Abbey Road on the River, a salute to The Beatles with many bands, held Memorial Day weekend. 2016 is set to be its final year in Louisville.
Cherokee Triangle Art Fair, held the weekend before the Kentucky Derby
ConGlomeration, a multigenre convention held in April
Festival of Faiths, a five-day national interfaith gathering featuring music, poetry, film, art and dialogue with internationally renowned spiritual leaders, thinkers and practitioners, held at Actors Theatre of Louisville in May
Highland Renaissance Festival (Eminence), festivities that reproduce aspects of Scottish life during the Renaissance period, along with highland games, held from late May through early July
Hillbilly Outfield: Kentucky Derby party (Middletown), held in early May to coincide with the Kentucky Derby
Humana Festival of New American Plays, held in the Spring
Kentucky Derby Festival, Kentucky's largest single annual event; includes Thunder Over Louisville, Great Steamboat Race, Great Balloon Race, Pegasus Parade and the Marathon/miniMarathon, and is held for two weeks from late April through early May, leading up to the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby thoroughbred races
Kentucky Reggae Festival, held Memorial Day weekend
Machine Gun Shoot, the first of two events for machine gun enthusiasts held at Knob Creek Gun Range in Bullitt County; usually on the second weekend of April
Starlight Strawberry Festival (Starlight, Indiana), held during Memorial Day weekend
WHAS Crusade for Children, fundraiser held over the first weekend in June
Jane Austen Festival, a three-day event and the largest Jane Austen event in North America, held third weekend of July at Locust Grove
Derby City Comic Con, held in late June
Fandom Fest Comic Expo, held in mid-Summer
Forecastle Festival, a three-day nationally renowned music, art and environmental activism festival, held in July
Fright Night Film Fest, held in August
Jeffersontown Gaslight Festival (Jeffersontown), held in September
Kentucky Art Car Weekend, held in August
Kentucky Bourbon Festival (Bardstown), held in September
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival (commonly called "Shakespeare in Central Park"), with the main productions being a series of plays presented free to the public at Central Park during the Summer
Kentucky State Fair, Kentucky's official state fair, which runs for 11 days at the Kentucky Exposition Center; includes amusements, exhibits, competitions, concerts and the World's Championship Horse Show, held in August
Kentuckiana Pride Festival, series of events in June (around start of Summer) in support of LGBT pride and rights
Lebowski Fest, held in July
Louisville Zombie Attack, where thousands of locals dressed and made up as zombies walk down Bardstown Road to a set location. Annual event traditionally held on August 29 at 8:29 p.m., but the 2016 event was instead held on August 27 at the same time.
Oktoberfest, held in September (late Summer)
St. Joseph Orphans Picnic, held the second Saturday in August
Steamboat Days (Jeffersonville, Indiana), three-day festival held in early September
Street Rod Nationals, held in mid-Summer
WorldFest, a four-day international festival, held Labor Day weekend
Asylum Haunted Scream Park, the subject of the documentary Monsters Wanted, this is five haunted attractions in one location; held from mid-September through Halloween
Cropped Out, a multi-venue music festival, held in early Fall
Danger Run, from the end of September through the end of October
Farmington Harvest Festival, held the second Sunday in October at Farmington Historic Plantation
Garvin Gate Blues Festival, held in Old Louisville in October
IdeaFestival, a three-day conference that seeks to engage attendees with novel ideas and innovative thinking, held in early Fall
Light Up Louisville & 40 Nights of Lights, begins the day after Thanksgiving
Machine Gun Shoot, Knob Creek Range's second machine gun-centric event of the year, typically held on the second weekend of October
National FFA Organization Convention & Expo, previously held in Indianapolis, Indiana, was moved to Louisville again in 2013 after a 14-year absence, held in late October/early November
North American International Livestock Exposition, held in November
Spirit Ball, a Victorian-inspired masquerade ball held annually the Saturday before Halloween at the Conrad-Caldwell House on St. James Court
St. James Court Art Show, one of the top-ranked shows of its kind in the country; held in Old Louisville the first weekend of October
The World's Largest Halloween Party, Louisville Zoo, held 14 nights in October
Carl Casper's Custom Auto Show, held in February at the Kentucky Exposition Center
Kosair Shrine Circus, held in February
Louisville Boat, RV & Sportshow, held in January
National Farm Machinery Show, held in February
East Market District (NuLu), featuring many art galleries and restaurants, prominently featured in the monthly First Friday Hop
The Highlands area, which features:
Distinctive shops, restaurants and nightlife along Baxter Avenue and Bardstown Road
Cherokee Triangle and Original Highlands historic neighborhoods
Frankfort Avenue, including the Clifton and Crescent Hill neighborhoods—another area with distinctive shops and restaurants
Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail
Old Louisville, the third largest historic preservation district in the U.S., which features:
the highest number of buildings of Victorian architecture in a U.S. neighborhood
Louisville's Central Park
St. James Court, famous for the annual St. James Court Art Show.
