Louisville

Understand

A major city on the Ohio River in North Central Kentucky across from Southern Indiana, Louisville exists at the confluence of Southern and Midwestern attitudes and cultures. Known historically as the "Gateway to the South", Louisville has long been a transportation center for the region. It is the largest city in Kentucky, with about one and a half million people living in the metro area.

While it only borders on the region, tourists will probably find a bit of the famous Southern hospitality here, along with its varied cuisine and a relaxed attitude toward life. The city also boasts a vibrant arts and music scene and a world-class municipal parks system. Louisville's biggest draw are the horse races at Churchill Downs (with the famous Kentucky Derby always the first Saturday in May), but the city is making a concerted effort to draw tourists year round. The architecture in Old Louisville and the Highlands is one-of-a-kind, and the people are very friendly. The Downtown, Old Louisville, Highlands, and Frankfort Avenue areas are walkable and it is possible to take the city bus between one or all four without much difficulty, with a downtown hotel as base. Outside of this part of town though, you will almost certainly need a car. Aside from Downtown, a must-see for many is the Highlands shopping district, on Bardstown Road roughly from Broadway to the Douglass Loop. Often described as "bohemian", it includes art galleries, bars, coffeehouses, midrange to upscale restaurants, and is ideally navigated by foot or bike. You can meet some locals on the sidewalks without much trouble, if you are interested. The street life here is particularly active on weekends when the weather is warm. Louisville was the birthplace of boxer Cassius Clay, later known to the world as Muhammad Ali. He is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in the Highlands, a couple of miles southeast of downtown, which is also the resting place for many other Kentucky dignitaries.

Climate

Weather in the Ohio Valley is notoriously hard to predict, but this is a general guide. Spring starts sometime in late March or early April, normally it is very brief and summer-like weather sets in before the trees have had time to grow back their leaves. Generally this leads to pleasant weather for the Kentucky Derby, although torrential rain and (once or twice) even snow, are not unknown. Summer usually has a few vilely hot and humid weeks, where nobody goes outside much who doesn't have to, but is generally milder and more pleasant than some other parts of the South. Brief but fairly violent thunderstorms ar

Getting there

By plane

1 Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF IATA). Served by all the major American airlines though it is only a spoke for most. A single terminal holds two concourses. Concourse A serves Allegiant Air, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines, while Concourse B serves Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. The terminal is small and easy to navigate. With all of the airlines listed above, direct flights are available to most of their hubs, including Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, and popular tourist destinations such as Orlando and Las Vegas. Allegiant, which does not use the traditional hub-and-spoke model, offers nonstop flights, some seasonal, to popular vacation destinations in the Southeast. Southwest, which also does not use the hub-and-spoke model, offers nonstops to several of its own key cities. The airport is "International" in name only — there are no longer any non-stop passenger flights to any location outside the U.S. Too bad you can't fly with UPS whose huge all-points international "Worldport" cargo hub is in Louisville just south of the passenger terminal. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG IATA) is 1.5 hours away by car, and is a focus city for Delta Air Lines and low-cost carriers Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines.

By car Several Interstates pass through Louisville: I-65, I-64 and I-71.

I-71 (North-South) begins in Louisville and heads Northeast to Cincinnati and Cleveland. I-65 (North-South) will carry you from just outside Chicago, through Indianapolis North of Louisville and to the south through Nashville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Alabama, all the way to the coast at Mobile. The Ohio River crossings in both directions are tolled; see § Get around I-64 (East-West) travels east through Lexington, West Virginia, on into Richmond, and ends near the Atlantic Ocean in Chesapeake, Virginia. To the west you'll find its beginning/end in St. Louis, the "Gateway to the West"

By bus see also: bus travel in North America

Greyhound, ☏ +1-800-231-2222, services Louisville. Their depot is at 720 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. near the center of town. Service is frequent, but it is inadvisable to arrive at the bus station late at night unless someone is coming to pick you up or you are taking a taxi. There are many pickpockets and scammers here and nearby. Megabus. Service from Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The bus stop is on the north side of Jefferson St in between Roy Wilkins Ave and S 8th St.

Getting around

By bus TARC (Transit Authority of River City) operates bus lines in all parts of Louisville Metro (Jefferson County). Cash fares are $1.75 for adults (does not include transfers). With the MyTARC Card, available for purchase online or at a couple of locations in the city, fares are $1.50 and include a transfer good for two hours from initial boarding. Buses generally run from about 6AM-10PM, some later on weekends, but it is a good idea to check the schedule for each specific route. Timetables are only posted at major stops. Frequency and punctuality leave something to be desired, but the buses are an effective way to get around for a visitor, especially between downtown and major sites like the airport, Churchill Downs, and the trendy areas in the eastern part of the city.

