The Vince Carter Team Real Estate Blog: Kentucky: Louisville: Highlands

Nestled near downtown Louisville, there is a neighborhood with the history, class, eccentricities, nature, and entertainment necessary to draw the attention of both Louisville visitors and Louisville home buyers. The Highlands, an area of Louisville centered on the streets surrounding Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue and sitting on a ridge between two forks of Beargrass Creek, is the envy of every person who has visited the community.

Composed of many single-family residences  that range from working-class neighborhoods to the most upscale homes in Louisville, the Highlands caters to a wide variety of Louisville home buyers.  Many Highland neighborhoods have the highest percentage of college graduates and average income in Louisville. These residents take pride in their section of the city, and because of this, the Highlands has become well-known in Louisville for its many niches.

The Highlands is perhaps best known for its pedestrian-friendly community and its strip of eclectic shops and restaurants. The Highlands has developed a community committed to preserving the environment, and this is one reason that this community has successfully created a culture of pedestrian life. Many residents and visitors travel by foot or by bike down the strip to their favorite restaurants, shops, and bakeries, and the proximity of Cherokee Park has only served to further this tradition.

The eclectic shops and restaurants that The Highlands boasts include Quills Coffee, Flanagans Ale House, OSheas Irish Pub, and Bearnos Pizza, in addition to dozens more.  The area has a wide variety of terrific shops as well, such as European Antique Market, Dot Fox Clothing & Culture, and the Dundee Candy Shop.  These Louisville businesses are mostly entrepreneurial, resident-owned shops that cater specifically to Louisville patrons. Because the owners personally are involved in the daily ins and outs of the businesses, these stores and restaurants have a special touch that typical chain restaurants and malls lack. See the Keep Louisville Weird website for more information on this.

These are only a few of the amazing high points of The Highlands.  To truly discover what makes this neighborhood in Louisville so unique, youll just have to visit it yourself. For help finding your Highlands home, please contact The Vince Carter Team.

No one would probably ever have predicted that a wood-carving woman working in Kentucky and Northern California would eventually become owner of one of the most unique dining experiences in Louisville, but Lynn Winter has done just that. Lynn's Paradise Café invites its guests to dine on a deliciously distinct menu, admire an eclectic array of art, and share in life as a community.

Nestled in the heart of the Highlands, Lynn's Paradise Café combines community fun with an atmosphere that attracts guests from around the world. Local noteworthy events include Kentucky Derby-themed celebrations, and Kentucky State Fair-inspired contests. Other exotic and eccentric festivities attract people from outside of Louisville, including book signings, New Year's Pajama Parties, Valentine's Day Proms, a celebration of Pi Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day events, and even an October Lynntoberfest. Clearly this restaurant offers more than an every-day simple dining experience.

Lynn's Paradise Café offers party planning for any type of celebration and welcomes reservations for such events. Their menu includes entrees for any meal of the day, available for order any time of day, offering both classic menu items and items only found in Paradise. The drinks are out of this world, including the World Famous Bloody Mary made from their very own Bloody Mary mix from scratch.

Such a dining experience has not gone unnoticed, and Lynn's Paradise Café has plastered the press, including appearances in Esquire, Southern Living, USA Today, The New York Times, and on the Food Network and Oprah. Both the restaurant and Lynn have racked up multiple awards like Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award, The Tower Award for Women Leaders, Louisville's Distinguished Citizen Award, Louisville's 40 Under 40, National Restaurant Association's Chairman's Award for Grassroots Leadership, Women Business Owner of the Year, and Louisville Magazine's Best Restaurateur award.

Lynn has even cooked for two Inaugural balls.

To quote Jane and Michael Stern's book Roadfood, "Decide for yourself: Is this a great restaurant with amazing art... or an amazing art gallery with a great restaurant?"

Restaurants like Lynn's Paradise Café are one of many reasons Louisville is such a remarkable place to live. For more information on living in Louisville, please contact The Vince Carter Team.