Big on charm but small on ego, Louisville immerses you in the American classics. Bourbon. Baseball. Bluegrass music. But scratch at the surface and this laidback southern city will also reveal a fascinating sporting history, excellent museums, a hearty food scene, and plenty of surrounding green spaces to explore.
ART & CULTURE
Renovated in 2016, the avant-garde Speed Art Museum houses everything from classic paintings to boundary-pushing modern exhibits. A stroll down historic Main Street will give you a flavour for the town’s handsome 19th-century architecture, while a trip to the Muhammad Ali Center will introduce you to the boxing genius of a certain Louisville native – otherwise known as ‘The Greatest.’
FOOD & DRINK
Small appetites need not apply. Louisville is as famous for its fried chicken as it is for Derby pie, cornbread pancakes and ‘Hot Browns’. Luckily, these mighty dishes are the perfect match for the region’s other export: bourbon. Take a private distillery tour or simply wait for sundown and sip a classic old-fashioned or mint julep. If you’re travelling with little ones, Waterfront Park is an ideal picnic spot, with panoramic Ohio River views.
SPORT
Some of the country’s most iconic sports came out of Louisville – and they’re still going strong today. Hear the crowd roar at a Louisville Cardinals baseball game, or take home a miniature baseball bat from the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. The Kentucky Derby Museum is the place to go for all things equestrian, though die-hard horse-racing fans may want to time their trip with the race itself in early May.
Tick off two states in one day and walk over Louisville’s impressive Big Four Bridge into neighbouring Indiana.
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