By car Car rental services are available at the airport. Louisville is encircled by two beltways, I-264 (officially the Henry Watterson Expressway and locally known as "the Watterson") and I-265 (the Gene Snyder Freeway, or unofficially "the Snyder"). Traffic is generally moderate except at peak hours on I-264, downtown, I-64 between the Snyder and Watterson, and the Snyder for about 2 miles in either direction from I-64. In particular, try to avoid "Spaghetti Junction", the downtown freeway interchange, between 7AM and 9AM and 4:30PM and 6:30PM on weekdays. Three of the five bridges that cross the Ohio in Louisville are now tolled. The Abraham Lincoln Bridge, which opened in 2016, carries I-65 northbound into Indiana, while the older John F. Kennedy Bridge is now southbound only. The new Lewis and Clark Bridge, plus associated freeway segments, also opened in 2016 to connect I-265 between the two states. The I-65 and I-265 crossings are tolled in both directions. Rates depend on whether the vehicle carries a transponder issued by the local tolling authority (or the multi-state E-ZPass consortium), or if the vehicle's license plate has been registered with said authority. For cars, passenger trucks, and motorcycles, current rates per crossing are:

$2.10 for vehicles with transponders. $3.16 for vehicles without transponders, but with plates registered with the tolling authority. $4.20 for vehicles that have neither transponders nor plates registered with the tolling authority. Rates are higher for larger vehicles. Tolling is all-electronic; vehicles without transponders will have pictures of their license plates taken, with a bill sent to the registered owner. The downtown Clark Memorial Bridge (also known as the "Second Street Bridge") and the Sherman Minton Bridge that carries

See

Outside Louisville's park system was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the "Father of American Landscape Architecture." Many consider it to be his greatest achievement. Cherokee Park, Iroquois Park, and Shawnee Park are the Flagship Parks, while more than a dozen smaller parks make up Louisville's own "Emerald Necklace." 1 Cherokee Park features a 2.3 mi (3.7 km) "Scenic Loop" with one lane of traffic reserved entirely for cyclists, pedestrians, and other recreational activities. 2 Iroquois Park contains what was the tallest hill in Louisville before the city merged with surrounding Jefferson County in 2003; the hill's location gives it a commanding view of downtown, especially on clear days. In addition to the major parks, dozens of smaller ones are spread throughout the city, such as Tyler Park in the Highlands, a favorite of locals, or George Rogers Clark Park in Germantown. A newer addition, 3 Waterfront Park, is arguably one of the greatest things the city has done to improve its image in a decade. Stretching along over a mile of the Ohio River, Waterfront Park offers playgrounds, artistic landscaping, fountains, and open lawns, all with spectacular views of the city skyline and the river. It frequently plays host to concerts and other festivals. The 4 Big Four Bridge is an old railroad bridge, now pedestrianized, that lets you walk between Waterfront Park and Jeffersonville, Indiana. Enjoy the view (day or night) of downtown Louisville from Ashland Park, on the Ohio River in neighboring Clarksville, Indiana. Park the car and walk across the street to Widow's Walk, an ice-cream parlor/garden statue shop constructed to look like an old Victorian mansion. Nearby is also the Falls of the Ohio, a state park containing a fossil bed that spans quite a bit of area when the river is low.

5 McAlpine Locks and Dam, 805 N. 27th St.. The Falls of the Ohio (which in their natural state were more a series of large rapids) were once a major barrier to navigation on the Ohio River. Louisville catered to steamboat passengers who spent the night before changing boats, and even more significantly earned considerable income from overland portaging of cargo to bypass the rapids. The construction of a bypass canal, including the first set of locks on the river, in 1830 changed all of that. The current structure dates to 1961. There's usually a lot of barge traffic on the Ohio (though it slows down in winter once the upper reaches of the river in Pennsylvania begin to freeze), so you normally won't have to wait long at the visitor center to see the locks in action. (u

Do

1 Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay, 937 Phillips Ln (I-264 and I-65. Follow signs - next to the Expo Center), ☏ +1 502-813-8200. An amusement park and water park. (updated Jan 2026) 2 Belle of Louisville river cruises, 401 West River Road, ☏ +1 502 574 2992, toll-free: +1 866 832 0011. One of the few surviving original river steamboats in North America offers lunch and dinner cruises and special events. Or, if you can afford it, rent the whole boat! There's also a smaller boat called the Mary M. Miller that does cruises. Check the website for current schedules and rates. (updated Oct 2017)

