Sports, art, and bourbon all stake their claim in the Derby City.
By Anna Lee Braunstein
April 2019
Louisville, Kentucky, is most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby each May. It also has other claims to fame. It’s home to handmade baseball bats; memories of a world boxing great; handcrafted bourbon; and ample amounts of art. These make it a pleasure to visit year-round.
With the exception of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum, the attractions mentioned in this article — and other great places to dine, imbibe, be entertained — are centered in the downtown area on and around Main Street. While RV parking is limited, many convenient lots to park a towing or towed vehicle can be found.
And they’re off! The first sport to put Louisville on the map was horse racing. Started in 1875, the Kentucky Derby held at Churchill Downs is the longest continuous sports event in America. For many fans, the first Saturday in May is akin to a national holiday.
Months before the Derby, thoroughbreds compete in races to qualify for “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” While 150,000 fans fill the grounds on race day, the rest of the year is quieter, and visitors are welcome to tour the vast facilities.
The Kentucky Derby Museum’s “Riders Up” exhibit offers an experience similar to that of jockeys.
You don’t have to be a horse racing fan to enjoy the varied exhibits at the Kentucky Derby Museum, adjacent to Churchill Downs. Interactive displays engage visitors of all ages, including simulations of riding a horse, and opportunities to call a race, or prove your talent at horse-racing trivia. You can have your picture taken with a foal and learn about its background.
Display cases exhibit the celebrated hats worn by men and women at the race, the colorful jockey silks, and trophies from great races of the past. Owners and jockeys share their personal experiences via recordings and videos. The lesser-known but significant story of African Americans in racing also is told. Among the exhibits is a Hall of Fame dedicated to the important skill of horseshoeing. And The Greatest Race, a movie presented in a 360-degree, high-resolution theater, generates the sense of exhilaration that comes with racing a thoroughbred.
Outside the museum, a small area with live horses is set up for visitors.
Don’t miss touring the track at Churchill Downs. The museum offers van, golf cart, and walking tours. Some theme tours also are available. For details, see www.derbymuseum.org/plan-a-visit/tours.
If you need sustenance to keep up with all there is to see and do here, the Derby Café Express is now open inside the museum. Or, stop for lunch at the famous Wagner’s Pharmacy, a longstanding breakfast and lunch favorite. It is located on a corner across the street from the racetrack.
Batter up! The first sign of baseball comes when you’re walking along Main Street and note bronze baseball bats that seem to have sprouted from the ground. Louisville is proud to be the home of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat.
The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory takes visitors on a swing through history and includes a tour of the place bats are made.
John Andrew “Bud” Hillerich was 14 years old in 1880 when he started apprenticing for his woodworker father. A lover of baseball, Bud liked to make his own bats. Legend has it that in 1884, he made his first pro bat for Pete Browning, a megastar for the Eclipse, Louisville’s major league baseball team. Browning’s nickname was “The Louisville Slugger,” and he got three hits in his first game using Bud’s bat.
Contention arose between Bud and his dad, who thought baseball was a waste of time and that making butter churns was a better investment. Bats won out, and Bud patented several processes for making them.
The Louisville Slugger company was involved in what is believed to be the first-ever pro athlete product endorsement. A Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop named Honus Wagner signed a deal to promote the bats in 1905 and added his autograph to them. Other baseball greats who used a Slugger included Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, and Derek Jeter.
The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory takes visitors on a swing through history and includes a tour of the place bats are made.
The company was sold in 2015 to Amer Sports, which makes Wilson sporting goods, but it still makes bats in Louisville. Visitors to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory watch woodworkers create an amazing variety of bats, including customized versions for the great hitters of today. At the end of the guided tour, visitors receive a souvenir miniature bat. You also can order your own personalized bat while there.
The museum tells the story of baseball greats and lets visitors get involved in the process. At the exhibit called “Batter Up!” you can rate your own pitching talent. Amazingly, if you want to hold the same bat that Mickey Mantle or Cal Ripken Jr. used, you can at the “Hold a Piece of History” area.
Display cases are filled with bats that marked milestones, such as a notched bat used by Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron’s 700th home run bat. A photo gallery is filled with memories. Check www.sluggermuseum.com to learn about special exhibits.
A hometown hero. A stolen bicycle and a thirst for revenge led Cassius Clay, a native of Louisville, to become one of the greatest boxers in history. The story goes that an angry 12-year-old Cassius told a police officer named Joe Martin that he wanted to pay back the thief with a punch. “Well, you better learn how to fight before you start challenging people,” the officer responded. It turns out, Martin taught boxing, and he continued to train the youth through his stellar 1960 Olympic gold-medal-winning bout.
The rest of Ali’s story continues at the Muhammad Ali Center, a six-level building whose roof reminds viewers of Ali’s “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” promise. One side of the building pays tribute to the Olympic torch. While the lower level complements the neighboring 19th-century buildings of Main Street, tiles wrapping the building appear abstract up close but from a distance show Ali’s image.
Start with the film If You Can Dream, a 14-minute presentation of Ali’s life and philosophy. From there, you can explore three floors of the museum, where displays and interactive exhibits examine Ali the boxer, Ali the protestor, and Ali the inspiration.
