I went to the American city that's the bourbon capital with unusual museums and the world's biggest baseball bat

The Sun

09-05-2025

FANCY a holiday in Louisville, Kentucky? First, learn to say it right.
Is it Louie-ville, or maybe Loo-uh-vul or simply Luh-vul?
Say it wrong and a Kentuckian will correct you. Say it right, and they'll probably still correct you.
While we can't guarantee you'll nail the pronunciation — which definitely features a silent S — we can tell you where to eat, drink, explore and sleep in the city of horse-racing, baseball bats and bourbon.
WHY SHOULD I GO? Louisville packs big-city fun with small-town Southern charm — without the tourist hordes of Nashville or New Orleans.
As the bourbon capital of the world, it has more than a dozen distilleries within the city limits.
It also features the historic Kentucky Derby racetrack.
And now is the perfect time to visit the city as 2025 marks 100 years of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, partly inspired by the author's boozy nights with mobsters at Louisville's Seelbach Hotel.
STREETS MADE FOR WALKING? Most of Louisville's highlights are walkable, with ten to 15 minutes on foot between the major sights.
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The city has a bus system, but Ubers are affordable and easy to use. For a stroll that will take in most of the sights, start on Main Street's Whiskey Row, a stretch of 19th-century buildings now home to top bars and restaurants.
Then head east to NuLu (New Louisville), a once-industrial district now a hub for galleries, indie boutiques and everything from Cuban to Yucatan food.
From there, loop back west via Waterfront Park, which traces the edge of the Ohio River.
You'll get sweeping views across to Indiana. The park is expanding this year, with new sections connecting downtown to the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Portland, just west of the city centre.
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ANYTHING FOR THE BUCKET LIST? The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is the place to get a handle on Kentucky's most famous export.
The five-storey-high bourbon bottle out front sets the tone, and tours end with a guided tasting in a sleek underground bar.
Just a few steps away is the KMAC Museum, a contemporary art museum where the descriptions actually help you understand what you're looking at.
I popped in between distillery visits and found it fascinating, though that might have been the bourbon talking.
Baseball fans can swing by the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, where the world's biggest baseball bat leans against the building. You can also catch Minor League team Louisville Bats from April to September.
For something a bit more offbeat, look out for Louisville's disco balls. During the 1970s and 1980s, the city made nearly 90 per cent of America's mirror balls.
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They are now on show as part of the Frazier History Museum's Cool Kentucky exhibit. Churchill Downs, home of the world-famous Kentucky Derby, is a must-visit. When there's no racing, the Kentucky Derby Museum offers daily tours of the historic track.
No trip to Louisville is complete without paying tribute to its most famous son: Muhammad Ali. The legendary boxer is honoured at the Muhammad Ali Center, a riverside museum that's part tribute and part interactive exhibition on civil rights, confidence and courage.
It's powerful stuff — and the views from the upper floors are knockout.
WHERE SHOULD I EAT? Housed in an old petrol station and garage, Garage Bar now fuels up customers with epic pizzas.
I wolfed down a house-made pepperoni, then got convincingly beaten at late-night table tennis on their glowing tables.
Just down the street, Feast BBQ lives up to its name.
Their tater tots (those crispy little potato nuggets Am- ericans obsess over) are legendary. I recommend them piled with smoked brisket and washed down with a bourbon slushie.
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I FANCY A DRINK! My favourite, for the sheer variety of bottles, was Down One Bourbon Bar on Whiskey Row.
They stock more than 130 different bourbons and whiskeys and their Mexican food is great. Don't miss the speakeasy room hidden behind an old red British phone booth.
Meanwhile, over at The Lucky Penny, a mirror-covered bar pays tribute to Louisville's disco legacy with drinks such as the Mirror Ball cocktail.
WHERE SHOULD I STAY? I stayed at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Louisville Downtown. The rooms are spacious and it's well located for a night of live music in the lively Downtown area.
For more character, the nearby Seelbach Hilton, one of Louisville's grandest hotels, has just unveiled a new Great Gatsby Suite decked out in full 1920s style.
Even if you can't book it, take their free hotel tour (Thursday-Saturday at 4.30pm) to see the Oakroom, where gangster Al Capone played cards, and the Rathskeller Room, where Fitzgerald knocked back drinks and drew inspiration for his novel.