A Family Friendly Itinerary for Louisville, KY

While Kentucky is not a huge tourist destination, there is no shortage of unique and fun family activities in this central Kentuckian city. Here are my recommendations:

Day 1: Forest Giants and Famous Bourbon

About 30 minutes south of downtown Louisville, you’ll find Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, a unique and beautiful destination that combines art and nature in a winsome way. Park near the visitor’s center which has a nice little café and gift shop.  Nearby is a children’s “playcosystem” with natural items combined into a little play area.  There is also an edible garden and a research center in this area. You’ll see some unusual art all around the grounds, but the most famous pieces are the  three large forest giants, created by Thomas Dambo.

You can see them all by walking the trail that begins behind the visitor’s center and heading downhill toward a lake. There are signs with footprints on them directing where to go, though there were a couple times I went in the wrong direction for a bit, even though I had a map.  That’s just me though. 

The first troll, Little Niss, is not too far from the visitor’s center.  From there, I headed across the “Big Prairie,” appreciating flowers I had never seen before and the sea of grasses stretching out around me.  It was very hot but I still really enjoyed the landscape, which was a bit different than other meadows I have encountered.  Soon after re-entering the forest I found the mama giant laying in the shade.  From there I headed across a road and down toward another lake. After crossing two small bridges I found the final troll, whose long hair is decorated with trinkets from her many visitors.

I also recommend getting back in the car and driving to the tree canopy walk. It is too far to walk with children, but you can find it by following the road past the area where the buildings are into the natural forest area. When the road forks, you can find small parking areas for the tree canopy walk. There are also sign boards with maps at intervals along the road in case you get confused. The tree canopy walk is a small boardwalk over a canyon that gives you a bird’s eye view of the tree tops.  If you follow the other side of the fork in the road, you will come to the lookout tower trail. The tower itself is unfortunately locked up and not climbable, but the trail is very peaceful – when I was there on a Monday there was nary a car or human in sight anywhere near the area.

The arboretum is free, with a suggested donation of $15 per vehicle.

Not 5 minutes down the road you’ll find the Jim Beam Distillery, where you can take a tour that runs for an hour and a half and costs $10 for adults, but is said to be entertaining (and free) for kids as well. If you’re not sure you care to learn about the history and science behind bourbon in the “horses and bourbon” region of Kentucky, you can also just have a meal at the Jim Beam Kitchen – the highly reviewed farm-to-table restaurant on site.

Day 2: Caverns and Creatures

On the outskirts of Louisville you will find a unique attraction – the Mega Cavern, which used to be a limestone mining facility, and is now a tourist attraction that is perfect for any weather, featuring several options.

I chose to do the ropes course for $39.99. The price was right for this unique ropes course and it was an excellent workout – I stayed on the course for about an hour and a half and was sore for a few days, and sweating even at 58 degrees (the temperature of all underground caverns). It was not the type of thing where you have a single route going from one area to the next, but was set up with multiple obstacles extending from each platform and several levels, so you could move all around it in whatever direction you chose. This meant there was almost no waiting between obstacles, and a wide variety of challenges (76, according to the website). There were 2 short zip lines, and one longer zip line that swung you down into a net.  The cavern is lit with various neon colored lights which adds to the unique ambience.

If you’re not into climbing, you can take a walking tour or a tram ride for $19.99 a person. If you want a bigger thrill, they even have a giant zip line for $114.99 a person. You must be at least 7 years old to ride the zipline or play on the ropes course.  

Less than 5 minutes from the cavern you’ll find the Louisville Zoo. Ticket prices vary depending on the day and time of year, but are between $10 and $30 for adults with discounts for children and seniors. Exhibits are set up in zones, including Africa, Australia, the Americas, the Arctic and more. Some of the more unusual animals include polar bears, vampire bats, and wallaroos.

In between the attractions, a great place to grab a bite to eat is Louie’s Hot Chicken, where you can enjoy the local fare with your preferred level of spice.

Day 3 – The Louisville Waterfront

Downtown Louisville hosts a lot of action, and it’s main street is otherwise known as “Whiskey Row” for its many distilleries. There are a multitude of choices for eating – a few I liked were the Mussel and Burger Bar, where the beef is ground in-house, and the fig salad with fried goat cheese is to die for, and Doc Crow, known for its smoked meats and barbeque.

In addition to the plethora of food and beverage options, there is an abundance of museums to choose from. Depending on your interests, you may want to check out the Muhammad Ali Center, the Kentucky Science Center, or the Slugger Museum and Factory. I didn’t have time to visit any of them on my recent trip, but I did have time to take a selfie with the world’s largest baseball bat at the Slugger Museum. 

If you’re a geography fan, you will probably enjoy walking across the Big Four Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that connects Louisville, KY to Clarkesville, IN. There are parking lots around the bridge and playgrounds so this would be a fun place to visit with your family. At dusk it affords a pretty view of the other bridges going across the Ohio River and the skyline of the city.  They also light up the bridge once it gets dark enough with festive red, white and blue lights. 

On the other side of the bridge, you may want to visit the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Indiana.  The area is rich in fossils, that can be seen in the rocks along the shore.  There are locks and dams that can be viewed from the parking area and some short trails along the river.  There is a nice big interpretive Center as well.

 Day 4 – Horses and History

It seems a shame to visit Louisville and miss Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. The downs has a museum and gift shop that are certainly worth visiting.  Tickets for an adult were $20, and included a really good film (I’m not much into horse racing but I still enjoyed it) and a 30 minute tour of the track. I most enjoyed the fashion highlighted in the museum, especially of course, the hats.  The downs are located catty-corner to Louisville University, and the tour guide had some amusing stories about college student antics at the Kentucky Derby. 

The area around the downs is historic and it was a pleasure to drive around the surrounding streets and look at the historic homes and churches and such.  I stopped at “Central Park” and took a look at the Conrad- Caldwell House Museum, where a tour affords guests with a taste of the opulent décor of the wealthy in the early 20th century. In another corner of the little park (which has a visitor’s center) was the “Witch’s tree” which is associated with a mysterious legend you can learn about on a ghost tour if you dare.  The park also has a nice playground, tennis courts, and what looked to me like an outdoor theater, where some children appeared to be practicing a show.

All of these attractions are within a half an hour of one another, so they could certainly be mixed and matched for a different plan or length of time. But one thing is for certain – Louisville has something fun for every family.