Ali, who died in 2016 at the age of 74, changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali after he converted to Islam. His refusal to be drafted during the Vietnam War resulted in him being found guilty of draft evasion in 1967, and he garnered condemnation from many fronts. He was stripped of his heavyweight title and the admiration he so enjoyed. But the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1971. One gallery is dedicated to this controversial time of his life.
Ali fought with his fists and with his words. Discipline and hard work made him a champion. A creative mind and facile tongue made him a showman. As a world champion boxer, he won 56 fights. As a poet with a limited education, he used his verbal skills to spar, challenge, and inspire.
The museum themes are titled from Ali’s core beliefs in Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality. These are proclaimed in pavilions filled with exhibits and quotations. He called himself “The Greatest,” and the film of that name telling of his boxing career is projected on a ring. Fifteen of his fights are on view at a video-on-demand station. “Train with Ali” is a chance to learn a bit about sparring from Ali’s daughter Laila. Display cases exhibit the torch he used to light the flame at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, as well as other public and personal memorabilia.
Two artists are well represented: Ali’s art is shown at the entry to the orientation film, and LeRoy Neiman, who painted Ali more than any other artist, has his own gallery.
Art for everyone. It’s hard to miss the focus on public art at 21c Museum Hotel, both a hotel and a museum. Several 21c Museum Hotels are open around the United States, and they typically have free contemporary art installations. The one in Louisville has a huge exhibit space: 9,000 square feet, located in 19th-century warehouses. You can wander around yourself, or take a guided tour, available on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Art outside the 21c includes a giant, golden replica of Michelangelo’s David, as well as an art installation called Cloud Rings, which sends out puffs of vapor.
Not far from there is the KMAC, a museum of contemporary art with galleries and educational experiences in a comfortable viewing space. The intent is to show that art is both an idea and a craft, and they intersect in beautiful and thought-provoking ways. Admission is free.
To watch artists in action, visit the Louisville Glassworks. Two different art-glass operations share the space. The main floor is occupied by the Mark Payton Glass Center, which welcomes visitors to workshops and runs tours and hands-on flame-working experiences by appointment. The center’s gallery also is in that space.
Also in the building is Flame Run, a glass studio with a hot shop, welding shops, and its own glass gallery and gift shop. See www.louisvilleglassworks.com for details.
The Kentucky Center offers plays, operas, concerts, and special events. But with no plans or a ticket, you can still enjoy a self-guided tour of its 20th-century art collection.
Champion drinks and eats. Evan Williams was Kentucky’s first commercial distiller, and his distillery roots date back to 1783. Today, the Bourbon Experience — located just across the street from his original distillery, along a portion of Main Street formerly known as Whiskey Row — offers a guided tour of the current distillery followed by tastings and a stop at the retail shop. You can even buy a personalized bottle of their best.
Away from Main Street, follow the Urban Bourbon Trail to a choice of bars and restaurants that collectively offer at least 50 types of bourbon.
The Urban Bourbon Trail differs from the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The latter is a collection of distilleries, the places where bourbon is made. The two trails use different passports and stamps, but, truth is, it can get a bit confusing.
With the Urban Bourbon Trail, you enjoy drinks and local dishes. Any of your purchases earn a stamp in your passport. With six stamps you can become an official citizen of Bourbon Country. For details about the Urban Bourbon Trail, visit https://bit.ly/2rXpnr2. Pick up a passport at the downtown visitors center or any participating bar or restaurant.
The restaurant scene is lively and varied, but the Louisville specialty, the Hot Brown, is a must for many visitors. It’s an open-face sandwich made of turkey, bacon, and cheese sauce. One of the best places in the downtown area for relishing this singular creation is at Dish on Market.
Finally, for a special perspective of Louisville from the Ohio River, hop aboard the Belle of Louisville or its sister riverboat, the Mary M. Miller. Both offer sight-seeing and meals in a setting from times gone by.
The biggest problem you will face when visiting Louisville is planning enough time to enjoy all the great and varied activities. Better allow several days for all the fun.
Louisville Visitor Center
301 S. Fourth St.
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 379-6109
www.gotolouisville.com
Stop in for maps, friendly help and suggestions, and locally made gifts.
Area Campgrounds
The following may not be a complete list, so please check your campground directory or the FMCA Marketplace, found online and in the January issue of Family RVing.
Add-More Campground
2411 Addmore Lane
Clarksville, IN 47129
(812) 283-4321
www.addmorervpark.com
Grandma’s RV Camping
159 Dawson Drive
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
(502) 543-7023
www.grandmasrv.com
Louisville North Campground
900 Marriott Drive
Clarksville, IN 47129
(812) 282-4474
www.louisvillenorthcampground.com
Louisville South KOA Holiday
2433 State Route 44 East
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
(502) 543-2041
www.koa.com/campgrounds/louisville-south
Kentucky Derby Rally
FMCA Tour Connection, powered by Fantasy RV, offers a seven-day members-only Kentucky Derby Rally.
FMCA’s Tour Connection, powered by Fantasy RV Tours, offers member-only RV caravans and rallies at discounted rates. A seven-day FMCA-members-only Kentucky Derby rally includes exclusive camping, area tours via private motor coach, and box seats for the “Run for the Roses.” Join fellow RVers April 27-May 3, 2020, for all the pageantry of Derby week. For details, call (855) 385-3622 or visit www.fantasyrvtours.com/fmca.