Kentucky Derby Festival One of the nation's biggest civic events, the Kentucky Derby Festival takes place for the two weeks prior to the first Saturday in May when the Kentucky Derby (usually referred to locally simply as "Derby") is run at Churchill Downs. The biggest events include the following:

Thunder Over Louisville. Saturday two weeks before the Derby (sometimes three weeks, depending on when the Easter holiday is observed so as not to interfere with it). Quite possibly the world's largest air show and fireworks display. Thunder draws as many as 800,000 people to the banks of the Ohio river for a day long event filled with food, music, skydivers and many types of aircraft (including active military and World War II warbirds). UPS even gets in on the act with one of their 757s. The evening is topped off with the world's largest fireworks display set to music, usually lasting 30 minutes. The Great Balloon Race. Saturday one week before the Derby, unless bad weather takes place, then it will be the next day. If bad weather takes place that day, the race is canceled. The start of the Balloon Race moved from the Kentucky Exposition Center to Bowman Field in 2011. Regardless of the starting point, the race ends a few miles away in whatever direction the wind is blowing and carrying the balloons. On the Friday night before the race, the balloons are inflated for the Balloon Glow, a very pretty sight at night. The latter event moved to the riverfront in 2012. The Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon and MiniMarathon. Both races are held on Saturday morning one week before the Derby, usually at the same time as the balloon race. The races start and finish in downtown Louisville. They follow the same route to the west side, back to downtown, and through Old Louisville and the University of Louisville campus to Churchill Downs, where they take a trip around the track in the infield before splitting after exiting the racetrack. The MiniMarathon (in fact a half-marat

Buy

Support Louisville's impressive number of locally-owned businesses by shopping in areas like the Highlands (Bardstown Road) and Clifton/Frankfort Avenue. Shops displaying "Keep Louisville Weird" signs (a concept originated in Austin, Texas) are members of a coalition of locally-owned businesses.

1 Carmichael's Bookstore, two locations: 1295 Bardstown Road and 2720 Frankfort Avenue. Bookstore with a variety of interesting books, some with a social justice bent, and a good selection of books about Kentucky, as well as miscellaneous gifts. (updated Sep 2023) There are several malls and shopping areas in which to browse, including:

2 Oxmoor Center and 3 Mall St. Matthews, Shelbyville Rd at I-264. Oxmoor Center is immediately east of 264 (outside the loop) and Mall St. Matthews is immediately west of 264 (inside the loop). 4 Jefferson Mall, 4801 Outer Loop (Outer Loop and Jefferson Blvd). 5 Paddock Shops, 4055 Summit Plaza Drive (Brownsboro Rd at I-265), ☏ +1 502-425-3441. You may hear a few long-term residents call this center by its former name, "The Summit". 6 Springhurst Towne Center (Westport Rd. at I-265). (updated Apr 2022) 7 Dixie Manor, 6801 Dixie Hwy (Dixie Hwy near Lower Hunters Trace). (updated Apr 2022) 8 Shelbyville Road Plaza (Shelbyville Rd. west of I-264 and Mall St. Matthews). (updated Apr 2022) Outlet shopping is available in nearby Simpsonville at 9 The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass (take I-64 east to Exit 28).

Groceries and other basics The dominant supermarket chain in the Louisville area is Kroger, with over 20 locations in Jefferson County alone, plus many others scattered around the surrounding counties (a few Kroger-owned stores on the Indiana side of the river bear the legacy Jay C nameplate). Several of these are open 24/7. No other supermarket chain has anything close to Kroger's presence, though the local chain ValuMarket and the deep-discounters Aldi and Save-A-Lot have several locations. In the organic/natural niche, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's each have one location in the area, both near Mall St. Matthews. A smaller national chain, The Fresh Market, has a location in northeast Louisville. Finally, the local chain Rainbow Blossom has four Louisville locations plus one across the river in New Albany. The real competition for Kroger comes from two major discount chains. Walmart has nine stores in its "Supercenter" (discount store plus supermarket) format, plus three supermarket-only Walmart Neighborhood Markets, in Jefferson County alone. Two of the Supercenters and one Neighborhood Market close overnight; the rest

