About 629,000 people live in Louisville, Kentucky, making it the largest city in the state. Many people head here on the first Saturday of May to watch the running of the Kentucky Derby. While the event bills itself as the most exciting two minutes in sports, visitors can also attend many events surrounding the Kentucky Derby, including many celebrity-filled concerts and galas, other horse races, wine and food events, and a parade. Guests who cannot make it to Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby can catch other events at this venue or take a tour of it and the Kentucky Derby Museum.
Louisville is known as the Bourbon capital of the world. While officially headquartered in Bardstown, about 44 miles south of Louisville, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival held each September is a great time to get a sample of the different bourbon cocktails, tour the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, hear live entertainment and learn about cooking with whiskey and start collecting whiskey-related items.
The first distilleries opened in Louisville in the late 1700s because this city's Ohio River location made it easy to send spirits back to New England settlements and New Orleans. By the 1850s, distillers had established Whiskey Row in downtown Louisville along the river. Due to loopholes in the law, some Louisville distilleries even managed to survive prohibition. Today, visitors can explore Louisville distilleries on their own or take a distillery tour. George Garvin Brown opened Old Forester in 1870, and this distillery has reopened in its original location. In addition to sampling whiskey, visitors can see how workers make the storage barrels and learn about whiskey's aging process. Bourbon tastings are available at the small-batch Angels Envy Distillery. Rabbit Hole Distillery's tour is a fantastic place to learn how distillers use different grains to create unique offerings.
Residents of Louisville enjoy great barbecue, and visitors may want to attend one of the city's barbecue festivals, like Everybody's Favorite Barbecue and Hot Sauce Festival held in June, the Bourbon and Barbecue Festival held in November, or the Louisville Blues, Blues, and Barbecue Festival in June. Most of these festivals center around Waterfront Park, which also features public boat docks and seasonal rides on the iconic Belle of Louisville steamboat.
Campgrounds Near Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville South KOA Holiday offers RV campsites near downtown that are up to 90 feet long. Most weekends have a particular theme with unique activities planned around the theme. This campground has a seasonal swimming pool, nature trails, and a dog park.
Grandma's RV Camping is another excellent RV campsite that can accommodate units up to 70 feet long, full hookups are available, and complimentary internet is available at each site. They have public restrooms and a laundry room. This beautifully landscaped campground is across the street from an RV-friendly gas station.
Chimney Rock RV Park overlooks Herrington Lake, and a restaurant is within walking distance. Each of the spacious sites comes with full hookups. There is internet available at the pavilion, and guests can enjoy the seasonal pool. The playground is a fantastic place to let children burn off energy.
National Parks near Louisville, Kentucky
Mammoth Cave National Park, near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve because it contains one of the largest cave systems in the world. At various times, this park offers up to 15 different types of tours. Consider their history tours to learn about the park's history and former residents or their nature tours, where you can explore small caves, see sparkling gypsum walls and venture through tube-shaped passageways. Visitors can go horseback riding, biking, and paddling elsewhere in this park.
While many visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Louisville will use the Sugarlands Entrance, visitors can often skip the lines by entering the park near Townsend, Tennessee. Choosing this option brings visitors to Cades Cove, a terrific place to spot black bears, coyotes, groundhogs, turkeys, and raccoons. On Wednesdays, visitors can hike or bike along the 11-mile road running through this valley during the summer. Elsewhere in this valley are many short nature trails and longer hikes to waterfalls. There is a 159-site campground that can accommodate trailers up to 35 feet long. Then, heading northeast brings visitors to the Sugarlands Welcome Center, where you can engage with park rangers and view exhibits. Nearby, a 0.7-mile-long hike allows visitors to see Cataract Falls, a 40-foot waterfall. Visitors may then take the looped Roaring Fork Motor Trail scenic drive to see many of the park's unique rock formations and streams. Stop at Mingus Mill and the Mountain Farm Museum to see how settlers lived on this land that became a national park in 1940.
Heading north from Louisville about 250 miles will bring visitors to Indiana Dunes National Park, a terrific place to play on Lake Michigan's shores. Visitors will find over 50 miles of hiking trails across the sand dunes. There are fantastic places to go swimming and boating. Visitors can hand launch canoes and kayaks onto the lake, where they may want to follow part of the 1,638-mile Lake Michigan Water Trail to see this lake's biodiversity.
