Louisville Kentucky’s many tourist destinations makes this an excellent choice for your next vacation. Start with Churchill Downs (Home of the Kentucky Derby) and then check out The Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum, The Muhamad Ali Museum, The Louisville Mega Cavern, and the Belle of the South Riverboat. There is a lot to see and do. You can also take a day trip to several bourbon distilleries, Mammoth Cave, and the National Corvette Museum.
Churchill Downs (Kentucky Derby)
There is so much history to see here. The museum gets you started and then you follow up with a tour. They are many tours offered, but I suggest that you do the Barn and Backside Tour and go early in the morning during racing season. You will see horses running on the track, you will see horses being walked, you will see horses being bathed. There were 1400 horses in the stable while we were there. There were races coming up that weekend and Church Hill Downs was buzzing. The daily care and exercise of the horses is extensive and very detailed with numerous employees needed. Care of the track is also an extensive daily effort because horses are running every day during racing season. The facility is beautiful with the names of each displayed prominently out in the front courtyard area. This is a must see if you visit if you visit Louisville. I only wish I could have stayed for the races. Even better, I would love to go to the Kentucky Derby.
Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
Visiting the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory is a like visiting a slice of Americana. Baseball is part of the history of our country and the Louisville Slugger bat has been an important part of that baseball history. The museum has life size figures of famous baseball players in hitting position, famous bats, miniature replicas of famous baseball parks, history, and more.
Then you take the factory tour and see how the bats are made. The cylinder of wood cut from the tree is called a billet. That billet is trimmed, sanded, stamped, tested, and made into a bat. Notice the unfinished bat with knobs on each end. These are left there throughout most of the manufacturing process to help with holding the bats. Learn how bats are made and watch the workers in action. You’ll even get a small souvenir bat at the end of the tour.
Muhammad Ali Center
Nearby in downtown Louisville is the Muhammad Ali Center, a three-floor museum and exhibit highlighting his boxing career and his dream to share his inspiration with the world. The museum contains amazing artifacts and historical information about his boxing career and inspirational messages on confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect, and spirituality. You will be awed, inspired, and informed by your visit.
Belle of Louisville Riverboats
Downtown Louisville is right on the Ohio River and has many beautiful bridges crossing into Indiana. Consider taking a cruise on one of the riverboats for lunch, dinner, brunch, or just for some fascinating history of the Ohio River. I suggest the dinner cruise with beautiful views of downtown Louisville and the numerous lighted bridges. We ate a delicious dinner served buffet style and then moved outside to enjoy the scenery.
Louisville Mega Cavern
Believe or not, there is a cavern underneath Louisville. It’s actually a manmade cavern and it’s mostly underneath the Louisville Zoo. The cavern was formed when limestone was removed for road building many years ago. Now it is used for warehouse storage, office space, and entertainment. They offer a ropes challenge course, a zipline course, an electric bike tour, and a tram tour. And it’s all underground. There is something very unique about an underground zipline course in a dark cave. It was so much fun, but somewhat scary at times. For all of the activities you need to make reservations. Check out the pics. Freaky fun.
Day Trips from Louisville
Consider a daytrip to Mammoth Cave National Park and/or the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mammoth Cave NP is only 1 hr. 23 minutes from Louisville and it’s short drive further to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green.
Mammoth Cave NP
Mammoth Cave is the largest cave in the US with over 400 miles of passages. It’s mostly a dry cave meaning there are very few stalactites and stalagmites. Go on the website to check out the many cave tours that are offered. There are many options available.
National Corvette Museum
This museum is full of classic corvettes and historical about the Corvette car line. Did you hear about the sinkhole that destroyed several classic cars. It was actually an undiscovered cave under the floor of the museum. You can watch a video showing the collapse and then see the outline of the cave in the floor where the collapse occurred. Then they have all of the cars that fell in the hole are displayed. Several of them are totally destroyed. This a fascinating museum with an amazing exhibit. Who doesn’t love a corvette?
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