I’ll be honest and tell you that Louisville wasn’t on my Top 10 places to visit in the United States prior to my first trip back in 2016. But y’all, Louisville is awesome. I had a blast and I truly enjoyed my time there. Today, I’m sharing the best things to do and see in Louisville on a weekend in Louisville.
Louisville is a true delight and gem with amazing restaurants, shopping, and is super walkable. I’m big on exploring cities by just walking and popping in and out of locations, and Louisville is perfect for that. The waterfront has gorgeous views with lots of charm and hospitality!
Weekend in Louisville: The Best Things to Do in Louisville
Louisville Travel Guide: Where to Eat
- The Lobby Bar at the Brown Hotel: You cannot visit Louisville without having a hot brown from the breathtakingly gorgeous Brown Hotel. The hot brown dish was accidentally created when a chef ran out of ingredients in his kitchen. It’s an open faced sandwich topped with turkey, tomato, cheese, and… bacon. And visiting the Brown is worth the visit as well! The interior is stunning, and the bar in the lobby is glamorous with the most amazing bar back I’ve ever seen. P.S. It’s on the Urban Bourbon Trail and a great spot to get your passport stamped!
- Against the Grain: This brewery and restaurant is right near the baseball stadium downtown. I got Louisville BBQ and a seasonal brew and was delighted. Their small plates were delicious as well.
- 8UP: This spot has three different experiences and is a fun place to grab dinner & drinks with a nice view of the city. There is a restaurant, lounge, and rooftop located on the top of the Hilton Garden Inn.
- Patrick O’Sheas Downtown: I love this Irish pub located downtown. It’s casual, welcoming, and in a reclaimed building walking distance from the Galt House Hotel. Get the fish & chips and stay a while!
- Pizza Bar Louisville: I very much enjoy a good slice of pizza and popped into the place for a quick snack. It was very good pizza and a very low-key spot despite it’s location.
- Holy Grale: I ventured down to Bardstown Rd. and am so glad I did. This spot was an absolute gem! There is very limited seating in this 1905 church that has transitioned to a restaurant. But it has the most unique design elements, an extensive beer list, and delicious, European-inspired dishes. I ordered the burger on a pretzel roll, a friend ordered the mussels, and for the whole table, we got pretzels and beer cheese and poutine. Their menu rotates daily, but I cannot recommend this spot enough.
- Porch Kitchen & Bar: This is a great happy hour spot and their pork rinds with pimento cheese is a delicious snack option.
Louisville Travel Guide: What to Do
- 21c Museum Hotel has a wonderful art gallery on the first floor (see my experience at the one in Durham here). The current exhibit was around labor and the art work was outstanding. Proof on Main is a great spot to people watch and to enjoy a cocktail while exploring the art gallery.
- Churchill Downs for a night race is a must! It really is a fun experience and truly one that you can’t miss out on if you are visiting.
- I didn’t get a chance to go inside the Muhammad Ali Center, but I did enjoy walking the grounds. There is a beautiful outside seating area, and a walkway that overlooks the Ohio River.
- Walking across the Big Four Bridge into Jeffersonville, Indiana is something definite to add to your itinerary! The bridge lights up at night has some beautiful views of the Louisville skyline! There are parks on both sides of the river and you get to cross off another state while you’re visiting Louisville. Jeffersonville is a quaint town and one I’d like to spend more time exploring on my next trip.
- The Louisville Slugger Museum was the one thing everyone told me I needed to do. I did visit, but I didn’t go through the tour. The building is a lot of fun and the gift shop is perfect for any of the baseball loving folks in your life.
- Visiting the waterfront was something I did most nights. The weather was beautiful and it made for a nice way to wind down. The sunsets over the Ohio River were simply amazing.
- If you’ve been reading here a while, you know I love history. There is a self-guided walking tour with markers for the Civil Rights Movement and its efforts in Louisville that I highly recommend! I also found the historic landmarker for the original Galt Hotel, and this on the riverfront about the famous historial figures who visited.
- One of the other places that I was advised to go was the Seelbach Hotel bar to try the Seelbach cocktail. It was accidentally created when the bartender was making an old fashioned, and champagne got mixed into the drink. The recipe became famous, but was lost until 1995. It’s an interesting cocktail and the hotel is stunning. And, history nerds unite! This is the place that F. Scott Fitzgerald got inspiration for The Great Gatsby.
Louisville Travel Guide: Where to Stay
The Galt House: It’s right on the waterfront and in the heart of downtown. I walked everywhere I went besides Churchill Downs and Bardstown Rd. It’s also a quick drive from the airport, which makes it the perfect spot for staying and seeing the best of Louisville. I’m a big fan of Al J’s for a snack or a work space. Their room service is also a great dining option. I got the fried chicken Cobb salad and it was a great decision. The views from the Galt are spectacular as well!
The hotel is undergoing a major renovation right now and is incorporating local businesses throughout the renovation. New elevators will be from the Murphy Elevator Company, a local, family-owned business. The West Tower Guestrooms are designed by SWOPE Design Group, a local, independent Louisville company and certified Minority Woman Business Enterprise. Mattresses are by Bowles Mattress Company with mattresses exclusive to the Galt House Hotel, from a Southern Indiana, family owned business. The color palette features Kentucky bluegrass, saddle brown, wheat, and gold. I can’t wait to see the finished renovation!
Have you ever spent a weekend in Louisville? What did you do while you were in town?
Loving this best things to do in Louisville feature? Take a look here for more of my travel favorites!
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What a great trip to Louisville! We did a lot of the same things when I went to visit last fall – the Galt House Hotel is the PERFECT place to stay downtown. Gorgeous views, easy walking distance to most everything in town.
It looks like it was a fun trip, filled with lots of cool stuff to do!
I love Louisville! We used to go there all the time when I lived in Cincinnati. And yes to having a hot brown! YUM! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes
Looks like such a fun trip!! I love that you were able to walk just about anywhere. I definitely want to visit sometime!
xo,
Angela
You can’t visit Kentucky without having a hot brown! Yes! :).
Love this recap – from a Kentucky girl :).
I visited Louisville last June for a bachelorette party and absolutely loved it! Like you, it was not SOMEWHere that I had at the top of my list but it was so much fun! Some of the highlights for me were the races at Churchill Downs, fun bourbon activities (speakeasy tour, tasting, cocktail class, etc.), and lots of delicious food. I would absolutely visit The CHAMPAGNEry for a champagne flight, the Silver Dollar for the bar scene, and Jack Fry’s for dinner again!