My husband turned 40 earlier this year and I was at a loss as to what we could do to celebrate. Originally we had hoped to go to a resort on a beach with our friends, out of the country for a week. Then Covid happened. We were being as safe as possible considering I’m a community-based adoption recruiter and my hubby works in the office, but we still wanted to celebrate as big as we could.
I considered Hocking Hills and renting a cabin. We love it there. We love just being with our “covid friends,” but with the weather in February being unpredictable, we didn’t want to be stuck in a cabin with nothing to do. I considered Nashville… but weather, a tornado and a bombing changed that path for us as well. Maybe Gatlinburg. Nope wouldn’t work. We’re going there this summer for a dance competition and it can be a bit crowded.
I was beyond lost and thought his 40th was going to be a bust.
A sweet friend of mine suggested we hit up the bourbon trail in Kentucky. I, myself, am not a huge fan, but this wasn’t about me! My husband and the other two guys who were going with us enjoy bourbon. While I wasn’t even sure anything would be open or what precautions would be set into place, I took to Google and started to see what we could do. Little did I know I was about to be surprised!
I was able to locate a company that sets up private tours. They did all the planning, set up all the tours and our lunch. I immediately contacted our friends who thought it sounded amazing, and we kept it a HUGE surprise from my husband. My husband and I, along with two couple friends of ours, were able to go on a private, chauffeured trip to ensure as much safety as we possibly could.
We spent over nine hours riding from tour to tour and seeing how beautiful Kentucky really is. The tour guide/driver ensured we got to every spot safely, so we didn’t have to worry about one of us being the designated driver. They gave us brief overviews of local places and the history behind them. We had a cooler on board that was fully stocked with water, and we brought our own snacks. Two bourbon distillery tours, a mixology craft and an amazing lunch were on the schedule. This tour allowed us to party in style while being cautious at the same time.
His 40th wasn’t the amazing trip to the beach sans kids that we thought would occur, but it was a day filled with so much laughter, a lot of love and time with some of the best friends we could ever ask for!
