Where is the best area to stay in Louisville?
By Marc Friedman. January 23, 2024
Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville is the business and cultural center of the Bluegrass State. With a city proper population of slightly more than 600,000 residents, Louisville is known as Falls City based on its location on the banks of the Ohio River, as well as Derby City with the world-famous Kentucky Derby horse race taking place here each May. Metro Louisville encompassing the city and suburbs in Jefferson County has a population of 1.4 million. The city is known as the home of boxer Muhammad Ali, the Louisville Slugger Company of baseball bat fame, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and for an active culinary scene with the Bourbon Trail distillery tour starting here.
Louisville’s downtown is the best place to stay when visiting. Major theaters plus dozens of restaurants and clubs are located within walking distance of downtown’s many hotels, such as the Louisville Slugger Museum, the Kentucky International Convention Center, and KFC Yum! Center where large concerts and University of Louisville men’s and women’s sports are played. Five of the 18 distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail are located downtown, too.
Louisville’s downtown is very walkable, with restaurants, the convention center, the Muhammad Ali Center museum and cultural center, numerous Bourbon Trail distilleries, the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, and the 21,000-seat KFC Yum! Center all being within minutes of most major hotels. The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts is the downtown home of the Louisville Opera, Louisville Ballet, Louisville Orchestra, StageOne Family Theatre, and host traveling Broadway plays, too. Actor’s Theatre of Louisville is nationally known for debuting new plays and serving as a community performance hall.
There are more than 20 hotels within minutes of the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Staying close to the airport is most convenient for business travelers visiting the UPS Worldport headquarters, Yum! Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) corporate offices, the Kentucky Exposition Center directly across from the airport, which is also home to the Kentucky State Fair, Churchill Downs racetrack, and the 61,000-seat L & N Credit Union Stadium for University of Louisville football. Also adjacent to the Expo Center is the fun-packed Kentucky Kingdom/Hurricane Bay amusement park (open seasonally), which is extremely popular with families.
With over 30 hotels located in what is commonly known as Louisville East, this area is ideal for visitors who arrive by car but prefer not to stay downtown or near the airport. There are two major malls in the St. Matthews and Hurstbourne neighborhoods, along with an abundance of chain restaurants and stores. There are also several large office parks, making this part of town convenient for business travelers who are working in the suburbs. When your plans involve downtown Louisville, you are just 15 minutes away by direct highway.
If visiting several Bourbon Trail distilleries is high on your list of things to do while in the Louisville area, you may want to consider choosing accommodations in the Lexington area if you are arriving from the east, as they tend to be less expensive. Just one hour from Louisville on I-64, Lexington is home to the University of Kentucky and is a vibrant college town. Dining options are plentiful in Lexington, and prices are a bit below those found in Louisville.
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