Experience Louisville!

Nov 17, 2008 3:41 PM

While you’re in Louisville, be sure to visit its many historical and cultural attractions and entertainment centers.

Downtown Louisville offers a number of attractions within blocks of one another. The Louisville Slugger Museum is home to the world’s largest bat and features exhibits and a factory tour at 800 West Main Street. Tour the museum and factory Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Get a free mini bat as part of the tour. Or, on days when bats are being made, order a personalized bat when you arrive and it will be ready by the time you finish your tour. There is no bat production on weekends, but your personalized bat can still be shipped to you at a later time.

The Louisville Science Center, 727 West Main Street, features exhibits, programs, an IMAX theater with a four-story screen, and a tasty stop called the Galaxy Bistro. The Louisville Science Center is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m.

The Muhammad Ali Center is located at 144 North Sixth Street, between historic Main Street and River Road in downtown Louisville. The Center uses a series of media stations and exhibits to portray Ali’s life story. View video footage of Ali’s career and “train with Ali” in a replica of his training facility. The Muhammad Ali Center is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Visit Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium at the University of Louisville, Brandeis Avenue. See public shows on Friday nights from 7:30 p.m. to 11:15 p.m., and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The show topics vary, but the experience is always unique and exciting.

The Louisville Zoo is located 15 minutes from downtown Louisville at 1100 Trevilian Way. More than 1,300 animals live at the zoo in naturalistic habitats on 134 rolling acres. Visit a walk-through Rain Forest and see the new, four-acre Gorilla Forest exhibit. Winter hours for the zoo are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day.
Maybe you are looking for a little fresh air and exercise. Take a walk around Waterfront Park. The 85-acre park offers a number of walking and jogging paths and beautiful views of the Ohio River.

Shopping, entertainment
Visit the Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery at 625 West Main Street. The Gallery Shop features the work of approximately 200 artists at any one time, offering work in all media from folk art to furniture.

Glassworks, at 815 West Market Street, showcases artists from around the world in a multi-use facility offering galleries, glass-blowing classes, and both guided and self-guided tours. There are three working glass studios at Glassworks.

The Jazz Factory, a venue for live, world-class jazz performed in an intimate club setting, is located in the lower level of Glassworks. The Jazz Factory offers a light, medium-priced menu of bistro-style dining and a full bar. The Jazz Factory opens at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday, and at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Learn more about Glassworks and The Jazz Factory at www.louisvilleglassworks.com/schedule.html.

Kentucky Derby
Visit the Churchill Downs racetrack to learn about one of Louisville’s biggest events — the Kentucky Derby — held on the first Saturday in May. Churchill Downs is located at 700 Central Avenue, in south-central Louisville, approximately three miles from the downtown business district and two miles from Louisville International Airport. Visitors can take guided walking tours of Churchill Downs, weather permitting.

You can also visit the Kentucky Derby Museum — the world’s largest equine museum. It offers information about every derby and is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5:00 pm. See the high-definition film about the Derby, The Greatest Race, on a 360-degree screen that places the viewer in the center of Derby Day action. The Derby Café, located on the museum grounds, is open for lunch on weekdays.

Historic sites
Louisville’s fascinating historic sites bring to life the early days of Kentucky history. A number of preserved Victorian mansions are open for tours.

Locust Grove is the former home of George Rogers Clark, founder of Louisville and a Revolutionary War hero. The 55-acre farm is a National Historic Landmark and museum with a 1790-house, outbuildings and collection of gardens. Many notable Americans visited the farm during its heyday, including U.S. Presidents Monroe, Jackson and Taylor. Famed explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark stopped here upon their return from their expedition to the Pacific. Learn about early Kentucky history, hear stories about George Rogers Clark, and discover what life was like on the frontier during western expansion. Visit Locust Grove at 561 Blakenbaker Lane between 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the last tour each day beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Museums
Museums in the area cover an array of topics. The Speed Art Museum, located at 2035 South Third Street, is Kentucky’s first and largest public art museum, spanning 6,000 years of history. The museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.

See both arms and armor at the Frazier International History Museum, located at the corner of Ninth and Main Streets in downtown Louisville. The 100,000-sq.-ft. museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.

Other museums include the Thomas Edison House, at 729-31 East Washington Street, open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and the Colonel Harland Sanders Museum located in Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Headquarters at 1441 Gardiner Lane.

Need some culture? Louisville offers a variety of live theater and musical entertainment options. The Actors Theater, Derby Dinner Playhouse and Kentucky Center for the Arts provide opportunities to take in quality entertainment.

To learn more about all that Louisville has to offer, visit the Louisville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Web site at www.gotolouisville.com.