The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Louisville, Kentucky Now
WRITTEN BY 5 REASONS TO VISIT® EDITORIAL STAFF
PUBLISHED JUNE 2022 • 4 min read
Home to the Kentucky Derby, Louisville, Kentucky is an entirely different type of Southern. With a booming bourbon renaissance, iconic attractions, and a renowned culinary scene, bourbon is the spirit that defines the culture, arts and parks, and creative energy. A city that combines heritage with innovation, authenticity with originality, and quirkiness with friendliness in a way that’s completely unique to our region—Louisville is an experience like no other city.
Image courtesy of Visit Louisville
1. THE SHOPPING
Louisville shopping is a treat for the distinguishing tastemaker, the committed bargain hunter, and even the casual window shopper. With shopping districts from vintage to luxury scattered throughout Louisville and surrounding neighborhoods, it’s no wonder the Bourbon City has become a shopping destination for much of the South and Midwest.
Shopping in downtown Louisville is as varied as its dining scene. Find an authentic Louisville gift from the exquisite creations of glass at Glassworks, authentic Kentucky-made crafts at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft or the state's oldest hand made pottery at the 200 year-old Stoneware.
2. THE ART
The Frazier History Museum is where the world meets Kentucky. Located on Museum Row in the Bourbon District of downtown Louisville, the Frazier documents and reinterprets stories from history using artifacts, gallery talks, and live daily interpretations by a talented staff of costumed actors known as teaching artists.
With the opening of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center and The Spirit of Kentucky® exhibit, the Frazier History Museum became the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, a project launched in 1999 by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.
Louisville is abundant with public art—stunning murals and sculptures are all over the city. The sides of many buildings in downtown Louisville are home to amazing pieces of “street art.” Many of these murals are created by local artists who call Louisville their home. Hop on your bike or take a walk and explore the many pieces of locally-produced public art in downtown Louisville!
3. THE COCKTAILS & CUISINE
An award-winning Louisville favorite, The Fat Lamb is located in the Highlands neighborhood and frequented for its elevated, farm-to-table comfort food and hand-crafted libations that are both seasonally influenced and well balanced. For your artisanal cocktail fix, we recommend trying Blackberry Pimm’s Cup made with ginger beer and Midnight in Paris—concocted with Strongs Kentucky vodka, elderflower liqueur, white peach purée, and butterfly pea flower tea garnished with a dehydrated lemon.
With an open kitchen led by four-time James Beard House Dinner invitee and Food Network’s Chopped winner Dallas McGarity, The Fat Lamb presents an emphasis on upscale comfort food made with locally sourced ingredients. Favorite dishes include Braised Short Ribs with broccolini and red wine demiglace, Cornmeal Fried Oysters with creamy polenta, as well as Lamb Chops with Israeli Couscous, tzatziki, and sumac.
For those craving something sweet, end your experience with Nutella Mascarpone Mousse with blackberries. Hungry yet?
4. THE GARDENS
The Waterfront Botanical Gardens were started with a desire to see a botanical garden and conservatory built in Louisville. Current gardens include the Founders’ Garden, Beargrass Creek Pathway and Edible Gardens with future plans for its crown jewel, a conservatory.
Waterfront Botanical Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky
Future plans include a Japanese garden with a Tea House, summer house, Zen garden, bonsai garden as well as a pond, waterfall and traditional arched bridge—all in a peaceful, meditative garden space. General admission is free and Waterfront Botanical Gardens is open Wednesday-Sunday.
5. THE ARCHITECTURE
The Old Louisville neighborhood has the largest collection of restored Victorian homes in the country and is the third largest Historical Preservation District in the U.S. The neighborhood showcases the highlights of Louisville’s historic architecture all year long. Most of the historic architecture in these 45-square blocks was built between 1880-1910.
There are a rich array of styles, including Beaux Arts, Chateauesque, Italianate, Neoclassical, Queen Anne, Renaissance Revival, Richardsonian-Romanesque, Second Empire, Tudor Revival, and Venetian Gothic. Amid the rich architecture of this community, you’ll be surrounded by the beauty of lovely magnolia and oak tree-lined streets and Old Louisville’s very own Central Park.
WHERE TO STAY IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
As Louisville’s landmark hotel, The Brown Hotel is an iconic destination inextricably woven into the fabric of the city. The historic hotel is opulent yet approachable—like a fine Kentucky bourbon that never overwhelms you with its history but instead entertains you with a lifetime of colorful stories. Behind its striking Georgian-Revival façade is a blend of Old World elegance and modern-day comfort, a place where generations of Louisville’s finest have come together to celebrate.
