Louisville: Home of the Kentucky Derby

By: Joe Volz and Kate Bird Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-02-06 17:32:00-05:00

On the first Saturday in May, the country's eyes turn to Louisville's Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, where the world's premier two-year-old thoroughbreds race in the first leg of the Triple Crown. A million and a half visitors crowd the race course, placing bets, drinking mint juleps and showing off the latest in high-fashion hatwear.

The Derby is the highlight of the two-week Kentucky Derby Festival that features over 80 events, including "Thunder Over Louisville," the country's largest fireworks display. So even if you can't get a ticket to the perennially sold-out Derby, you'll have many other opportunities to experience the atmosphere of one of America's sporting events.

Other Louisville Attractions

Louisville is picturesque, set on the banks of the mighty Ohio River. It's a natural headquarters for touring nearby southern Indiana and an easy car ride to Cincinnati.

In addition to horses, some also think "baseball bats"—Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron became home run kings using Louisville Slugger bats.

Baseball lovers head to the Louisville Slugger Museum. You can almost hear the bats of the greatest baseball players hitting home runs with their Hillerich and Bradsby Louisville Sluggers. Babe Ruth and Pete Rose used these bats, although theirs certainly weren't quite as large as the six-story behemoth leaning against the side of the museum.

Louisville has lots of other sights to tempt visitors throughout the year. Thunder Over Louisville in April and the Meijer Derby Festival Marathon and Mini-Marathon.

Exploring the Past

Many visitors to Louisville board The Belle of Louisville, a venerable sternwheeler that is almost 90 years old. She carries up to 800 people, from the downtown wharf at 4th Street and River Road, on sightseeing cruises on the Ohio River. Excursions run from Memorial Day through October and include moonlight cruises.

Louisville was one of the great southern cities in the past. Some of its famous homes are open to visitors. Farmington, a 500-acre hemp plantation, built in 1810, was Abraham Lincoln's home for six weeks. The future president lived there during a temporary separation from his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. Locust Grove was the last home of General George Rogers Clark, Revolutionary War hero, co-explorer with Meriwether Lewis of the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. Clark is credited as the founder of Louisville. This home, host to several presidents and other distinguished visitors, is open daily.

Exploring the Present

Each year the city offers a variety of other festivals to visitors, from Shakespeare to jazz. You'll find something to fit your tastes, no matter what time of year you come. Check out the Cherokee Triangle Art Fair in April; the Kentucky Reggae Festival in May; the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in June and July; the July Fourth Celebration at Waterfront Park; the Louisville Jazz Festival, also in July; the Kentucky State Fair in August; or the Corn Island Storytelling Festival in September.

Exploring the Unusual

Tattoo Charlie boasts the only tattoo museum east of the Mississippi. Antique machines and designs dating back to 1905 are on display. Charlie will show you how the art form has evolved from the caveman to the present day, and why it seems to be enjoying a revival among college students.

The Kentucky Caverns lure anyone who likes exploring underground. They are open from April 1 to October 31, and their intricate onyx formations are the highlight of a 45-minute tour. The cave contains some steps, but a small group size and leisurely pace accommodate most people.

Discover the world of quilts at America's largest quilt museum. Located in Paducah, the National Quilt Museum has over 150 antique and contemporary quilts on display. Workshops and lectures introduce visitors to this ancient art, which every school girl learned back in the 1800s.

A final note: Nobody, but nobody, makes a mint julep like a Kentucky bartender. It is a lethal combination of sugar, water, crushed ice, bourbon and mint. Handle with care! And if you ask for bourbon in Louisville, you will be served bourbon. After all, Bourbon County, the home of this kind of whiskey, is in Kentucky.

Links

Books

Find these and other geat books at Borders.com

  • Fun with the Family in Kentucky: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids By Teresa Day, Globe Pequot Press, 2003.
  • Louisville
    By James C. Anderson, Donna Neary, Arcadia Publishing SC, 2001.

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