The West Main District of downtown, including "Museum Row" and featuring some of the oldest structures in the city
Corydon Historic District
Mansion Row Historic District (New Albany)
New Albany Downtown Historic District
Old Jeffersonville Historic District
Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral (Bardstown), the first Roman Catholic cathedral west of the Appalachian Mountains
Belle of Louisville, the oldest Mississippi-style steamboat in operation on the inland waterways of the U.S. (Built 1914-1915 in Pittsburgh for service in Memphis as the Idlewild, renamed Avalon in 1948, purchased by Jefferson County and renamed Belle of Louisville in 1962.)
Bray Place, the land and 1796 home, now called the Bashford Manor Bed and Breakfast, one of the oldest houses in Kentucky
The Brennan House
Brown Hotel, where the Hot Brown was invented
Cathedral of the Assumption
Colgate Clock (Clarksville, Indiana), the fourth largest clock in the United States
Colonial Gardens, a local landmark in the Kenwood Hill neighborhood, now undergoing redevelopment
Conrad-Caldwell House
Crescent Hill Reservoir
Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site (New Albany, Indiana), most noted for its annual haunted house located in the mansion's carriage barn
Farmington Historic Plantation, including the Thomas Jefferson-designed home of the Speed family, visited by Abraham Lincoln
The Filson Historical Society, a historical society and research library housed in the Ferguson Mansion, a Beaux-Arts style mansion built in 1906
Fort Duffield, a Civil War fort
Fort Knox, including the U.S. Bullion Depository and General George Patton Museum of Leadership (Bullitt, Hardin and Meade Counties)
Fort Nelson Park, located in the same spot as the second on-shore fort in Kentucky.
Historic Locust Grove farm, home of George Rogers Clark and site of the homecoming of Lewis and Clark
Hogan's Fountain Pavilion, a large gazebo and picnic shelter of mid-century modern architecture located within Cherokee Park
Little Loomhouse
Louisville Stoneware, making pottery since 1815
My Old Kentucky Home State Park (Bardstown), featuring the Federal Hill mansion (inspiration for Stephen Foster's My Old Kentucky Home) and Stephen Foster - The Musical
Peterson-Dumesnil House
Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing
Scribner House (New Albany, Indiana)
Seelbach Hotel, the famous hotel written about by F. Scott Fitzgerald and frequently visited by Al Capone
Spalding Hall (Bardstown)
Thomas Edison House
Union Station
United States Marine Hospital of Louisville
Vogue Theater, a movie theater in St. Matthews that closed in 1998, known for showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show for 25 years. Its sign is being refurbished as a historical landmark.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Whiskey Row, located in the first block of West Main Street, a collection of Revivalist and Chicago School-style buildings with cast-iron storefronts built between 1852 and 1905
Whitehall House & Gardens
Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum
21c Museum Hotel
Carnegie Center for Art & History (New Albany, Indiana)
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
Speed Art Museum
Falls of the Ohio State Park interpretive center, a museum covering the natural history related to findings in the nearby exposed Devonian fossil beds as well as the human history of the Louisville area
The Filson Historical Society, features a museum and extensive historical collections, currently undergoing major expansion
Historic Locust Grove Visitors Center, which includes a museum
Howard Steamboat Museum (Jeffersonville, Indiana)
Kentucky Derby Museum
Kentucky Railway Museum (New Haven)
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
My Old Kentucky Home State Park (Bardstown)
Portland Museum
Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing Visitors Center, which includes a museum
Thomas Edison House
Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, located on Louisville's Whiskey Row, featuring bourbon history and tastings, and interprets Louisville's wharf history in the 1790s
Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center (Bardstown)
Jim Beam American Stillhouse (Clermont)
Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History (Bardstown)
Bardstown Historical Museum (Bardstown)
Corydon Capitol State Historic Site (Corydon, Indiana)
Historic Middletown Museum
Jeffersontown Historical Museum (Jeffersontown)
The Bullitt County History Museum (Shepherdsville)
Clark County Museum (Jeffersonville, Indiana)
Henry County Historical Society (New Castle)
Oldham County History Center (La Grange)
More regional historical collections can be found at the Louisville Free Public Library and the University of Louisville.
