Louisville KY: A Quick Trip for a Conference 🏙️

Since the city is small, I didn’t rent a car. Uber from the airport to downtown cost less than $20. I also used the bus occasionally (which runs about once an hour...). Downtown is pretty small and can be explored in under two hours: Whiskey Row: Popped into a few spots like Old Forester Distilling Co. for photos 🥃. Lots of restaurants here too. 21c Museum: An art gallery hotel with a small free exhibition on the first floor. Features a stunning golden David statue at the entrance 🎨. Lottie the Triceratops: A rooftop dinosaur near the science center, right by the highway—rooftop enthusiasts will love this! 🦖 Louisville Slugger Museum: A baseball bat museum with a photo-worthy entrance. Didn’t go in since I’m not into baseball ⚾. Flame Run: A glassblowing studio—didn’t try it. Muhammad Ali Center: Not my thing, so skipped it. Walked 20 minutes or took a bus (single ride $1.5 via app) to the legendary Red Tree Furniture store. It’s huge with lots of cool decor items—spent about half an hour here. The area is also a shopping district with many young people and restaurants. Christmas decorations are already up! 🎄 Didn’t make it to Old Louisville. Speed Art Museum: Currently features Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Room 🪞. The permanent collection includes many oil paintings, along with Egyptian and ancient Roman artifacts. Sundays are free! The museum is quite large and takes about 2 hours to explore. Despite what the exterior glass says, it opens at 10 AM on Sundays. Sponsored by a family/trust, free Sunday admission will continue at least until 2026. Churchill Downs: Two parts here—the Kentucky Derby/racetrack hosts actual races, and the Kentucky Derby Museum is a separate entity. The museum isn’t too big and can be finished in under 2 hours. Currently, there’s a 30-minute 360-degree panoramic film showcasing historical footage of Derby Day—super immersive! 🐎 The museum also has interactive horse racing games where you can compete with others, and displays teaching how to pick horses. Fun and educational! There’s a KFC Museum located at 1900 Colonel Sanders Ln, Louisville, KY 40213, inside the Yum Brands headquarters. Info online is scarce, but it seems you can only visit on weekdays during office hours. Note: Sanders Cafe & Museum is a different place! St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church: Said to house two ancient holy relics. Too far, so didn’t go. #Kentucky #Travel #Louisville #Museums #Art #Food #Exploration 🇺🇸✨