LL Review: Heroes Comics and Gaming - By Ash

Hey folks! We've been quiet lately but that's about to change with the review of Louisville's newest geek spot (and I say that with enthusiasm as a fellow proud geek), Heroes Comics and Gaming!

I have to make mention of the location really quick because to be honest, we passed it and had to backtrack. It's not totally hidden, but Google Maps put it a tiny bit further down from its actual location - at least for me - and by the time we saw it, it was too late to turn. So be on the lookout, you want to turn onto Lexington Avenue from Baxter Avenue, otherwise you'll pass right by it!

(A demo of a game - sorry the pic is a little blurry, he moved!)

That being said, we parked and made our way inside through the back door. The first room we went into was the gaming room, where a handful of folks were already engaging in RPG's. We crossed through to the store area, and I have to say I was impressed. The layout and space were functional and the decor was tasteful. There were tables set up for demos of games, other games set out that you could try out, an entire wall of board and card games, Funko toys and, of course, a ton of comics with ample room for growth in all departments. There was a lot of love put into renovating this space and it is paying off.

(The display case isn't empty, I'm just short and can't get a good angle to show you all the cards for Magic and other card games!)

(My hubby Andy was enjoying the vast selection of Star Wars items available. Aren't I a lucky nerd to be married to a nerd like him?)

The staff is great - super friendly and helpful. We got to chat a bit with Chris who even posed for a candid for us, and he offered up some advice, tips, and laughs for us while we shopped.













The owner rang up our order and you can tell he takes pride in his work. Thanks for letting me be awkward and weird and giving us a pic to go along with this! We missed Kevin, but those of you following our blog would know him from the Haunted Hotel - a fan favorite and recurring review venue for LL. We'll catch him next time, though!











The variety of nerd and geek levels offered means there's something for everyone. My husband and I picked up our first RPG game (yes, I'm an entry level geek in this area) and although it tired us out figuring out how to put it together and get started, it's a pretty fun investment that will bring us hours upon hours of entertainment. Check out our spread, and mind the mess, please!

Overall, I can't lie, I love this place. I felt at home among my kind and didn't even have to pre-medicate my anxiety - these are my people. Five stars all around, this is a place I think I'll be frequenting often. (I only wish I hadn't moved out of the area last year!) We can expect a lot of great things to come from Heroes and I can't wait to spend more time there!

Review: Gallrein Farms (by Ash)

With Halloween creeping closer (hooray!) the time arrived for our annual family punkin' pickin' day. Every year my family loads up and travels the short drive to Shelbyville to Gallrein Farms to pick out our pumpkins and for some family fun.

This year we noticed a few changes, one that particularly hurt the score and broke my heart. The hayride to the pumpkin patch that is ALWAYS free is a thing of the past. It's always been free to ride to and from the pumpkin patch, then you just pay for your pumpkins by weight. So we show up with my husband, my mother, my sister, and my two brothers. Six people. And they are charging $2 per person to just go TO the pumpkin patch. My math sucks, but I'm pretty sure that's an extra $12 that we weren't planning on paying. The only salvation was the fact they had picked out some of the pumpkins and put them in a field within walking distance so you could go walk and pick UP your pumpkins. They weren't on the vines anymore so it's no longer punkin' pickin' but punkin' pickin' UP. When you put it that way it kind of loses it's charm and draw. I was so disappointed.


Nevertheless, they still had the hay pit, the hay castle, the bales of hay set up for kids to run and jump around on, and the big tunnel for the kiddos to play and run down some of their energy, all for free. Plus a free petting zoo (feed = $) and some paid activities, like a tractor ride, pony rides, bounce houses, and a corn maze. They have a market where you can buy smaller pumpkins and gourds, Indian corn, food/drink, gifts, and other goodies. There is also a tent set up selling food, but the prices are kinda high. Not, like, unreasonable, just higher than I'd like to pay for six people.

So we ended up walking to the small pumpkin patch and thankfully had a really easy time picking out our pumpkins this year. I guess it wasn't terrible that they changed things up, I like the selection. But I prefer the hayride and having to pick the pumpkins off the vines. It makes it more...involved. Personal. Like, "Pikachu, I choose YOU!!" (I totally need to get a fourth pumpkin named Pikachu now...)

So all in all, I give it 8/10 stars. We'll go back. We'll be more prepared, but we'll go back.

***Pictures of our pumpkins Chuck, Larry, and Zelda will be coming soon***