Eat

Local specialties include the Hot Brown, a broiled open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and Mornay sauce, and derby pie, which is similar to a pecan pie but incorporates chocolate. Kentucky is of course the home of KFC, but, like most Southerners, Kentuckians take fried chicken fairly seriously, and if you want inexpensive, tasty fried chicken, there are better local alternatives. Considering that it's not widely known for it, pizza is surprisingly good in Louisville. There are a lot of outlets and the market is quite competitive. Louisville has established itself as a major "foodie" destination. Part of the reason is the ready availability of fresh ingredients from around the country, and even the world, thanks to the location of UPS' main hub at Louisville International Airport. Vegetarians and vegans have a lot of options in Louisville, particularly at the numerous Ethiopian, Indian and Mediterranean restaurants. Locals usually prefer to dine at one of the local eating establishments below.

Budget 1 Chicken King, 639 E Broadway, ☏ +1 502 589 5464. Fried chicken - also Jerk chicken, pulled pork, and fish. (updated Oct 2017) 2 Indi's, 1033 W Broadway. Local fried chicken chain, also serves ribs and fried fish. Local opinion is split as to whether Indi's or Chicken King makes the best fried chicken in town. Chicken is available hot or mild. 7 other locations besides the Broadway one (which is in a slightly seedy neighborhood) (updated Sep 2017) 3 Spinelli's, 614 Baxter Ave. One of the many popular local pizza chains in town, also with locations downtown and in St. Matthews (the latter newly remodeled). Late night (until 5AM every day at all locations) Philly pizza; also offers various sandwiches, including cheesesteaks. A luxury car is installed indoors at the Baxter Avenue location for seating. J. Gumbo's, 1616 Grinstead Dr. And another in Middletown. A regional chain that began in Louisville. Excellent Cajun food. Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etoufee, Creole, etc. Try the drunk chicken, it's excellent. Most meals $7.25; seafood meals $7.99. 4 WW Cousins, 900 Dupont Rd. Plus a second location on the Outer Loop near Jefferson Mall. Dress your own hamburger and salad bar. 5 Home Run Burgers, 2723 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy. (Hurstbourne Parkway near Taylorsville Road, Shelbyville Road Plaza, Middletown in front of Walmart, and at U of L) Local chain offering made-to-order Black Angus burgers and hand-cut fries. Decor is mostly baseball-related, and the staff says "Batter up!" when customers come in. Hand-breaded cod, grilled chicken, hot dogs, veggie burgers, BLT,

Drink & nightlife

The mint julep is a local drink, traditionally drunk during the Kentucky Derby. If you want to try this classic Southern drink outside of Derby week, it's difficult to find a bar that can make them, owing to the difficulty of stocking fresh mint and the fact that they aren't often ordered. Smoking is not permitted in bars in the city of Louisville. While most bars in Kentucky are required to close at 2AM, some Louisville bars are licensed to stay open until 4AM.

Pubs There are many pubs around the city, with varying styles, prices and crowds. The Highlands, especially around the 900 block of Baxter Ave., is a great place to drink and meet new people.

1 Highlands Taproom, 1279 Bardstown Rd, ☏ +1 502 584-5222. Neighborhood pub with live music most nights. (updated Mar 2016) 2 Molly Malone's Pub, 933 Baxter Ave, ☏ +1 502 473-1222. 11AM-4AM daily. Irish-style staples with a decent beer selection and a good patio. (updated Mar 2016) 3 Nachbar, 969 Charles St (In Germantown), ☏ +1 502 637-4377. M-Sa 2PM-4AM, Su 4PM-4AM. Large beer selection with a focus on German and Belgian style beers. Also features jazz and film occasionally. (updated Mar 2016) 4 Outlook Inn, 916 Baxter Ave, ☏ +1 502 583-4661. 2PM-4AM. A more dive-ish feel but with a no less impressive beer list. (updated Mar 2016) 5 The Tavern, 1532 S. 4th St, ☏ +1 502 637-4200. A longtime pub in Old Louisville. They serve breakfast at all hours and have a daily plate lunch special. (updated Mar 2016) 6 Holy Grale, 1034 Bardstown Rd. In a former church. Good quality food but best known for its large and eclectic selection of local and imported craft beers. No liquor or wine, but with the number and variety of beers on offer, even if you're not normally a beer drinker, you can probably find something you like. Charming Biegarten out back with giant hops plants in the summer time. (updated Oct 2017) 7 Garage Bar, 700 E Market St, ☏ +1 502 749-7100. Gastropub that used to be a gas station, hence its name. Look for the beat-up Ford Mustang and Pontiac Trans Am permanently parked out front. Excellent wood-fired pizza, burgers, locally made charcuterie. Craft beers, wine, and cocktails. Large outdoor seating area. Dog friendly. (updated Oct 2017) 8 Troll Pub, 150 W Washington St., ☏ +1 502 618-4829. Not exactly under the 2nd Street Bridge but right next to it and fairly subterranean. Popular spot with pub grub and drinks. (updated Oct 2017)

