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Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
The Falls of the Ohio (which in their natural state were more a series of large rapids) were once a major barrier to navigation on the Ohio River. Louisville catered to steamboat passengers who spent the night before changing boats, and even more significantly earned considerable income from overland portaging of cargo to bypass the rapids. The construction of a bypass canal, including the first set of locks on the river, in 1830 changed all of that. The current structure dates to 1961. There's usually a lot of barge traffic on the Ohio (though it slows down in winter once the upper reaches of the river in Pennsylvania begin to freeze), so you normally won't have to wait long at the visitor center to see the locks in action.
The McAlpine Locks and Dam are a set of locks and a hydroelectric dam at the Falls of the Ohio River at Louisville, Kentucky. They are located at mile point 606.8, and control a 72.9-mile-long (117.3 km) navigation pool. The locks and their associated canal were the first major engineering project on the Ohio River, completed in 1830 as the 1.9-mile Louisville and Portland Canal, designed to allow shipping traffic to navigate through the Falls of the Ohio. The locks system is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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One of Louisville's most successful artists created an exhibition and work-space for like minded souls in a complex of industrial buildings. Includes copious gallery space, a bar and a big performance space with all manner of musical shenanigans, also drawing classes, yoga classes, the occasional boxing match, you name it.
Another Kentucky distillery with a difference, making rye whiskey in addition to bourbon. Admission included with the Main Ticket.
Museum of all things Kentucky, from Native American history to high school sports teams, with large exhibitions of bourbon and historical miniatures and various other artifacts. The Frazier Museum also houses the official visitor center for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, a tourism initiative of the state's distilling industry. Unlike the museum proper, the visitor center is free.
Home of the legendary Louisville Slugger baseball bat. Full tours include a visit to the factory where wooden bats are made (or a bat-making demonstration if production is not scheduled). The museum is easily recognizable by the six-story-tall steel baseball bat at the front entrance.
Hands on science museum. Great for kids. Also includes a theater that usually shows documentaries but occasionally screens Hollywood releases.