I picked Louisville as a truly random next location after I had some epic disasters of plans that fell through (read more about those over here). As ridiculous as this may sound, I didn’t put together “Louisville” = “Louisville Slugger” until I saw a giant baseball bat downtown. Nor did I realize that it was the home of the Kentucky Derby and the famous Churchill Downs racetrack. All I really knew was that Kentucky was bourbon country, and that my dad would most likely want to visit me to see a few distilleries.
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After my initial list of places fell through, what I found in Louisville was an amazing reminder of why I got out on the road to begin with. I want this experience to be a chance to meet new people all over the country, to hear different perspectives, try new food & drink, see the scenery, and find the things that connect us more than tear us apart in a world and country determined to focus on polarization. Louisville gave me the all important reminder that going into anything with preconceived notions is never ideal, and giving a place the chance to truly surprise you is usually the best bet. Places are made up of buildings and activities sure, but more than anything they’re made up of people. So always remember when you travel to go out and experience the life of a place by meeting some locals before you make up your mind about it.
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In the spirit of being surprised & delighted by Louisville, here are a few of the things I loved that weren’t food or drink related:
1) Soccer
I may not be a land-sport playing person, but I love to watch soccer. When I lived in NY I went to NYCFC games frequently at Yankee Stadium so when I got to Louisville and realized that they had not one but two teams, I was pumped. On the lady’s side we have Racing Louisville FC, one of the newest members of the NWSL. On the men’s side we have Louisville City FC, a member of the second US men’s league, the USL. I had a lot of fun meeting up with some new local friends and was able to go to three games and see both teams. Tickets were reasonable, and the stadium is minutes from downtown so if you’re in town definitely check out a game!
2) Local Arts & Culture
As a one time member of the Met Museum in NY (my personal happy place), I won’t say that Louisville overly impressed me with art museum offerings. However, I did find some local events and smaller museums that really added some fun & culture to my multi-month stay. I got to see Todrick Hall & Neon Trees perform at the local Kentuckiana Pride festival, spent an entertaining evening at a live performance of Mystery Science Theater 3000 at the Brown Theater, hammed around with friends and some art for an afternoon at the free Speed Art Museum, and even took home a souvenir mini slugger bat after the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Tour.
3) Architecture
If you’re a classic architecture buff, Louisville would be a great trip for you. It boasts the nation’s largest collection of Victorian mansions, a city park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and a Main Street full of buildings that feel like Soho in Manhattan. If you want an unexpected architecture paradise, look no further than Louisville.
Things I never realized I would see outside of Florence, here is the Louisville version of David. Dad for scale.
4) Needlepoint
I picked up needlepoint early on in the pandemic and it has become an amazing combination of creative outlet and relaxation technique for me. You can see more about that over in the needlepoint parts of this website, but in Louisville I was able to meet up with a friend that I met through my needlepoint instagram, and enjoy visiting two local needlepoint shops: Stitch & Stitchen Time. The staff at both shops were lovely, and I even won a raffle at Stitchen Time of a huge Kentucky Derby themed canvas that will be a beautiful Louisville memory.
Thank you for coming along with me to Louisville. I have a few more posts planned dedicated to the food, the bourbon, and even my AirBnB rental so stay tuned. Happy Travels.
~V
All photos taken on a first-gen iPhone SE