Top Rated Attractions in Louisville

Old Louisville is one of America's finest neighborhoods. It is known to have some of the best examples of Victorian architecture in the entire country and walking along its charming streets is always a delight. The area roughly encompasses the area between Broadway in the north to Cardinal Boulevard at the University of Louisville in the south. Along the parallel 2nd, 3rd and 4th Streets visitors will see many preserved Italianate, Romanesque and Queen Anne homes and buildings, one of note is the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum. Other gems within the district are St. James Court, Belgravia Court and Central Park, where it literally feels as if you've traveled back to 1870.

Reenactments, music, photography, lectures, and artifacts are just some of the many ways the Frazier International History Museum helps bring the excitement of history to a contemporary audience. This 100,000 square-foot, three-floor museum's permanent collection includes Theodore Roosevelt's "Big Stick," Daniel Boone's bible, and Geronimo's bow. Children and adults are sure to be entertained by various daily reenactments, while an ongoing series of historical lectures provides fascinating insights. Groups can rent designated areas of the museum, including the fifth-floor roof garden which overlooks the Ohio River.

Leaning like an all-American obelisk on its building, the Louisville Slugger Museum's signature giant-size baseball bat is recognized as the biggest piece of ash that will never see any action on the diamond. Inside the facility, visitors are treated to a baseball experience that details the history of this iconic Major League Baseball fixture since 1884. The best part is the 30-minute tour of the factory floor, where you'll see real Sluggers being crafted out of raw timber. When you enter, sign up for the chance to obtain your own signature bat, it will be ready by the time you leave.

Muhammad Ali is one of Louisville's most prodigious sons, and this stunning multipurpose facility devoted to the boxing great promotes his ethos and six core principles of "Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect and Spirituality." The building also provides event space and it offers guests an opportunity to relive the life and times of the man who was born as Cassius Clay. Some exhibits include a movie, a number of interactive video displays, and educational programs on how to become involved in social justice projects within the community.

This former railroad bridge connects Louisville, KY to Jeffersonville, IN. Today, it's a pedestrian and bicycle only bridge and a great way to exercise while traversing two states in one day. It was reconverted as part of a Louisville revitalization project and both states provided funds for its new usage. The bridge can be accessed from beautiful Waterfront Park on the Kentucky side and from Riverside Drive from the Indiana side.

The historic Louisville Palace from 1928 is a remnant of yesteryear, where once there stood several theaters along 4th Street, this extant one still stands. After its initial opening as a vaudeville palace, the theater converted itself over the years as a spot for films. It was only in the late 1994 when the theater reconverted itself back into a full-fledged performance venue. With acts as varied as ballet and bluegrass to comedy and touring Broadway shows, it's Louisville's classic hub for performing arts once again.