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A less expensive alternative for Division I sports is the teams representing Bellarmine University, a small Catholic school in southeast Louisville. The Knights started a transition from Division II in 2020, joining the ASUN Conference, a league consisting mostly of smaller public and private schools in the southeastern US. While most sports play on campus, the men's and women's basketball teams play at Freedom Hall, the former home of U of L basketball at the Kentucky Exposition Center near the airport. (Note that parking at Freedom Hall is an added charge.) Bellarmine will field its first football team in 2022, but with a twist—instead of playing standard American football, it will play a variant known as "sprint football". This version uses college football rules, but players can weigh no more than 178 pounds (81 kg). For basketball ticket information, call the Freedom Hall ticket office at +1 502 367-5144 or follow the links provided on this page of Bellarmine's athletic website. Tickets for other sports can usually be obtained at the door.
The Bellarmine Knights are the teams representing Bellarmine University, located in Louisville, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) for most sports, as of the 2020–21 academic year. The Knights previously competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 1978–79 to 2019–20.
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Similar to, but smaller than, the St. James Court Art Show—a free event, held in a historic neighborhood (the Cherokee Triangle in this case), and featuring about 200 artists from throughout the area and well beyond. Open from 10AM–6PM on the Saturday and Sunday before the Derby, with live music on both days (extending to 8PM on Saturday, though the artists' booths close at 6PM). The artists take up two blocks of Cherokee Parkway near the westernmost entrance to Cherokee Park, with bands playing at the adjacent Willow Park. Food, beer, and wine are available for purchase at Willow Park as well. As with the St. James Court show, this neighborhood is also interesting to explore during the rest of the year.
A former limestone quarry beneath the Louisville Zoo, partially converted into a unique underground attraction (other parts are being converted into a secure commercial storage facility). Features the world's only underground bike park, only fully underground zip line course, and only fully underground ropes course. For the less adventurous, motorized tours are offered year-round, and on evenings during the holiday season (just before Thanksgiving to just after New Year's) the cavern is opened to passenger vehicles for a drive-through holiday light show.
Golf Course/Pro Shop.
Operated by the Kentucky Center, this venue, a standing-only facility that opened in 2019, can hold 2,000. Plans are for it to host local and national acts in just about every musical genre imaginable.
The Trifesta kicks off on the second weekend of September with its newest festival, focusing on country music and bourbon. The inaugural 2019 edition was headlined by Tim McGraw, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, and Keith Urban.
Attracts medium-size national acts and top-drawing local acts.