Louisville is one great city in which to visit, live, work, and raise a family. It has excellent and reasonably affordable housing, great neighborhoods, and a whole lot more to offer its residents and visitors alike. I am Mike, your ApartmentHomeLiving.com guide for Louisville, and here are a few compelling reasons why Derby City is a place that many love to visit and call home. If you like what you see, you might want to give it a visit and maybe move there, too.
Current Rental Pricing for Apartments in Louisville
| Bedroom | Average Rent | Cheapest Rent | Highest Rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio Apartments | $1,091 | $200 | $2,963 |
| 1 Bedroom Apartments | $1,261 | $200 | $3,444 |
| 2 Bedroom Apartments | $1,416 | $550 | $4,421 |
| 3 Bedroom Apartments | $1,782 | $673 | $5,237 |
| 4 Bedroom Apartments | $1,507 | $689 | $6,679 |
Vibrant Downtown and Nightlife
Louisville has an ideal location along the Ohio River, one of the most storied and significant rivers in the United States and a major tributary of the mighty Mississippi River. Its downtown area is located very close to the river, which provides a great backdrop when dining or enjoying libations on a rooftop restaurant or bar. I’ve always enjoyed a stop at the Copper & Kings Rooftop Bar on East Washington Street and the Rooftop Bourré Bonne on West Market Street. Those seeking alternative entertainment might find the High Stakes Rooftop on East Jefferson and its popular drag shows to be to their liking.
The downtown Louisville area also hosts music festivals and outdoor concerts at locations like Fourth Street Live! on the 400 block of South 4th Street and at the nearby Music Alley. The Garvin Gate Blues Festival in October always is a fun event to attend and is held at an outdoor venue on the corner of Garvin Place and Oaks Street in Old Louisville. It’s a fun and free event that features national, regional, and locally touring blues bands, and always a great time. Some of the event’s past performers include Buddy Guy, Albert King, Koko Taylor, the Kentucky Headhunters, and other outstanding blues acts.
Attending Outstanding Music Venues
Bluegrass was born in Kentucky, but you don’t have to be a fan of bluegrass music to have a great time at one of the many great music and performance venues in Louisville. The Louisville Palace Theatre is located in the heart of downtown and is one of the most acoustically perfect and incredibly ornate music venues anywhere. You can see a variety of musical acts and other live performances at the Palace, and I have enjoyed several great shows by some of the world’s top touring musical acts.
Also located downtown is the Mercury Ballroom, Fourth Street Live, the Headliners Music Hall, and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, which also host great musical, comedy, and other touring acts. The Iroquois Amphitheater is a wonderful outdoor amphitheater situated in the far south-central part of the Greater Louisville Metro Area and a great venue to see concerts on warm summer nights.
Enjoying World-Class Horse Racing
The Kentucky Derby is one of the world’s most prestigious horse races, and Churchill Downs is one of the world’s best horse racing venues. Attending the annual Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturday of May, is a rite of passage for many. Those who attend often wear dapper outfits and other regalia that emphasize the importance of the annual race, which is the first of three that comprise the “triple crown” in horse racing.
Many attendees enjoy staying at Derby City Gaming & Hotel in Louisville, which is owned by Churchill Downs. Hotel guests and visitors alike can wager on the big race and watch it on simulcast, while avoiding the large crowd at the racetrack. When Derby Week ends, the racetrack still hosts other racing events and has an on-site museum. Derby week always is a fun and exciting time in Louisville, and it generates of lot of revenue for the local government and businesses.
Undertaking an Urban Bourbon Tour
Kentucky is bourbon country, and Louisville has several of the best ones located within it. Many visitors enjoy participating in a “Whiskey Row” tour of distilleries while in Louisville, and so do local residents. Whiskey Row is located on the 100 block of West Main Street in Louisville and is a block-long historic district that is home to several bourbon distilleries housed in 19th-century buildings.
The Old Forester Distilling Co., Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery, and Angel’s Envy Distillery are among the many popular bourbon-makers that operate within Whiskey Row and that offer sampling tours. Visitors can enjoy guided tours and see how bourbon is made and stored while visiting Whiskey Row. There are other great bourbon distilleries in Louisville, including the Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. that is located a bit west of downtown and also offers tours.
