Lose Yourself in LOUISVILLE
Get the scoop on this Southern city’s best finds. •
By Gillian Telling
The debate on how to properly pronounce the charming Southern city of Louisville, Ky., is as old as the city itself. Is it Loo-ey-vile? Loo-vul? Lewis-ville? Well, as the natives will tell you, it should be pronounced “Lou-a-vul.” Calling it anything else will automatically label you as a tourist. Pronunciation debates aside, Kentucky’s largest city, which up until recently has been best known for its horses and bourbon, is rapidly morphing into an über-cosmopolitan city. Suddenly, horses and hooch are being outshined by world-class museums, restaurants and theaters. The new 21c, a boutique hotel and museum featuring 21st-century art, opened in the downtown area in 2005, garnering tons of hype and putting Louisville on the global map. Now there is a proposed art museum and mixed-use development plaza in the works, designed by renowned architect Joshua Prince-Ramus, as well as a 22,000-seat waterfront arena that will bring even more business into the newly burgeoning city. With so much more to do than wear funny hats and sip mint juleps once a year at the Derby, you might want to consider extending your next visit to what’s considered the “northernmost Southern city.”
Lodging
Louisville has a variety of incredible hotels in which to rest your head. 21c is Louisville’s only true boutique hotel. Each of the 91 rooms are outfitted with high-def, flat-screen TVs, iPod docks, poster art and 500-thread-count sheets. The Seelbach Hilton is a luxury hotel and truly a Louisville landmark, open since 1905. Another fantastic Old World hotel is The Brown Hotel, a AAA Four-Diamond palace that hosts most of the famous people who come to the city. (The New Kids on the Block burned down a room in the late ’80s!) It’s also where the deliciously gooey “Hot Brown” sandwich was invented, a favorite of chefs, including Bobby Flay.
If you’re into something a little kitschier, you might want to try Galt House Hotel & Suites. This huge waterfront hotel has more basic rooms, but the view can’t be beat, especially when seen from the rotating restaurant on top. New renovations and free Wi-Fi in each room make this ideally located and affordable place even more attractive.
Dining
One can’t go to Louisville and miss one of its best-known dining institutions, the Bristol Bar & Grille. Now with four locations, the American bistro has been serving its signature dish, green chili wontons, for 30 years. The wontons’ popularity expands beyond Louisville—proprietor Doug Gossman often has to ship them to wedding receptions as far as California for Louisville ex-pats who still crave them.
The Oakroom at The Seelbach Hilton is also steeped in Kentucky tradition, serving dishes made from locally farmed ingredients. A number of presidents have dined here—Kentucky’s only AAA Five-Diamond restaurant—as did Al Capone, who sat in a private alcove equipped with spring-loaded doors, just in case he needed to make a quick exit. Another oldie but goodie is Jack Fry’s on Bardstown Road, which used to be a beer and nuts tavern run by its namesake, first opening in 1933 with the repeal of prohibition. Now, it serves neo-American cuisine like diver scallops, tomato artichoke soup, and shrimp and grits to hungry locals who are smart enough to make reservations well in advance.
The city’s newest addition, Proof on Main, located in the 21c hotel, is already a top favorite among local foodies. Chef Michael Paley serves Tuscan cuisine made from local ingredients, house cures 75 percent of his meats and gets his bison from a local farm. In fact, the bison tenderloin proved such a popular dish, the restaurant recently had to limit it to the weekend menu only.
Attractions
As much as you might like to, you can’t just eat and sleep your way through Louisville. With cultural attractions like the world-renowned Louisville Ballet (the only regional company with which Mikhail Baryshnikov danced in late ’70s) and the famed Churchill Downs Racetrack and Kentucky Derby Museum, there’s plenty to see and do.
Though it has never had a professional baseball team (sorry Bats, you’re still Minor Leaguers), Louisville is home to the world’s most famous baseball bat: the Louisville Slugger. Visit the Louisville Slugger Museum to see how the bats are made, and order one engraved with your name to pick up at the end of the tour.
