Tomorrow begins the Race for the Roses, with the Kentucky Derby in Louisville’s Churchhill Downs. I don’t have tickets, and several weeks of spring break, miserable rain and the swine flu outbreak have distracted me, so I dropped the ball on interviewing my Louisville connections on what there’s to see and do during Derby Days. For more on the Derby and the surrounding festivities, check out www.kentuckyderby.com and www.kentuckyderbyparty.com.
What I can tell you about Louisville is that Churchill Downs isn’t the only monument to sport in this Southern city. For baseball fans, Louisville features the Louisville Slugger Museum, (www.sluggermuseum.org) with its several-story-sized bat at the entrance. And then there’s the Muhammad Ali Center (www.alicenter.org) (nee Cassius Clay, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, was born and raised in Louisville). I hope to take my son to see these someday.
What I love most about Louisville: The FOOD! Louisvillians know how to cook. We’ve had wonderful meals–and not just Southern fare–but great Indian and Italian too–the times we’ve visited. But, yes, the cheesy grits are great. And the home cooking keeps you from putting your fork down. And don’t get me started about the sweet smelling bourbon (while there aren’t any distilleries in the city itself, there are six bars that offer the most well-stocked bourbon bars in the world–my husband and I’ve been on the bourbon trail, but that’s for another post).
While Louisville maintains its Southern charm, it’s also quite cosmopolitan with numerous art galleries and museums and according to one visitor’s guide, “one of only a few cities in the U.S. with a professional full-time orchestra, opera and ballet…”
We’ve always stayed with friends or done day trips to Louisville (when we lived in nearby Bloomington, Indiana), but we once did a walk through of the historic Brown Hotel (www.brownhotel.com) in downtown Louisville. Built in 1923, it maintains its Jazz Era opulence. If I had the cash, I’d fork it over.
If you can ever make it to Derby Days, you’ll surely see Louisville in all its glory. But this Kentucky town shines any time of year and really offers great value for your dollar, and lots to see and do whether you are a foodie urbanite or a family with small kids. It really is a homerun all around. So now you know, so go!
