I’ve worn a path between Austin and Louisville, Ky., because my parents and brother live there. But when I spotted Louisville atop Lonely Planet’s Top 10 2013 Destinations, I did a double-take.
Louisville? Top tourist destination? Then I reconsidered: Every time I travel there, I find another gem. Let’s start with the obvious: the excellent tour of Churchill Downs and its museum, offering a taste of the Kentucky Derby (coming up May 4). I’ve never been to the Derby, but I’ve enjoyed the week of pre-Derby public festivities, including a hot-air balloon race, the Run for the Rosé (restaurant servers race around a stadium carrying trays of wine) and the inimitable Bed Race.
Then, there’s the Louisville Slugger bat factory, a must now that Major League Baseball season is getting under way. The Muhammad Ali Center, which opened in 2005, is a museum with punch, both fun and inspiring. The Speed Art Museum dazzles with its permanent collection as well as traveling exhibits. Follow up with a visit to some of the city’s thriving galleries, such as the Mark Payton Glass Center.
Stop by the Brown Hotel and dive into the Kentucky’s native sandwich, the Hot Brown, a plate-sized mess of turkey, bacon and tomatoes topped with a cheese sauce. Check out microbreweries in the NuLu area and browse amid hipsters in the shops and bars on Bardstown Road.
Louisville’s 21c Museum Hotel has won accolades as one of the best hotels in the nation for five years in a row by Conde Nast Traveler.
The city’s also the jumping off point for the Bourbon Trail, which will have you rambling down country roads past beautiful horse farms as you hunt down the places where the likes of Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam and Wild Turkey are born. Don’t leave Kentucky without quaffing a mint julep in honor of the Derby.
One thing you’re going to have to get past: In a bold display of copy-catiness, the city recently started bandying about the slogan “Keep Louisville Weird.” Louisville is many things, as you can see, but one thing it’s not is weird. Just close your ears and enjoy the food, the scene, the baseball bats and the horses.
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