Development Projects

AHOY CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

AHOY (Adventure House of You) is a $4M immersive children's museum slated to open in Louisville's West End in 2024. AHOY is going to be modeled off the City Museum in St. Louis, an interactive museum that turns art into a giant playground for children. AHOY will feature exhibits based on the 1937 flood, artistic renderings of cultural assets of the area, Falls of the Ohio and fossils, Mary Millicent Miller, who was the first female steamboat captain in the United States, and more. Unlike other museums in Louisville, AHOY will encourage risky play throughout the museum and its outdoor play area. Risky play encourages children to climb, jump and test boundaries to overcome fear and support healthy, independent growth.

BARDSTOWN BOURBON CO. BRAND EXPERIENCE

Bardstown Bourbon Co. plans to open a "brand experience" at 730 W. Main St. by late summer 2023. The Louisville expansion of the Bardstown-based distiller will include a full-service bar and lounge, a bottle shop and a classroom space to educate guests on the company's "modern and technically advanced" approach to its spirits. It's also expected to host limited and rare bottle releases and intimate tastings.

CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK EXPANSION

The legendary racetrack is undergoing a major renovation transforming key areas, including a renovated grandstand area along the famed track’s homestretch along with a new interior premium hospitality space in the first-floor concourse. The new Turn 1 Experience has added a hospitality venue with premium seating alongside a reserved viewing terrace, while the Paddock Area is undergoing a re-design to enhance the flow of the famous plaza and upgrade the front entrance experience. The capital investment project is scheduled to be completed in 2024, just in time for the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.

DERBY CITY GAMING DOWNTOWN

Churchill Downs Inc. is opening a $6.4 million dollar, 43,000-square-foot entertainment venue - situated just diagonal to the downtown convention center which will offer 500 historical racing machines as well as a fresh-air gaming area. Additionally, three unique bar concepts will be housed on-site, including a main-level sports bar with a stage for music and live entertainment, a premium bourbon library and an elegant wine and charcuterie lounge. A retail and merchandise store will be located at street level where guests can shop for Kentucky Derby-themed merchandise year-round. Construction is underway with an anticipated opening in late 2023.

THE DOT EXPERIENCE MUSEUM

American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is undertaking a $55 million renovation and expansion of its campus at 1839 Frankfort Ave. The project totals more than 100,000 square feet and includes a cultural, interactive museum. The museum, which had its groundbreaking in May 2023, will be called The Dot Experience Museum, named after Braille, a written language composed of a series of six dots often used by people with blindness and low vision.

The museum will have five exhibits across 28,000 square feet. The Dot Experience Museum will share first-person stories of blindness and human experience. The museum will also showcase history and artifacts from historical figures without vision. Museum visitors will be able to find Helen Keller’s desk and archives, Stevie Wonder’s piano, original Braille machines, José Feliciano’s guitar and much more. The project is expected to be completed and open to the public in 2025.

THE LAST REFUGE

Heaven’s Door, a collection of award-winning American whiskeys co-created by Bob Dylan, is opening a brand experience in the former Refuge of Kentucky Church (600 E. Market St.) and neighboring Zephyr Gallery called The Last Refuge.

The project will open in two phases and include a bar, restaurant, music venue, and art gallery. Phase one includes the $2 million transformation of the over 150-year-old church, which will house everything except for the art experience, and is expected to open this September.

Phase two includes opening the accompanying art experience in the Zephyr building 18-24 months later, which the company bought for $1.23 million. It will showcase some of Dylan’s artwork, multimedia displays + curated work by other Kentucky artists.

In addition to The Last Refuge, Heaven’s Door will expand its distillery operations into Pleasureville, KY in 2024.

LOUISVILLE MUHAMMAD ALI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RENOVATION

A $500 million project is underway which includes plans to convert to geothermal energy, upgrade jet bridges and walkways, redesign ticket counters and baggage claim areas and add more lines to security.

LOUISVILLE ZOO KENTUCKY TRAILS

This ambitious project is to be located on 20 undeveloped acres at the Louisville Zoo. Kentucky Trails will be an extensive, interactive, naturalistic experience, providing up-close encounters with bison, elk, black bear, bobcat, eagles and other iconic native animals. It will feature an Upland South Safari guided tour in an open- vehicle, a pedal, paddleboat ride, a rickhouse hall restaurant and event space, a habitat theatre and the Kentuckiana Conservation Center highlighting the Zoo’s partnership with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

WATERFRONT BOTANICAL GARDENS

Situated in the Butchertown neighborhood and just steps from Louisville’s Waterfront Park, this blooming 23-acre, $60 million dollar project has completely revitalized what was once a previous landfill into a flourishing community garden. The early phase encompassed the first building on the site, The Graeser Family Education Center - with large, flexible space able to host a range of activities. This phase also features expansion of the plaza surrounding the center, a fountain and creek pathway with waterfall stream along with a 6,000 square foot classroom building. Additional phases include adding a Japanese Garden and creek overlook along with a visitor’s center, children’s garden and conservatory.

WATERFRONT PARK PHASE IV

A $35 million-dollar conceptual project, aiming to expand Waterfront Park west of 10th Street will provide a continuation of open space along the Ohio River and the prospect for new experiences and activities for those living in the Portland and West Louisville neighborhoods. The RiverWalk from the downtown wharf to and alongside Phase IV will be improved to provide a vital pedestrian/bicycle east-west connection and a continuum of the Waterfront Park experience. The Phase IV site is rich in history and opportunity, which is reflected in the plan. The first three phases of Waterfront Park total 85-acres and is an invaluable community asset.

NEW HOTELS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Downtown:

• Tempo by Hilton (130 rooms, opening late 2023)
• Canopy Derby City Hotel (168 rooms, opening Spring 2024)

BUZZARD'S ROOST MICRODISTILLERY

Buzzard's Roost Spirits is the brainchild of Judith Hollis Jones and Jason Brauner, two veteran food and beverage professionals. The microdistillery, which opened at 624 W. Main St., on Louisville's downtown Whiskey Row, produces between five and seven barrels weekly.

HAYMARKET AT ASHBOURNE FARMS

A new 6,000-square-foot market located on River Road near Zorn Avenue opened June 14, 2023. The Haymarket features an on-site urban garden and sells fresh produce, bakery products, grab-and-go foods and meat. There is also an outdoor area for garden products and seasonal holiday items. Ashbourne Farms was founded in La Grange, Kentucky in 1937. .

HOTEL GENEVIEVE

Right in NuLu, Hotel Genevieve melds new architecture with considered touches that reference the city’s one-of-a-kind history. The hotel features an all-day ground-floor restaurant, Rosettes, a rooftop bar and lounge with expansive city views, vibrant mini market, and intimate secret bar.

PARISTOWN

A $28 million-dollar mixed-use development project has now been completed. Paristown, which opened in 2019 and sits only two miles from the center of downtown is an arts & culture hub anchored by The Café (a relocated longstanding breakfast and lunch spot), Louisville Stoneware (handcrafted pottery since 1815) ,Old Forester Paristown Hall, a 28,000 square foot performing arts venue which sits alongside Christy’s Garden, a multi-use greenspace and outdoor venue. The recent expansion included The Village Market, a modern food hall and bar driven by several local restaurants.

TOPGOLF

Topgolf recently opened in Louisville's East End area. This popular entertainment attraction attracts both locals and visitors to the 65,000-square-foot facility. The three-story venue cost nearly $19 million and has the capacity to host close to 1,440 people, with options for food and drink service during player games. Currently the closest Topgolf locations to Louisville are in Nashville, Tennessee; Fishers, Indiana; and West Chester Township, Ohio.