Louisville Science Center is an exciting and hands-on museum for both kids and adults, home to 150 interactive exhibits and a four-story IMAX theater. The Muhammad Ali Center, named after one of Louisville’s most famous locals, is a new educational and cultural center inspired by the ideals of the famous boxer.
If theater is more your scene, the Tony Award-winning Actor’s Theatre of Louisville has been called one of the best American regional theaters by Variety. Also located in the fun downtown area is the new Fourth Street Live!, an entertainment and shopping district that closes off the street on weekends for concerts, lounge-hopping and shopping. Venues like the Hard Rock Cafe and Lucky Strike Lanes stay open late for the weekend revelers.
If the thought of all this activity makes you thirsty, the Maker’s Mark Distillery is in nearby Loretto, Ky. The bourbon has something of a cult following, and the distillery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980. Another small-batch bourbon, Woodford Reserve, is also a distillery worth visiting. Located in Versailles, the drive will take you through the heart of gorgeous Bluegrass Country and thoroughbred horse farms.
And if you just want to just explore the city, help yourself. Louisville’s park system was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, of New York’s Central Park fame. Take a stroll down hip Bardstown Road for shopping and dining, and then walk over to the Cherokee Park for a glimpse of some of Olmsted’s best work.
However you wish to pronounce the city’s name, it’s hard to deny that Louisville has something for everyone. ■
MIDWEST AIRLINES offers daily flights to and from Louisville. Details can be found at www.midwestairlines.com.
YOUR GUIDE TO LOUISVILLE
So much to do, so little time. Here are the contacts for what’s hot in this cool city:
LODGING
21c Hotel
502-217-6300
www.21chotel.com
The Seelbach Hilton >>>>>>>>>
502-585-3200
www.seelbachhilton.com
The Brown Hotel
502-583-1234
www.brownhotel.com
Galt House Hotel & Suites
502-589-5200
www.galthouse.com
DINING
Bristol Bar & Grille
502-456-1702
www.bristolbarandgrille.com
The Oakroom >>>>>>>>>>>>
502-807-3463
www.seelbachhilton.com
Jack Fry’s
502-452-9244
www.jackfrys.com
Proof on Main
502-217-6360
www.proofonmain.com
ATTRACTIONS
Louisville Ballet
502-583-3150
www.louisvilleballet.org
Churchill Downs
502-636-4400
www.churchilldowns.com
Louisville Slugger Museum >>>>>>>>>>>
877-775-8443
www.sluggermuseum.com
Science Center
502-561-6100
www.louisvillescience.org
Muhammad Ali Center
502-584-9254
www.alicenter.org
Actor’s Theater
502-584-1205
www.actorstheater.org
Fourth St. Live!
www.4thstlive.com
Hard Rock Cafe
502-568-2202
www.hardrock.com
Lucky Strike Lanes
502-560-1400
www.bowlluckystrike.com
Makers Mark Distillery
270-865-2099
www.makersmark.com
Woodford Reserve
520-879-1812
www.woodfordreserve.com
Cherokee Park
www.olmstedparks.org
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE: Day trips from Louisville
MAMMOTH CAVE, located in south central Kentucky, is the world’s longest cave system, with more than 365 miles explored. Take a day tour or spend a few days camping in one of the three developed camping sites or 12 primitive sites.
270-758-2180; www.nps.gov/maca
HUBER’S ORCHARD AND WINERY, a 550-acre winery and orchard located just across the river in Southern Indiana, is the perfect place for a day trip. Take your kids to pick apples, or go to sample some of their fine vintages.
812-923-9463; www.huberwinery.com
KEENELAND, a picturesque racetrack in Lexington is seasonal, but in April, you can spend the day there. Watch morning workouts, take a self-guided tour or dine in the Equestrian Room—even meet famous thoroughbreds and their trainers.
859-254-3412; www.keeneland.com
RED RIVER GORGE GEOLOGICAL AREA, located in the Daniel Boone National Forest, is a top destination for rock climbing, caving, hiking, kayaking, camping and more. Though beautiful and fun, the gorge can be treacherous, so hike with caution.
606-663-2852; www.redrivergorge.org