Sampling Local Craft Beers and Cuisine
While bourbon tours and samplings are very popular in Louisville, so are its many brewpubs that produce outstanding brews of nearly every type. I am especially fond of the Monnik Beer Company on East Burnett Avenue, which offers a variety of terrific ales, lagers, and other popular beers. I especially love its IPA, which is very tasty and refreshing on a hot summer night. Hop Atomical on McHenry Street and the TEN20 Craft Brewery on East Washington Street are a couple of my many favorites. No matter what kind of brews you might enjoy, there likely is a craft brewery making it or something very similar in Louisville.
The city also is a great locale for foodies, and local tours often combine bourbon, food, and music tours to create a more holistic experience that very much is worth the effort. I love brisket, and Momma’s Mustard, Pickles & BBQ in the St. Matthews area of Louisville is my favorite for outstanding barbeque brisket that is tender, juicy, and full of fantastic flavor. Other great options include the Shack in the Back BBQ in Fairdale and Feast BBQ on East Market Street, among many others.
Those seeking alternative dining experiences might opt for one of the city’s many great steakhouses, such as the Repeal Oak Fired Steakhouse on West Main or Steakhouse Bourré Bonne on West Market Street. Each offers a variety of outstanding steak dinners and a terrific dining experience. When I am in the mood for some terrific Italian food, I like to visit Benfinita Modern Italian on South 4th Street, which makes the tastiest meatballs and pasta combinations around. J. Graham’s Café on West Broadway is another great option when I want more traditional American foods, including a great burger. Whatever types of food you enjoy, there are many great options serving them in Louisville.
Visiting Local Sporting Museums
You won’t long for cultural experiences while in Louisville thanks to the city’s many excellent museums and art exhibits. We already talked about the Churchill Downs museum, but one of the city’s most popular museums relates to baseball and the iconic Louisville Slugger bat that has launched countless home runs over the years. The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory rivals Cooperstown as the nation’s leading shrine to baseball and its wonderful history. Visitors can tour the Louisville Slugger factory to watch bats being made and learn more about baseball history in the museum. It’s a very popular destination that is located in the city’s central business district.
A bit south of the Louisville Slugger Museum and factory is the Muhammad Ali Center, which is dedicated to the city’s most famous son and his outstanding amateur and professional boxing career. If you don’t know who Muhammad Ali was, he won a gold medal as a light heavyweight during the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome. He was 18 and competing under his birth name of Cassius Clay. He turned pro shortly after winning the gold medal and won his first world heavyweight boxing title in 1964.
Clay’s opposition to the U.S. military draft and the Vietnam War later disrupted his professional boxing career at about the same time that he was embracing the Muslim religion and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He refused induction into the U.S. Army in 1967, was stripped of his title and banned from boxing for three years and was convicted for evading the draft. The conviction came with a five-year prison sentence, but he remained free while an appeal worked its way through the court system.
Ali lost three years of boxing during his prime years, between the ages of 25 and 28, but the Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction, and he returned to the ring in 1970. He would win some of the most famous heavyweight title fights in history against some of the most feared opponents at the time, and the museum details the champ’s life and boxing career.
Lots of Non-Sports-Related Museums and Art Exhibits, Too
While Louisville has many great sports-related museums to visit, those who are not so interested in sports will enjoy the city’s many other museums, such as the Speed Art Museum. Despite its name, the art museum has nothing to do with racing and instead is dedicated to classic and modern art. It is located on South 3rd Street and is the oldest and biggest art museum in Kentucky. The nearby Frazier Kentucky Museum of History on West Main is another great option that details Kentucky’s long history and the many people, places, and events that helped to create the commonwealth and its largest city.
The KMAC Contemporary Art Museum on West Main Street, the Outsider Art Museum & Gallery, and the WheelHouse Art gallery are a few of the many other great art museums and galleries that you could visit while in Louisville. No matter your reason for visiting, there never is a shortage of cultural events, museums, and art centers that provide visitors with rewarding experiences.
Create an Itinerary for Your Louisville Visit
Louisville has a way of surprising people. Visitors come for the Kentucky Derby or a bourbon tour and leave wondering why they don't live here. The city has that effect on people — and trust me, as someone who calls Derby City home, I completely understand it. Between the world-class music venues, the incredible food scene, the rich history, and the kind of community spirit that makes a city feel like a neighborhood, Louisville is the kind of place that gets under your skin in the best possible way. Whether you're planning a visit or seriously considering making the move, I can promise you this — Derby City will not disappoint. Come for the bourbon, stay for everything else.
