expenses just as fast. Why not keep the money in the community?

Tom Koons McGee from the Comfy Cow keeps the buy local principal in mind when he looks for services. Since the company is opening two new location this year, McGeehas put the “Buy Local “ concept into play for many parts of rehabbing the old Ginny’s Diner on Frankfort Ave. in Clifton and Masterson’s Restaurant near the U of L.

As citizens of Louisville, you can support LIBA and its Buy Local initiative by shopping at farmers’ markets and seeking out local businesses when you need something. We will revisit this topic as the holidays near, as local merchants offer a variety of unique made-in- Louisville or made-in-Kentucky items. Also, watch our LouisivilleGainesRealEstate website. We already have several in depth community pages, but we will increase our coverage of Louisville business and things to do.

Real estate is always local, of course, but when you work with me,Jessica Gaines, you are doing business with a a real hometown girl. Born and bred in Louisville, I know Louisville well and am excited to let you in on the best real estate deals in town.

So, what's the best part of my job, besides helping people find their dream homes? It's seeing the most beautiful homes that Louisville KY has to offer!

One of my favorite areas in Louisville is the Highlands. The rich style differences between these homes is amazing. Although traditional and colonial style homes are the most prevalent, every now and then you will find a modern home in the mix.

What a great example of a lovely traditional Highlands home! This is one I recently listed at 2331 Alta Avenue on a DOUBLE LOT! Pretty much unheard of to find a yard so huge in this area of the city.

The best part of the Highlands is that you never know what kind of private paradise is waiting for you behind the garden gate.

Vine covered Pergola is perfect for warm summer evenings.

The best Highland homes have large yards, reminenscent of Louisville's first southern plantations. This carriage house has a bay for one car on one side and a finished loft over a large room on the other side. Perfect for band practice, an office, maybe even a food prep area for those large gatherings.

Pools are a quite a treat that not all Highland homes have room for.

The Highlands is probably most famous for its many different restaurants. You can find some really great original Louisville restaurants here.

Picture supplied by HelloLouisville.com

Whether it's a quirky and unique one like Lynn's or a posh five star eatery like Lilly's.

The Highlands is more than just a Louisville neighborhood, it's a local landmark. Between the sinfully good restaurants, art galleries and shopping, you will never find a negative to this area!

So you want to know what life is like living in the Highlands? This unique area of Louisville is lined with shoppes, cafes, coffee shops, local restaurants, galleries, parks and some of the most beautiful homes in the area. In a recent blog post on the Highlands I discussed the types and variety of homes that are available in the Highlands. The map below might give you a better visual of the "live" in the Highlands and around Bardtown Road & Baxter Avenue.

Looking to move into the Highlands area in Louisville? Ask me to send you some available properties or search below.