When I learned I was heading to Louisville, KY the weekend before the Kentucky Derby I was pretty excited. For one, I love exploring new places and two, it was a week before the Kentucky Derby and I knew the city would be buzzing with excitement. After just a few days in Louisville (pronounced Loo-a-Vuhl and like you have marbles in your mouth) I learned you donāt have to love bourbon or know a thing about horse racing to appreciate what Kentucky, and Louisville, have to offer.Ā
Iām not sure what I was expecting as I drove into Louisville but I definitely found myself wishing for a place to pull over because I wanted to capture the beauty of it all. Sprawling horse farms as I went past Lexington, green as far as you could see and then things started to get āKentuckyā as I spotted my first White Castle restaurant. Before I knew it I passed the Louisville Slugger Stadium and was right in the heart of downtown. My first thought? I wished my kids were there to see Louisville Slugger Stadium with me. Little did I know this would be my theme for my time in Louisville, thinking over and over the more I did and explored that my kids would love it here.Ā
My kids would love Aloft Downtown Louisville. The hotel was bustling with excitement (there was a Tim McGraw concert happening that evening across the street) instantly putting me in āvacationā mode, which is always a good thing. And then I noticed the pool table in the lobby. My 9 year old loves to play pool, so of course seeing the pool table made me think of him and how much fun he would have playing in the middle of the hotel lobby. That's way cooler than using the pool table in the basement of Grandma's house.Ā
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Something else my boys would love is that Aloft Downtown Louisville is dog-friendly. There was even a jar of dog treats at the front desk, which probably helps explain why all the dogs were so well behaved, they wanted a treat! This is huge for us because we love to travel with our pup and finding pet-friendly hotels isnāt always easy, especially in a downtown area.Ā
Next up on the āmy kids would love Louisvilleā weekend was a trip to Louisville Mega Cavern. The Mega Cavern is about 100 acres, all underground, with the only entrances and exits located near the front. Itās hard to put into words how massive it is, so youāll have to trust me on this one. To help give you an idea there is a ropes course, zip line, and bike park. All underground. Not to mention a tram tour covering part of the 17 miles of roadway. Again, all underground. Cool right? Both figuratively and literally because the average year-round temperate inside the Mega Cavern is 58 degrees making this the perfect place to play on a hot summer day.Ā
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No trip to Louisville would be complete without putting on a Derby hat and making a trip to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum. I was fortunate to be there a week before Derby, but any time of year this is a must. Thereās dirt, horses, more dirt (that may not actually be dirt so donāt touch) and more horses. Basically, a kidsā dream come true, so yeah, my kids would love it.Ā
My knowledge of the Kentucky Derby and horse racing is pretty limited but being at Churchill Downs, especially a week before Derby, you canāt help getting caught up in the excitement surrounding it. The mission of the Kentucky Derby Museum is to engage, educate and excite everyone about the extraordinary experience that is the Kentucky Derby. Iād say mission accomplished. It really stood out to me how revered Churchill Downs and the horses are when on the walking tour as we were approaching the track our guide was telling us about what the dirt is comprised of (a mix of sand, silt and clay designed for the horseās safety) and then told us we couldnāt touch it. Because we arenāt horse people. So there I was taking pictures of this amazing dirt.Ā
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And now in hindsight not having my kids there is probably good because Iām sure one of them would have āaccidentallyā fallen into this sacred dirt. Probably getting us banned from the Derby for life.Ā
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Louisville is an unexpected city with so much history, family-friendly adventures, and amazing food & drinks. A weekend, quite honestly, wasnāt enough time to take it all in. Plus, I never did get my White Castle and Big Red so that is definitely a reason to go back.Ā
Visit gotolouisville.com to start planning your family's next weekend adventure!
The Louisville Area Convention & Visitors Center hosted Macaroni Kid for a weekend press trip. Meals and activities were complimentary. No other compensation was received in consideration of this article and all opinions are that of the writer.
