Home to the famous Churchill Downs racecourse this is a great attraction for horse racing fans. It also hosts a range of other events including twilight tours and family adventure days.
Grab a coffee at Heine Brothers’, which has 18 Louisville KY locations offering fair trade and organic beans. Enjoy an essential blend or a unique drink such as the Beekeeper or the Iceberg.
Kentucky Derby Museum
Located on the famous Churchill Downs racetrack, the Kentucky Derby Museum celebrates the tradition, history, hospitality and pride of the world-renowned event. The facility opened in spring of 1985 and is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Thoroughbred horse racing.
The museum features a number of indoor and outdoor exhibits that tell the story of the Derby. It also includes a golf cart tour of Churchill Downs, where visitors can see the horses train for the big race. The 45-minute tour is included in the general admission ticket.
Visitors can also explore two floors of museum exhibits to learn about the storied history of the race, including eye-popping derby fashions and a rotating display of the Derby’s most famous hats. General admission tickets include a guided 30-minute tour of the racetrack, access to the gift store and Kentucky food in the Derby Cafe. Visitors can call a race, play Derby trivia and sip mint juleps at the bourbon bar.
Louisville Mega Cavern
The Louisville Mega Cavern, Kentucky’s biggest cave, is located under the Watterson Expressway. It also covers 70% of the Louisville Zoo. It was created as a limestone quarry through controlled dynamite blasts and is now an underground tourist attraction. Initially, it was used as a fallout shelter during the Cold War and was purchased by private investors in 1989. It became the first environmentally-conscious commercial storage facility in the country and now hosts a variety of adventure activities.
The cavern has 17 miles of passages and is always 58 degrees. Zip lines, mountain bikes, and ropes courses are available for thrill-seekers, while less adventurous visitors can enjoy the tram tour, which lasts an hour.
The cavern transforms into Lights Under Louisville in November and December. It is the only underground holiday light show. The cavern features over 900 illuminated reindeer and Nativity scene. Located in Louisville and with Louisville Mega Cavern reachable within 8.3 miles, Residence Inn by Marriott Louisville East/Oxmoor offers free bikes and a fitness center. The hotel also offers non-smoking accommodations and a 24-hour reception desk.
Louisville Zoo
The Louisville Zoo is a popular place to visit with children, offering multiple animal habitats on over 130 acres. Visitors can participate in daily training demonstrations with Amur tigers at Tiger Tundra and watch Western lowland gorillas play at the Gorilla Forest exhibit. You can also meet Australian parrots in Lorikeet Landing, and get up close to wallaroos or wallabies in the new Wallaroo Walkabout.
The Africa section of the zoo features animals such as lions, dromedary camels, southern white rhinoceroses, common warthogs, addaxes, meerkats, naked mole-rats, Hartmann’s mountain zebras, Masai giraffe, wattled cranes and gray crowned cranes. The zoo was one of the very first to display African and Asian Elephants together, and the first to use natural predators and prey.
Other attractions include the HerpAquarium and the Metazoo Education Center. The Zoo hosts special events all year long, including Earth Month, holiday celebrations such as the 5K Throo the Zoo Run/Walk or Boo at the Zoo. The zoo offers food, drinks and rides such as the Conservation Carousel and Zoo trams.
Paddock Shops
Paddock Shops is a popular shopping center that offers a wide selection of stores and entertainment options. The outdoor mall is home to a number of luxury fashion boutiques, restaurants, and shops. The beautiful ambiance, diverse stores and restaurants make this the ideal place to spend time with family or friends.
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for someone in your life, the Paddock Shops is the place to go. The mall’s assortment of stores includes some of the most recognizable brands, including Anthropologie and J. Crew, and they offer everything from clothing to accessories.