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
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Ideas for fun/quirky pit stops and things to do on cross country road trip?
by SoloHobo 01 June 2012
You could spend a week alone going thru the Smokey/Appalachians, Blue Ridge Parkway, Kentucky Bourbon, Horse Country and the Smokeys,…
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RE: Ideas for fun/quirky pit stops and things to do on cross country road trip?
by dwsmith78 01 June 2012
What does quirkiness mean to you? My fam did the I-64 route for 4 years multiple times a year. While I don't know if they qualify as "quirky…
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RE: Ideas for fun/quirky pit stops and things to do on cross country road trip?
by carracar 31 May 2012
I drove that route in Feb. as far as Denver...Quirkiest thing I found was the I-64 bridge closed in Louisville Ant the bathroom on a Grand…
