What you Need to Know Before Traveling to Louisville, Kentucky

Hi there! Welcome back to another post about Louisville. Today I will be sharing what you need to know before traveling to Louisville, Kentucky! These are all tips and pieces of advice that I wish I would have known before my trip to Louisville. They definitely would have helped to make my time in the city run a little smoother. While I did enjoy my time in Louisville, it was a city that surprised me in a variety of ways. Let’s get right into it!

What you need to know before traveling to Louisville

Bring a car

Although you can easily walk around many parts of Louisville, I recommend bringing a car so that you can visit several different neighborhoods. I stayed in the Downtown area, and I really wish I would have had a car to drive to neighborhoods like NuLu, Old Louisville and Bardstown Road. Instead, I had to rely on Uber, which quickly got expensive and was not the best way to explore the city.

From what I found, Louisville is not the most walkable city. To get between the neighborhoods in Louisville, it’s so much easier to drive than to try to take a bus or walk. The city is pretty spread out, so walking from Downtown to Bardstown Road, for example, isn’t really possible.

Parking is really easy

Another reason to bring/rent a car is that parking is super easy and accessible. I’ve never seen a city with as many parking lots and parking garages as Louisville. They are all over the place, and relatively inexpensive for daily parking. With your car, you’ll be able to explore Louisville, and you should have no problem parking near each destination in the city.

You don’t need to stay Downtown

I stayed in the Downtown area of Louisville, and I was surprised that there really wasn’t much going on. There weren’t a ton of bars or restaurants, and the activities were pretty limited. From all of the locals I spoke with, I learned that the Downtown area isn’t the most *exciting* place in Louisville, and that it’s better to stay in NuLu or Old Louisville.

Waterfront Park and the Louisville Slugger Museum are both located Downtown, but they are easy to access by car or Uber, if you’re not staying in the neighborhood.

Check out the map below for some great hotel options around the city!

Booking.com

Louisville is very neighborhood-y

As I’ve already mentioned, Louisville (like most all cities) is separated into neighborhoods, and each of these neighborhoods is really known for something different. However, this seems to be even more the case in Louisville than any city I’ve ever been to.

For example, areas like NuLu and Bardstown Road are known for their restaurants, and in other areas, like Downtown, it can be difficult to actually find a variety of good restaurants. You really need to go to the restaurant neighborhoods to get a good selection. Downtown, on the other hand, is known for its museums, and the neighborhood of Old Louisville is famous for its Victorian architecture and gorgeous mansions.

It’s a pretty slow paced city

Louisville is a city, but it really has a small town feel to it. It isn’t a fast paced city like New York or Boston. In fact, I was able to walk around the Downtown area for over an hour, and hardly see any other people. If you enjoy a calm, small city vibe, you will enjoy a Louisville vacation!

One day is enough to see most of the major attractions

As mentioned, Louisville has more of a small town feel than a city feel – and this means that you can easily explore it in a day. While there are definitely fun and interesting things to do in the city, 24 hours will allow you to really get a feel for the area. Be sure to check out my guide for great things to do while visiting Louisville to help you plan your trip!

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I hope you found my post about what you need to know before traveling to Louisville, Kentucky to be helpful! Louisville is certainly a city that surprised me – when I planned my trip I was definitely not expecting the small town feel to the city, and it really is unlike anywhere I’ve ever visited.

Thank you for reading! If you found this post helpful, I appreciate you sharing it with others!

♡Kate

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