7 ways to live like a local in Louisville

A city with a revitalised and walkable downtown, a beautiful riverfront park, a thriving restaurant scene and cool, one-of-a-kind museums, Louisville is as in touch with its community of today as the rich cultural heritage and indisputable charm of its yesteryear.

When it comes to classic dining, Louisville can lay claim to unique dishes such as the baroque Hot Brown, decadent Derby-Pie®, moist hickory-smoked mutton barbecue and luscious rolled oysters. Home to the Benedictine sandwich, it was 130 years ago that Louisvillian culinary goddess Jennie Benedict invented her cool cucumber-cream-cheese concoction. Fast forward to 2025 and it’s the East Market District of downtown that’s attracting the buzz for its go-to culinary scene. Dubbed one of “The Best Food Neighbourhoods in the USA”, today passionate restaurateurs from further afield are shaping the future of NuLu dining. Yucatan born Bruce Ucán was hot on the scene two decades ago with his longtime staple Mayan Café. Cuban-born Fernando Martinez continues to brighten up the neighbourhood with the addition of two colourful concepts, La Bodeguita de Mima and Guacamole.

Home to 12 distinct distilleries, Louisville has been at the heart of whiskey production since the 1780s. Small wonder it’s dubbed ‘Bourbon City.’ Savour the spirit of its vibrant history at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Kentucky’s first ever licensed distiller. Bourbon is about bringing people together through community and celebration and with an urban Bourbon-boom gathering pace, robust new brands are burgeoning in the city’s former factories. Within a 2.7-km stretch of “Whiskey Row,” discover the likes of distiller Angel’s Envy, focused on blending traditions and industrial-chic in a new age. Rabbit Hole Distillery houses an ultra-modern Bourbon brand created by Kaveh Zamanian. Originally from Iran, Zamanian moved to Kentucky after falling for his future wife Heather, a Louisville-native.

Celebrating its 151st year, the Kentucky Derby has taken place at the Churchill Downs ever since Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark founded the Louisville Jockey Club back in 1875. The Kentucky Derby Festival kicks off with the Thunder Over Louisville airshow and fireworks display. This two-week sporting spectacle has a vibrant energy that’s palpable. From Travis Kelce to the late Queen Elizabeth II, VIPs always wow at the racetrack, decked-out in their finest Derby duds. While this year’s inaugural Winsday event shines the spotlight on Louisville’s robust nonprofit community, the enduring impact of Black jockeys showcases at the Black Heritage in Racing exhibit at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Leading lights include Oliver Lewis who rode Aristide into history as the first Derby winner and Isaac Burns Murphy, heralded as the first three-time Derby winner.

Louisville has a larger than life reputation and there are fewer bigger baseball icons than Babe Ruth. Fittingly, still in operation after 130 years, the Louisville Slugger Factory & Museum is marked by a towering, world-record-breaking 120-ft scale replica of Babe Ruth’s bat. Still the city’s greatest luminary happens to be the one and only greatest: Muhammad Ali. Birthplace of venerated boxer and statesman Muhammad Ali, the city pays homage to Ali’s legendary status at the modern, six-storey Muhammad Ali Center – a place to learn about Ali’s life and his civil rights struggles. Pay your respects at 296-acre Cave Hill Cemetery, the Champ’s final resting place.

From the inspired NuLu ‘Best Arts District’, a former factory hub revitalised into a hotbed of art galleries, to the unsung queen of the disco ball, Yolanda Baker, who has been designing disco balls for almost half a century, Louisville’s artsy side is a decided win-win for the community. Promoting creative expression and a sense of belonging, Gallopalooza is a public beautification project that gives back. Showcasing the work of local artists, an array of decorated horse replicas sit on its city sidewalks, at business entrances and within green spaces. Cherokee Triangle Art Fair is a free 2-day spring festival featuring 200 unique artist booths ranging from paintings to sculptures to jewellery, as well as food vendors and live music.

Layering a unique component to the fabric of the city, visionary Frederick Law Olmsted set out to design a City of Parks back in 1891. Since then, thousands more acres of protected park land have been added in his honour, from the 409 acres of open meadow, creeks and pollinator gardens of Cherokee Park to the picnic areas and fishing lakes, farmers markets and community gardens of Beckley Creek Park. A literal breath of fresh air, the 23-acre water feature and wildflower strewn Waterfront Botanical Gardens is set atop the former Ohio Street Dump, proof that out of ruin can come great beauty. Ribboned with scenic hiking trails and streams the woodland tribute to military veterans, Jefferson Memorial Forest is a big draw – as is the Floyds Fork Parklands’ 62-winding miles of scenic upland meadows, farmland and bottomland forests, offering some of the best paddling, kayaking and canoeing in the area. Most unique of all has to be the Mega Cavern, a subterranean wonderland 100 feet below the city offering all-out adventure, from heart-pounding zip lines to historic tram tours.

Although F. Scott Fitzgerald only spent a month in Louisville, its southern hospitality made an indelible imprint on him. It was here that the beginnings of The Great Gatsby were born. Marking the 100th anniversary of its publication, Louisville is pumped to celebrate the book’s ties to the city, including an elaborate World Ballet Company tribute at the Louisville Palace. Fitzgerald, of course, famously placed the lavish wedding of Daisy Fay to Tom Buchanan in the grand ballroom of The Seelbach Hotel. According to Seelbach lore, Fitzgerald, a reluctant young soldier, escaped his camp confines on weekend passes and headed to the big city. The hotel’s newly redesigned Gatsby suite immerses guests in the sumptuous décor and style of the day and offers guided tours of the historic property, including the Grand Ballroom.