State Parks Near Louisville, Kentucky
My Old Kentucky Home State Park, near Bardstown, Kentucky, inspired Stephen Foster's song "My Old Kentucky Home." Officials have displayed many antiques and artwork in this two-story Federal mansion, with some pieces being almost 2,000 years old. Visitors can also see a smokehouse, historic kitchen, carriage house, cabin, and springhouse. Beautiful gardens surround this home. Visitors will want to watch a performance of "The Stephen Foster Story," featuring 50 of his songs at the J. Dan Talbot Amphitheatre. Golfers will want to test their skills on the Kenny Rapier Golf Course. This state park has a 39-site campground, with each site offering full hookups.
People who love to hike will want to visit Clifty Falls State Park, near Madison, Indiana to see the waterfalls and explore Clifty Canyon. While the state says the public cannot collect samples, Clifty Creek is a fantastic place to see fossils. Visitors will want to go swimming in the pool. This state park has 169 campsites, with 106 having electricity. It is open year-round, but water is not available in the winter.
General Butler State Resort Park near Carrolton, Kentucky is home to Two Rivers Restaurant, where guests can dine on fork-to-table creations while enjoying river views. Tour the Butler-Turpin Historic Home, which workers constructed in 1853. During warmer months, go mountain biking on the Fossil Trail. Canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats are available to rent to play on Butler Lake. The state also stocks the lake with bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish. There is a miniature golf course.
National Sites Near Louisville, Kentucky
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park near Hodgenville, Kentucky is home to the first Lincoln Memorial, constructed between 1909 and 1911 by the Lincoln Farm Association. The memorial contains a symbolic birth cabin. Visitors can see the location of the boundary oak marking the edge of the Lincoln homestead and take a short hike to see Sinking Springs, where the family got its water.
Camp Nelson National Monument is about 20 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky. This site served as the largest Civil War recruitment and training site for African American soldiers during the war and housed their wives and children. Union troops initially established the fort as an ammunition warehouse. Walk in the footsteps of those soldiers while viewing the officers' quarters, barracks, and community hall, which workers have restored or reconstructed. Visitors can also see the Camp Nelson National Cemetery, where families buried 379 men between June 1863 and July 1965.
The Lincoln Boyhood National Monument near Lincoln City, Indiana contains a memorial in the shape of the cabin where President Lincoln grew up. Visitors can also see sculptured panels on a memorial building constructed after the president's assassination. View a farm like the one where President Lincoln was raised and interact with the heritage animals. Go for a hike along wooded trails, but bring water as this location can get very humid in the summer.
National Forests Near Louisville, Kentucky
In South Central Indiana, Hoosier National Forest offers 48 trail systems ranging from less than one mile to over 48 miles. There are over 200 miles of equestrian trails, but visitors must bring their horses and obtain a permit before arrival. Mountain biking courses run along rolling hills and on tops of ridges throughout this forest. Riders over 17 must get a permit before riding the trails. This national forest's three campgrounds are spread across this forest's 202,000 acres. Hardin Ridge Recreation Area Campground overlooking Monroe Lake is the largest, with over 200 sites spread around six loops. Indian-Celina Lakes Recreation Area Campground has two units near the Two Lakes Trail, and some campsites come with electricity and water hookups. Tipsaw Lake Recreation Area Campground is near a public boat launch onto the lake, and there are hiking trails nearby. Some sites have water and electricity.
Daniel Boone National Forest covers more than 708,000 acres in Eastern Kentucky. This site contains more than 250 federally recognized recreation sites. There are many opportunities to go boondocking and at least two large campgrounds. Visitors can rent boats at the Grove Marina to fish or paddle on Laurel River Lake. Above Laurel River Lake, Grove Campground has 56 sites available from mid-April to mid-October. Holly Bay Campground is on the west side of Laurel River Lake, and it has 94 campsites, 75 of which have electricity. Nearby, guests can rent boats at Holly Bay Marina. Take time to hike near the Alpine Picnic area to see the historical remains of Alpine Coal Camp, operated from 1884 to the 1930s.
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area contains a 700-acre enclosure where elk and bison can roam. A 3.5-mile paved trail allows visitors to drive through this tall grass prairie to see the animals. This facility is also home to see an 1850s working farm with costumed interpreters. The 40-foot-domed Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory is an excellent place to watch star shows. Learn more about wildlife by visiting the Nature Study Area between Honker and Hematite Lakes. There are many miles of hiking trails. Hillman Ferry, Piney and Energy Lake campgrounds are excellent places to camp. Some campsites offer water and electrical hookups.
