Visiting Louisville

About an hour west of Frankfort and right along the border with Indiana is Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville. I wasn’t really sure what to expect before coming here, but Louisville ended up being one of my favorite surprises in Kentucky. I might even go as far as saying it’s one of the nicest cities I’ve visited in the South. The city sits directly along the Ohio River, with a metropolitan area of well over a million people.

Downtown Louisville

Before visiting, I was worried Louisville might have one or two nice areas surrounded by neighborhoods that weren’t worth seeing. I did pass through a pretty rough area outside the airport, but almost everywhere else I explored was surprisingly nice and clean. Downtown especially had much more going on than I expected, with historic buildings mixed in with modern offices, museums, restaurants and entertainment.

Many of Louisville’s most popular attractions are concentrated around Main and Market Streets. One of the landmarks that’s almost impossible to miss is the enormous baseball bat outside the Louisville Slugger Museum. There are also theaters, museums and quite a bit of public art scattered throughout this part of downtown.

These were two of the more unusual pieces of artwork I came across while walking around Main Street. Louisville seemed to have random sculptures and art installations everywhere, which gave downtown quite a bit more character than I expected.

Not everything downtown had been restored when I visited. Toward both ends of Main and Market Streets I came across condemned buildings and sections that were blocked off. At the time many of these areas appeared to be undergoing redevelopment, and it felt like quite a bit of Louisville was in the middle of getting a makeover.

Fort Nelson and Main Street

Along Main Street is the historic site of Fort Nelson. A fort was established here during the Revolutionary War era to help protect the small settlement that eventually became Louisville. At the time Kentucky wasn’t even a state yet, but was still part of Virginia. It’s strange thinking about such an early frontier settlement while standing in the middle of a modern city today.

And here are two completely different sides of Louisville. On the left is Main Street, where you’ll find many of the museums and restaurants downtown. On the right is a drink I had somehow never heard of until visiting Kentucky: the mint julep. It’s made with bourbon, mint and sugar, and is especially famous here because of the Kentucky Derby. Apparently during Derby season they’re everywhere.

A Wedding at 21c Museum Hotel

My original reason for visiting Kentucky was to attend the wedding of a friend from high school. Unfortunately this was about the best photo I got of the couple since there were too many people in front of me during most of the ceremony. On the right is me at the 21c Museum Hotel enjoying another mint julep.

The wedding took place at the 21c Museum Hotel, which I have to say was one of the most unique hotels I’d ever been inside. It’s basically a hotel combined with a contemporary art museum, with unusual artwork both inside and outside the building. The red penguins were especially memorable, and you’d find them moved around to different places throughout the hotel.

Churchill Downs

The Kentucky Derby takes place every May, but Churchill Downs hosts horse racing at other times of the year as well. I didn’t visit during the actual Derby, but still had a chance to watch some races at this legendary track. A lot of people around me were making serious bets, but since I’m not much of a gambler I threw down a whole $2. I lost it.

Louisville Nightlife

Fourth Street Live is one of Louisville’s main entertainment districts, filled with restaurants, bars, music venues and other nightlife. The area opened in the 2000s as part of an effort to bring more entertainment and businesses into downtown. Free concerts and other events can bring huge crowds here, although you wouldn’t know it from my photos. I took these at around 4 a.m. when things were finally winding down, and somehow there were still people out.

After seeing Fourth Street Live, I didn’t expect Louisville to have another large nightlife area, but Baxter Avenue had a completely different atmosphere. Here I found dive bars, pool halls, pizza places and more casual restaurants. After the wedding on Friday night I took it a little easier on Saturday, so I didn’t stay out until 4 a.m. again, but Baxter seemed like a great area for a more relaxed night out.

The Ohio River

I’ll finish with two photos of the Belle of Louisville traveling down the Ohio River, with Indiana visible on the opposite side. The historic riverboat offers cruises along the river, including sightseeing trips and special events. It’s a fitting sight for a city whose location along the Ohio River played such an important role in its history.