Elizabethtown and The Brown Hotel

 

Recently on our road trip to Kentucky, we passed through Elizabethtown. Yes, just like the movie! My husband and I love this movie and have watched it several times. He, of course, loves the Freebird portion of the movie, I watched it because Orlando Bloom is just such a great actor and all (wink, wink, nod, nod.) Kirsten Dunst and Susan Sarandon are perfect too. Oh, and Paula Deen made her on-screen debut here too!

Movie summary:

“A suicidal young man returns to his small Kentucky hometown of Elizabethtown following the death of his father, and meets an unstoppably positive woman along the way.”

The suicidal part is actually quite comical-- nothing serious.

  The majority of the movie is set in Elizabethtown, Kentucky; however, they portray the hotel that he stays at as being in Elizabethtown when in actuality it is in Louisville. Right in the heart of downtown.

The Brown-- Built in 1923

My husband has stayed at The Brown Hotel many times in his travels there. He has always told me how much I would love its details and that I had to go there someday. SO WE DID.

The lobby is phenomenal with its marbled walls, beautiful furnishings and unbelievable oil paintings.

As you go upstairs heading to the reception area you see this…

and corbels (that I wanted to yank off and take home) like this…

And as you walk into the reception area your mouth falls open as you take in the dramatic ceilings. No picture could possibly do it justice.

I asked the nice gentleman at the desk if he minded if I snapped a few shots since it wasn’t terribly crowded; he said “Oh please-take all you like.” Then he added “I would suggest that you go upstairs and take pictures of our Crystal Ballroom, but there is a wedding reception taking place.” HINT HINT-Which I took as him really saying “Please stay away and don’t scare our guests with your camera, you crazy nut.”

He was very polite and told me several points of interest about the hotel, asked where we were from, and made pleasant conversation. I, in return, tried to fluff all of the sofa cushions when he wasn’t looking so as not to offend him.

Several of the scenes from the movie were taken right here in the reception area.

Notice the crystal glasses on the tables? Many people grab a drink at the bar and settle in here for relaxing conversation while listening to the piano in the next hallway.

In the movie the Kirsten Dunst was so likeable that some ladies asked her to join their bachelorette party. They started it in this room.

Check out the bar with its antique furnishings.

Anyone want to go and have a glass of wine with me? We could listen to the piano and stare at the ceiling and the chandeliers that were bigger than my dining room table.

 

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the gilded wall details, then I saw this enormous vase; it had to be eight-feet tall!

 

The chair, or rather throne, was fit for a king. It was enormous as well! Everything in this hotel was grand and luxurious.

  How about this incredible piece? The carvings were magnificent! Look at the pictures underneath, they are the close-up shots of the carvings. I’ll have to watch the movie again to see exactly what furnishings made it into the scenes.

 

Not sure where this hallway lead, but the wall color was amazing! I wanted to check out every inch of the hotel, but my husband was graciously waiting outside with our dog and the boys were appeasing me by coming along while I embarrassed them to death with my camera.

  

 

This, of course, was the highlight of The Brown for my boys.

  I hope you will watch the movie Elizabethtown. Let me know if you have or if you do. It’s a cute and simple, light-hearted movie that I could watch again and again.

I would love to find more places from my favorite movies, and when I do I promise to share them with you!

 

~Misti