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Photo: Bedford at English Wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Top notch museum with a permanent collection and rotating exhibits.
The Speed Art Museum, originally the J.B. Speed Memorial Museum and colloquially the Speed, is an art museum in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Established in 1927, it is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Kentucky. It is located on South Third Street in Louisville, adjacent to the main campus of the University of Louisville. As of 2016, it received around 180,000 visits annually.
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Spectacular 1895 mansion. Most of it is only viewable with a tour guide, but there are several tours every day it is open, so call or check the website to find the current schedule. The surrounding neighborhood is also of great architectural interest, but bear in mind that the vast majority of the houses are still private homes or apartments and please respect the residents' privacy.
A free event, it has been running strong for more than 50 years. This is the 5th largest Art Show in the United States. The show hosts more than 650 artists from all over the Americas. The outdoor Art Show is open during the daylight hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the weekend of the first Saturday in October. Held in the heart of historic Old Louisville among the country's largest collection of Victorian homes. An easy drive or bus ride about 1 mile due south of downtown Louisville near Central Park. The heart of the fair is the fountain on St James Court and the lovely Belgravia Court where the artists have to compete for attention among the historic mansions that line the street under towering oaks. Tip: this is a beautiful neighborhood to explore even if it not an Art Show weekend.
Two floors of exhibits devoted not only to the Derby, but also the history of American Thoroughbred racing in general. Notable exhibits include a Derby "time machine" that allows visitors to watch replays of every Derby since 1918, and a cemetery where five Derby winners are buried. Also offers several special tours of Churchill Downs, most of which are extra-cost. In addition to the Derby winners buried inside the gates, the grave of 2006 winner Barbaro, marked by a life-size statue, is outside the gates and is freely accessible to the public.
One of the most famous horse-racing tracks in the world, and site of the Kentucky Derby. Race meets are held for approximately 4 months out of the year: 2 months following the Derby, then again in September and again in November. Check the website to see if racing will be going on when you visit Louisville
An amusement park and water park.
900 person capacity music venue in Downtown Louisville that features local, regional, and national acts.