Things to do in Louisville, Kentucky

The first thing that comes to mind for foreign visitors to Louisville is the “Louisville Lip”, aka “The Greatest”, Muhammad Ali. However, for Americans, those first thoughts would turn to horse racing rather than boxing, with The Kentucky Derby, the richest 2 minutes in sport, held every year on the first Saturday in May at the magnificent Churchill Downs. This famous race attracts half a million visitors partying, celebrating, and having fun in Louisville’s cosmopolitan and diverse city.

For horse racing fans, if you cannot make Derby Day, there is racing at Churchill Downs in April, May, June, October and November, and the track is open for tours year-round. The next-door Kentucky Derby Museum is an excellent hands-on experience and has a magnificent audio-visual display that captures the Derby Day atmosphere on a 360o screen. 

Louisville has so much more to offer. Downtown Louisville rolls gently down towards Main Street then abruptly lunges down to the river where the historic Belle of Louisville leaves for daily sightseeing cruises.  Don’t miss the Slugger Museum and Factory which has been making baseball bats since 1884. The tour takes you through the history of baseball and manufacturing technology in producing bats and is a fascinating tour. And don’t forget to check out the enormous baseball bat at the museum entrance.

A must visit is The Muhammad Ali Centre, rising on the south bank of the Ohio River and offering majestic views of Kentucky’s largest city where Ali was born Cassius Clay in 1942. Ali went on to boxing fame and fortune, but it could have been so different were it not for a certain red bike.  In his heyday, Ali was known as the “Louisville Lip” and a loquacious, sometimes poetic, self-promoter responsible for some of the finest quips to emerge from any sportsman.  The Ali Centre is not obsessed with glory and triumph, and it does not shy away from Ali’s failings, but his boxing achievements are the centrepiece and fans can watch his fights in a multimedia area as well as follow his brave and principled stand against the Vietnam War and racism. This is a memorable and very moving experience.

Enjoy a 75-minute narrated city tour with Trolley de Ville featuring over 30 attractions aboard an authentic, climate-controlled trolley with brass rails, bells and more! You’ll roll through downtown Louisville, along Museum Row, see the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs, and meander through Old Louisville—which features the largest collection of Victorian-style homes in America. Learn interesting facts and trivia about your new favourite place to visit.

Be sure to sample the Urban Bourbon Trail along Whiskey Row and around town.  Visit Old Forester Distillery and the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience located in the Bourbon District Downtown. Cap off the evening at sunset with a stroll on the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge. Originally built as a railroad bridge in 1895, the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge opened to the public in 2013 and spans the Ohio River, connecting Louisville to Southern Indiana. The Big Four Bridge comes alive at night with state-of-the-art lighting that bathes the ironwork in vibrant colours which highlight the strength, beauty, and history of the bridge. Enjoy an “Old Fashioned” signature cocktail at The Brown Hotel, or sample one of Kentucky’s signature dishes, “Hot Brown”, while learning about the history surrounding its origin and founder.