Louisville

No reviews yetCity Kentucky, United States

Write a review Things to do Businesses Add photos

The twin spires atop the grandstand at Churchill Downs are the best-known symbol of the Kentucky Derby, Louisville, Kentucky

The Muhammad Ali Center on North Sixth Street tells the story of the boxer, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky

A six-story steel bat marks the entrance to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory on West Main Street, Kentucky

West Main Street holds one of the largest collections of cast iron facade buildings in the United States, Louisville, Kentucky

About Louisville

Louisville spreads along the south bank of the Ohio River at the one spot where rapids once forced boats to stop and unload, which is how the city got its start. Kentucky's largest city carries a mix of Southern and Midwestern habits, a deep bourbon heritage, and an outsized connection to horse racing through the Kentucky Derby, run each May.

Churchill Downs, with its twin spires, is the obvious pilgrimage, and the Kentucky Derby Museum next door keeps the story going year-round. Downtown, the Muhammad Ali Center honors the hometown boxer, a giant bat leans against the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, and Whiskey Row's restored cast-iron facades hold distillery experiences near the Frazier History Museum. Waterfront Park leads to the Big Four Bridge, a former railroad crossing now open to walkers and cyclists heading to Indiana, and the Belle of Louisville steamboat still takes passengers out on the river. Across the water, the Falls of the Ohio reveal ancient fossil beds when levels drop.

Neighborhoods reward slow wandering: Old Louisville has one of the country's largest collections of Victorian homes around St. James Court, the Speed Art Museum sits by the university, and the Highlands pairs Bardstown Road's bars and restaurants with the landscaped hills of Cave Hill Cemetery. Spring and fall are the gentlest times to come.

Best seasonApril through May and September through October offer mild weather, with Derby season bringing peak crowds and prices.

Ideal stayThree days fits racing, museums and a neighborhood or two; add a day for distilleries.

ArrivingLouisville Muhammad Ali International Airport sits close to downtown, and I-64, I-65 and I-71 converge here.

WiserMap travel guideLouisville Kentucky Whiskey Row Bourbon and Churchill DownsPlan a Louisville trip: Churchill Downs, Whiskey Row distilleries, the Big Four Bridge, Old Louisville mansions, Olmsted parks, the Hot Brown and when to go.Read the guide

12 Places Locals Love in Louisville

Landmarks 2

Churchill Downs

The twin spires atop the grandstand have watched over the Kentucky Derby since the 1890s, and the race itself has run here every y...

Belle of Louisville

Launched in 1914 as the Idlewild, the Belle is the oldest operating Mississippi-style river steamboat in the world and a National...

Museums 4

Muhammad Ali Center

Muhammad Ali grew up in Louisville as Cassius Clay, and this riverfront museum, opened in 2005, tells his story from a stolen bicy...

Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory

You can't miss this one: a giant steel bat, modeled on one Babe Ruth used, leans against the building on Main Street. Inside, the...

Frazier History Museum

Housed in a converted 19th-century warehouse on Main Street's Museum Row, the Frazier tells Kentucky's story through exhibits on L...

Speed Art Museum

Kentucky's oldest and largest art museum was founded in 1925 by Hattie Bishop Speed and sits beside the University of Louisville c...

Food and Drink 1

Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

On Whiskey Row, where barges once unloaded barrels on the riverfront, this downtown distillery celebrates Evan Williams, often cre...

Parks 2

Waterfront Park and the Big Four Bridge

Downtown's riverfront was once industrial wasteland; today Waterfront Park is a sweeping green space of lawns, fountains, playgrou...

Cherokee Park

Designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1890s, Cherokee Park is the jewel of Louisville's Olmsted park system, with r...

Nature 1

Falls of the Ohio

Across the river in Clarksville, Indiana, the Falls of the Ohio State Park protects one of the largest exposed fossil beds from th...

Neighborhoods 1

Old Louisville and St. James Court

Just south of downtown, Old Louisville is one of the largest Victorian neighborhoods in the United States, a grid of brick and sto...

History 1

Cave Hill Cemetery

Established in 1848, Cave Hill is a Victorian rural cemetery and arboretum where winding lanes pass ponds, rare trees and elaborat...

5.0(4)

4625 Shelbyville Rd, Louisville

View profile Website ↗

Reviews

No reviews yet. Been to Louisville? Be the first to share your experience.

Write a review

Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.

Share your photos

Been to Louisville? Add your best shots to the gallery.

More places in Kentucky

See all places in United States →

Photo credits

Photo: William Alden III, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: JazzyJoeyD, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Proof377, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: User Bedford on en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Publichall, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Bildflut, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: Joe Schneid, Louisville, Kentucky, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sailko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Rick Dikeman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Bo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: en:User:Bedford, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Bbadgett, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Michael Baker, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Bill Brine, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Joestn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: The Kentucky Center at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Kybluegrass, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Lou Oms, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: PEO ACWA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: William Alden from Louisville, Kentucky, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Venessa Whitworth, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Proof377, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Adjoajo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: SydneySmith, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: PEO ACWA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Mobilus In Mobili, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Capablancaa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: PEO ACWA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Katolophyromai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Photo: Louis Valtat, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Mary Cassatt, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Mx. Granger, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: William Alden from Louisville, Kentucky, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: The original uploader was Retired username at English Wikipedia., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Photo: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: W.marsh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Bedford at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Chris Light, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: James St. John, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: The original uploader was Bedford at English Wikipedia., Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Bedford at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Chris Constantine, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0