Microbreweries 9 Bluegrass Brewing Company, 300 W Main St, ☏ +1 502 568-2224. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, closed Su. Local microbrewery with three locations around

Sleep

Around Derby weekend, most Louisville hotels will charge at least three times the normal rate, and often more. The only way to avoid this is to stay with friends and family or to stay at hotels at least 100 miles away, such as Cincinnati or Indianapolis. Other significant events that will cause increases in hotel rates, though by a lesser amount, are Thunder Over Louisville (while its crowds are several times those of the Derby, they're more local); the Street Rod Nationals in early August; the Kentucky State Fair, held for 10 days ending with the last Sunday in August; NASCAR races at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta; and home games for some U of L sports, mainly football and sometimes men's basketball. Lexington is a slightly closer alternative apart from Derby weekend (when it fills up just as much as Louisville, especially when graduation at the University of Kentucky is on the same weekend), though it also takes in a large amount of overflow for NASCAR races, and regularly fills up for UK sports and graduations. There are many other hotels around town and in downtown, but they are rather generic. If you're going to pay more for a hotel, you might as well get character as well. There are also some Bed and Breakfasts in Old Louisville, if you'd like to stay in a more than 120-year-old Victorian mansion, here's your chance. More options can be found across the river in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Budget 1 Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Louisville East, 1221 Kentucky Mills Drive, ☏ +1 502 266-6590. 2 Suburban Extended Stay Hotel East, 1620 Leisure Way, Clarksville, Indiana, ☏ +1 812 283-9696.

Mid-range 3 Ramada Plaza Louisville, 9700 Bluegrass Pkwy, ☏ +1 502 491-4830. 4 Hyatt Place Louisville/East, 701 South Hurstbourne Parkway, ☏ +1 502 426-0119. 5 Courtyard Louisville Airport, 819 Phillips Lane, ☏ +1 502 368-5678. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. The hotel provides complimentary airport shuttle service, free internet, and onsite parking. The Bistro serves breakfast, dinner, cocktails and Starbucks specialty coffee. (updated Apr 2015) 6 Four Points Louisville (Four Points By Sheraton Louisville Airport), 2850 Crittenden Drive, ☏ +1 502 753-5555. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Offers complimentary Louisville airport shuttle during your stay. $129-184/night. (updated Aug 2015)

Splurge 7 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, 700 West Main Street, ☏ +1 502 217-6300, toll-free: +1-877-217-6400. A boutique hotel in the historic West Main District, also including an art gallery. 8 The Seelbach Hilton Louisville, 500 S 4th St, ☏ +1 502 585-3200. Historic

Go next

There are plenty of places to visit outside Louisville. The Indiana towns of New Albany, Clarksville, and Jeffersonville are just across the river and for most visitors' purposes can be considered part of Louisville. You'll hear the phrase "Kentuckiana" used to describe the metro area including the Indiana side, but this expression is mainly used by the media and not something locals frequently say. To the south are Mammoth Cave National Park (longest cave system in the world), Fort Knox (home of the gold bullion and the Patton Museum), the Abbey of Gethsemani, the historic town of Bardstown, home of Stephen Foster-The Musical, the Bourbon Trail, the Lincoln Birthplace, the Bernheim Forest Arboretum and Nature Center. To the east is the state capital at Frankfort, where you'll find some distilleries in the area. Lexington is the home of the Kentucky Horse Park. The Kentucky Speedway, since 2011 home to races in all three of NASCAR's national series (Cup, Xfinity Series, Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series), is off I-71. To the north is the river town of Madison, Indiana, home of the Madison Regatta. Nashville, Indiana and Brown County are a haven for artists. To the west, numerous caves are found, including Squire Boone, Wyandotte and Marengo. Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus boasts the Raven, one of the most popular wooden roller coasters in America.

Bardstown Brandenburg Clarksville Jeffersontown Jeffersonville New Albany Saint Matthews Shelbyville Shepherdsville