U.S. and world history
Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind
Civil War Museum (Bardstown), including the Civil War Museum of the Western Theater, Pioneer Village, Women's Civil War Museum, War Memorial of Mid America and the Wildlife Museum
Frazier History Museum, features war weaponry and related historical artifacts, especially focusing on British and U.S. conflicts
John Hay Center
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, showcases the history of the Louisville Slugger and baseball in general
National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, features a historical museum and a genealogical collection
General George Patton Museum of Leadership (Fort Knox)
Kentucky Science Center, hands-on science museum featuring a four-story digital theater
Louisville WaterWorks Museum, located at the Louisville Water Tower
Muhammad Ali Center
Schimpff's Candy Museum (Jeffersonville)
Thomas Merton Center
Parks and other outdoor attractions
Louisville is home to many spacious city parks, several designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, as well as forested areas, trails and other outdoor attractions; distinctive examples include:
Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest (Bullitt County)
Big Four Bridge, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge connecting Louisville and Jeffersonville, Indiana
Blackacre Nature Preserve and Historic Homestead
Bridges to the Past (Fort Knox), closed indefinitely due to work on railroad bridge
Camp Carlson (Fort Knox)
Cave Hill Cemetery
Central Park
Cherokee Park, includes the Hogan's Fountain Pavilion and Cherokee Golf Course, and many other landmarks and features
Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area (Clarksville, Indiana), which includes Falls of the Ohio State Park and features the oldest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the United States
Huber's Orchard, Winery and Vineyards (Starlight, Indiana)
Iroquois Park, includes the locally popular Iroquois Amphitheater, scenic overlooks and the Iroquois Golf Course
Jefferson Memorial Forest, in southwest Louisville, the largest municipal urban forest in the United States
Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay, previously known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, a 63-acre (25 ha) amusement park with 50 amusement rides and a water park. Named by MSN Travel as one of the top ten amusement parks in America for 2015.
Louisville Clock, at Theatre Square
Louisville Loop, a partially completed 110-mile (180 km) bike and pedestrian trail encircling Louisville, including:
Riverwalk
Levee Trail
Mill Creek Trail
Louisville Water Tower Park
Louisville Waterfront Park, features annual Thunder Over Louisville fireworks and air show during the Kentucky Derby Festival
Louisville Zoo
McAlpine Locks and Dam
Mega Cavern
Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area (Meade County)
The Parklands of Floyds Fork
Patriots Peace Memorial
Renaissance Fun Park (Middletown)
Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere, adjacent to Downtown Louisville and Louisville's wharf
E. P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park
Seneca Park, includes the Seneca Golf Course
Shawnee Park, includes the Shawnee Golf Course
Squire Boone Caverns (Mauckport, Indiana)
Tioga Falls Hiking Trail (Fort Knox), closed indefinitely due to work on railroad bridge
Waverly Park, includes the 9-hole Bobby Nichols Golf Course
Zachary Taylor National Cemetery
Actors Theatre, producing the Humana Festival of New American Plays, among many other productions
The Alley Theater
Baxter Avenue Filmworks, with a monthly audience participation showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Horseshoe Southern Indiana (Elizabeth, Indiana)
Derby Dinner Playhouse (Clarksville, Indiana)
Fourth Street Live!, a downtown entertainment and retail complex
Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium (University of Louisville)
Headliners Music Hall
IMAX theaters at the Kentucky Science Center and Showcase Stonybrook Cinemas
Iroquois Amphitheater
The Kentucky Center
KFC Yum! Center
The Laughing Derby at Comedy Caravan
Louisville Gardens
The Louisville Palace
Mercury Ballroom
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
Little Colonel Players (Pewee Valley)
Louisville Chorus
Louisville Orchestra
Louisville Thoroughbreds
Mind's Eye Theatre Company
Pandora Productions
Squallis Puppeteers
StageOne Family Theatre
Theatre [502]
Voices of Kentuckiana
Wayward Actors Company
Alpine Ice Arena
David Armstrong Extreme Park
Churchill Downs thoroughbred racetrack and the Kentucky Derby Museum
Freedom Hall
KFC Yum! Center, home of University of Louisville basketball
Kentucky International Convention Center
Knob Creek Gun Range (in Bullitt County near West Point), famous for its twice-yearly machine gun shoot
Lindsey Golf Course (Fort Knox)
Louisville Champions Park, a park that "offers flexible space for a variety of field sports", including soccer
Louisville Metro Parks public golf courses
Cherokee Park (9-hole)
Crescent Hill Park (9-hole)
Iroquois Park
Long Run Park
Seneca Park
Shawnee Park
Sun Valley Park
Charlie Vettiner Park
Waverly Park (Bobby Nichols) (9-hole)
Louisville Slugger Field, the baseball stadium that is home to the Louisville Bats and Louisville City FC
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
Lynn Stadium, home of University of Louisville soccer
Muhammad Ali Center
Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, home of several outdoor sports at Bellarmine University, most notably men's lacrosse
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, home of University of Louisville football
Jim Patterson Stadium, home of University of Louisville baseball
Valhalla Golf Club, designed by professional golfer Jack Nicklaus
Rooster Run (Nelson County), a general store well known for baseball caps featuring its logo and a 13.5-foot (4.1 m)-tall fiberglass rooster statue standing in front of the store. According to The Kentucky Encyclopedia, it is "one of the best-known general stores in the country and one of Kentucky's best-known unincorporated businesses".
