Located near the border of Indiana and Kentucky, Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky and is a perfect destination for a family road trip. Whether you visit in the spring to watch the derby or during the winter to drive through an underground Christmas lights display there are so many fun things to do in Louisville, KY. Including, unique museums, horse racing, amusement parks a zoo and much more! 

And because Louisville, KY is a short drive from Northeast Ohio, it is a great destination for a long weekend getaway or week long vacation. Read on for ideas on fun things to do with kids in Louisville. 

Visit the Kentucky Derby Museum and take a Tour of Churchill Downs

Take a tour of Churchill Downs and explore the interactive exhibits at the Kentucky Derby Museum. The museum was one of our favorite spots during our road trip to Louisville. We were extremely impressed with the set up of the museum, the quantity of kid friendly exhibits and hands on activities, and the guided tour of Churchill Downs. It’s a must visit attraction when visiting Louisville.

Upon entering the museum, we were greeted by the friendly staff who assisted us in getting our tickets and let us know the schedule for the guided tours and “The Greatest Race” movie which are both included in the general admission price.

We decided to watch the video first and we were really impressed. The movie is shown on a 360 degree screen and the picture quality was outstanding. It really gave you a feel for what it would be like on Derby Day.

Fun Fact: On Derby Day, the infield has a population larger than the 3rd largest city in Kentucky. That is a LOT of people!

After viewing the movie we visited all the museum exhibits. There were so many geared toward children, some of our favorites included an area where kids could try on jockey uniforms, a replica announcers box where you could attempt to call a race and a fun photo-op where kids could sit on a horse inside the starting gate.

During the tour of the racetrack, our guide showed us around various parts of Churchill Downs and pointed out interesting aspects as we walked.

Fun fact: Each race horse has a small tattoo on the inside of their lip. When the horses are brought to the paddock, someone is assigned to check the tattoos for each horse.

Overall, we had a fantastic time at the museum. We had five kids with us between the ages of 4 through 10, and they all enjoyed it. It was definitely the highlight of our trip to Louisville.

Kentucky Derby Museum
704 Central Ave, Louisville, KY 40208
Website

Watch Baseball Bats being Made at Louisville Slugger Museum

Baseball fans of all ages will enjoy seeing the bat making process and the fun mini bat souvenir at the end of the tour. While visiting the museum, guests will learn about baseball history, how the company started and get an up close look at Louisville Slugger bats being made.

We knew we were in for a treat as soon as we saw the HUGE bat outside the museum entrance. It’s the World’s Biggest Bat and weighs 68,000 pounds and is 120 feet tall.

In the museum, we held game-used Louisville Slugger bats, went on a treasure hunt for historic memorabilia and got to strike out a batter in the interactive computerized pitchers mound. There is also a 20 minute film that explained more about the history of Louisville Slugger and contained interviews from past and present baseball players.

Our favorite part of museum was the factory tour. During the tour, we watched Louisville Slugger bats being made from start to finish. It’s quite impressive and at the end of the tour, each person received a piece of a bat nub (you’ll find out what these are used for during the tour) and a souvenir mini Louisville Slugger bat.

Overall, we spent about 2 hours in the museum and going through the factory tour and had a great time doing so.

Lousiville Slugger Museum & Factory Tour
800 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202
(877) 775-8443
Website

Embark on the Belle of Louisville Riverboat Cruise

Take the family on a 2 hour cruise along the Ohio River. You’ll pass under bridges, see historic sights and enjoy a delicious meal. There are two boats that passengers can cruise on: The Belle of Louisville, a 100+ year old Mississippi river steamboat, and The Spirit of Jefferson, the Belle’s little sister. 

Our cruise was on The Spirit of Jefferson, and while smaller than The Belle of Louisville, it was charming, very clean and perfect for our trip. While aboard we enjoyed a delicious lunch, explored the ship and scenery as we passed by the city, under bridges and by historic landmarks.

As we boarded the boat, we were warmly greeted and led to the table where we would be enjoying lunch. The boat has two dinning floors, both of which are air conditioned and very comfortable. We were seated on the second floor.

We immediately felt at home and at ease on the boat, were quickly able to find our table and get something to drink prior to setting out on the cruise.

Once the ship embarked, we almost immediately passed under a bridge. There are many bridges that cross the river and it was fun to go under them and to wave at the people above us. Then we were invited to go to through the lunch buffet. The set up was extremely organized and we were able to easily get food for our family.

Once we were finished with our meal, we decided to explore the ship. The first floor dinning area had music and a dance floor, and on the top floor you could see into the captains room and watch him steer the ship.

Each floor had a nice sized observation desks with plenty of seating. We ended up sitting in the chairs, watching the scenery, relaxing and talking for the remainder of the trip.

The Belle of Louisville & The Spirit of Jefferson
401 W River Rd, Louisville, KY 40202
Website

Explore the Louisville Mega Cavern

Whether you choose to zip line, bike ride, complete the ropes course or take the tram tour, there are many fun things to do in the cavern. In addition to the everyday activities they also have special event including the popular Lights Under Louisville underground Christmas lights display.

While all the options at the Mega Cavern look fun, because of the age range of the kids with us, we choose to take the Tram Tour.

The guided tour was about an hour in length and we explored many areas of the cavern. While we drove there was a recording pointing out various aspects of the cavern.

Fun Fact: At points of the tour we were under the expressway and the Louisville Zoo.

There were various scenes throughout the tour, depicting workers performing various mining activities. We made a brief stop at each scene and our tour guide provided facts and details about the scene.

Louisville Mega Cavern
1841 Taylor Ave, Louisville, KY 40213
Website

Enjoy Free Fun at the Louisville Waterfront Park

Spend the day enjoying the green space, splash pad, playgrounds, and fun sculptures at the park. Then walk across the Pedestrian Bridge at night when it is covered in lights.

Louisville Waterfront Park
401 River Rd, Louisville, KY 40202
Website

Frazier History Museum

If you are interested to learn everything there is to know about Kentucky, look no further than the Frazier Museum.  Located in museum row, The Frazier offers three floors of exhibits, an education center, Museum Store, and a small theater. Visitors will not only be able to see the history of Kentucky, but each exhibit offers stories of how each artifact has impacted those who owned them or how the artifact may have impacted our world.  We encourage visitors to set some time aside and visit The Frazier Museum, to allow them a better perspective and appreciation of the great state of Kentucky. 

Frazier History Museum
829 West Main Street Louisville, KY 40202
Website