Introducing Louisville
A major shipping center during the days of Westward Expansion, Louisville (or Looeyville, or Louahvul, or Luhvul) is still the largest city in Kentucky.
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Best known as home of the Kentucky Derby, which has been drawing aristocrats to Churchill Downs since 1875, Louisville is also a nice place to stop for a day or two, with some good museums, a pretty riverfront, and interesting blue-collar neighborhoods full of corner pool halls and drive-through chili restaurants. Located just south of downtown is Old Louisville (www.oldlouisville.com), with the largest collection of Victorian homes in the country. A series of pretty parks (laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1890s) encircle the city, along with an inner (I-264) and outer (I-265) ring road.
The visitor center (502-582-3732, 888-568-4784; www.gotolouisville.com; 221 S 4th St; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) has a free exhibit about that great Kentucky icon, KFC founder Colonel Sanders. Surf the web free at the public library (301 York St) downtown.
Last updated: Jun 15, 2009
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