At nearly six hours, book three nights. Leave Louisville by 9:30 a.m. on a Wednesday or Thursday to reach check-in at 4 p.m. with a lunch stop in Cincinnati. Avoid a Sunday-to-Tuesday stay, because the restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Lunch at Findlay Market, Cincinnati

Findlay Market at 1801 Race Street in Over-the-Rhine is a few minutes off the interstate after you cross into Cincinnati. It is Ohio’s oldest continuously operated public market, with more than 50 full-time merchants selling meat, cheese, produce and prepared food. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 9 to 6, Saturday 8 to 6 and Sunday 10 to 4; it is closed Monday. The Brent Spence Bridge is free, and the planned companion bridge is being built without tolls.

Wednesday or Thursday, after nearly six hours

With a 9:30 start and lunch in Cincinnati, you reach Madison around 4 p.m., when your room is ready; check-out on your last day is 11 a.m. After that much driving, spend the first hour in the hot tub or the 80°F pool, both open to inn guests May to November 1, weather permitting. Then order an Irish whiskey at the wine bar, where walk-ins are welcome, before dinner. On a weeknight the kitchen serves until 9.

A day at the farm, the church and the still

Start at West Orchards Farm Market in Perry, one of the farms the inn’s kitchen buys from. Check its season and hours before you go; it sells what it grows, from cherries and peaches to apples in the fall. After lunch, drive to South River Road in Geneva. South River Vineyard pours in an 1892 church that the Sigel family took apart in Shalersville and rebuilt here; the pews are still inside. Next to it, Red Eagle Distillery makes bourbon, rye, vodka, rum and brandy, much of it from grain and grapes grown on the property, so you can taste Ohio bourbon and rye against what you drink at home. Arrange a ride through Getting around.

Suite 205 and its rooftop patio

On a three-night trip you will want somewhere to sit outside that is not a shared space. Suite 205 has a king bed and its own rooftop patio over the lake, plus the private bath every room has. It is upstairs and there is no elevator, so bring only the bags you need. Summer stays carry a two-night minimum, which three nights clears.

See Suite 205 and its rooftop patio, read the current menu before the long drive, and reserve your first night’s dinner for about 7.