I met Cara while at Bloggy Boot Camp in March, and was thrilled to run across Blogtrotting, where she highlights her friends across the blog-o-sphere. Today, she’s sending her readers here!
Louisville skyline
I’ve been a Kentucky girl all of my life, and have lived in Louisville for the past 20 years. My husband the Realtor has been here for 35 years, and helped me out with some of the local flavor as well. For me, we’re a big city (17th largest in the nation) with a small town feel.
Right now, we’re in the midst of our time to shine as a city. Thunder over Louisville was Saturday, which kicked off our Kentucky Derby Festival: a two week celebration with a myriad of events leading up to the marvelous Kentucky Derby. In addition to the greatest firework show on Earth, we also have the Mini Marathon (I’m going to try to do this before I turn 40!), the Pegasus Parade, and my favorite: the Balloon Glow and Race.
If Elvis can run, so can I!
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Derby is my absolute favorite time of the year in my city, but in case you can’t make it here during the main event, we’ve come up with some other gems for you to check out.
We’re not known for being the healthiest folks in the world, perhaps because of the fantastic array of Louisville Originals restaurants we have here. Bobby Flay has even thrown down with Lynn, from our Lynn’s Paradise Cafe. (my personal favorite spot in town!) My husband has lived in NYC, and tells me our eateries here stack up right alongside the big names there.
In stark contrast to all the places you can blow your diet, we have an incredible parks system, designed by Frederick Olmstead, of Central Park fame. A major expansion project is underway, which will result in the Louisville Loop: a trail of over 100 miles,linking various parks and neighborhoods together.
Tired of the great outdoors? Our city is also home to an array of cultural choices, ranging from the Speed Art Museum, the Louisville Orchestra, Kentucky Center for the Arts, as well as the Louisville Youth Choir. (I’m a proud parent of a LYC singer!) Looking for a more casual way to get to know some local flavor? Don’t miss the Trolley Hop, or Fat Friday, where some of the local art galleries stay open later for fun times!
Take a walk on the wild side at the Louisville Zoo, baseball fans can’t miss the Louisville Slugger Museum, or catch a Bats game (one of the most beautiful fields I’ve ever seen!), and if you’re a science geek, the Louisville Science Center reigns supreme.
This is just a quick peek at our beautiful city. Hope you’ve learned a bit, and stop by for a visit soon! Thanks, Cara!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like the Louisville Loop is going to be amazing!
My brother and sister go to the Derby every year, and one of these days I'm going to make it!
Thanks for an awesome tour.
We really do live in a special and wonderful place, don't we? Of course, I have to mention my personal favorite, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, which is the oldest free outdoor Shakespeare Festival in the nation! http://www.kyshakes.org
I had no idea there were so many great attractions in Louisville! I confess that the Kentucky Derby is generally the first thing that comes to mind when I think of your fine city and state. That's probably compounded by the fact that we hold the Preakness in Baltimore, so horse racing is front and center for several weeks here just as it is there.
Fabulous tour, Dianna! Thanks for being a part of BlogTrotting!
Thanks for the amazing tour. I wish we had a parks program like yours up here in the Pacific Northwest. Looks like an amazing city to live in.
I live just north of Cincinnati, and I love Louisville! Way back when, I had a boyfriend who was stationed in Fort Knox, so we spent lots of time in your lovely city. LOVE Thunder over Louisville, stayed at the Brown Hotel, and ate at the Spaghetti Factory. Good times, great memories!
Thanks for the tour!
I had no idea Louisville was so large. I've driven through Kentucky but never really spent any time there; your post makes me want to visit!
what a fantastic tour of your city! So much i didn't know…
maybe we'll visit Kentucky on our way home from Utah
I am a Louisville native and you sure did hit the great spots!! (and Lynn's is the best, isn't it?) This is the time of year I miss Louisville the most – it's always so beautiful at Derby time. Great tour!