Louisville Hotels, Attractions, and Information

Written by Julie Greiner

The metropolis of Louisville is located on the banks of the scenic Ohio River, between St. Louis and Cincinnati and consists of three counties in Kentucky and four counties in Indiana. The first train ride from Louisville was in 1859 and it took ten hours to reach Nashville. The climate in Louisville, Kentucky consists of four definite seasons and has a population of approximate one million. Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby, the largest fireworks display, the oldest operating Mississippi-style sternwheeler Antique Shopping in Louisville, Kentucky

Antique Shopping in Louisville, Kentucky

steamboat - the Belle of Louisville and is 81 miles from Lexington, 104 miles from Cincinnati and 115 miles from Indianapolis. Two Louisville sisters named Patty and Mildred Hill wrote the music for "Happy Birthday"; Tom Cruise grew up in Louisville as Tom Mapother; Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame is from Louisville along with Zachary Taylor, Muhammad Ali and Pee Wee Reese.

History of Louisville at a Glance

Louisville was founded by George Rogers Clark in 1778 and was named for King Louis XVI of France. The arrival of the steamboat in Louisville in 1811, the opening of the Portland Canal in 1830 and with the German and Irish immigrants migration which ballooned the population of Louisville to 43,000 by 1850 - placed Louisville among the The Belle of Louisville Riverboat

top twelve cities in America. The Jefferson County Court House opened in 1842, during which time three credible daily newspapers were published locally. During the Civil War, the Battle of Louisville never materialized and Louisville traded with both sides and became prosperous. Louisville was the first city in the nation to introduce the secret voting ballot, the first city in Kentucky to adopt zoning and planning measures to control and shape urban growth and was the site of the first bridge designed exclusively for motor vehicles to cross the Ohio River.

Fine Dining and Entertainment in Louisville

Dining out in Louisville can be as diverse as in any cosmopolitan city on the map. There are well over 200 fine accredited restaurants to choose from. Whether your taste desires fine dining (over two dozen choices) or an upscale casual atmosphere - The Kentucky Derby Balloon Race in Louisville

The Kentucky Derby Balloon Race in Louisville

the varieties exceed the norm. Taste diversities such as African, Cajun, Caribbean, Indian, Irish, Southwestern, Mongolian and Thai are among the offered selections. When looking for the theater - you have choices ranging from the Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Derby Dinner Playhouse, Burnbury Theatre, Belknap Theatre, Theatre Bellarmine and The Folsom Academy of the Arts - all which offer live and a diverse selection of entertainment. Louisville is noted for the Louisville Bats Baseball, the Louisville Slugger and of course mayor Armstrong's Hockeyfest which just ended its fourth straight year. For those looking for fine art - the Speed Art Museum always has an exhibition scheduled, the Anonymous Artist Gallery, Artopia and the Carnegie Center for Art and History to mention just a few.

A Visit to Louisville

In 2000/2001, Louisville hosted more than 880,000 delegates and four of the top 200 trade shows in the country. Louisville is ranked seventh in the top ten Trade Show 200 cities. Greater Louisville offers nearly 17,000 reasonably-priced hotel rooms in the metro area. The Louisville commercial airport is only seven minutes from downtown Louisville and handles more than 100 flights a day. Whether you are in search of a lazy cruise down the Ohio on an authentic steamboat, a sight for a mega convention or trade show... or a get-a-way for some quiet time of luxury accommodations with fine food and outstanding entertainment - Louisville is your destination.