Seasonal Story Ideas
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NEW & COMING SOON
NEW MUSEUMS: Headquartered on Louisville’s Main Street since 1988, the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) will unveil a new $30 million Education Center and Museum on Independence Day, July 4, 2026. In conjunction with the current genealogical library that houses over 50,000 materials, the museum will include interactive galleries leading visitors on a journey spanning the entire American Revolution and highlight the pivotal people and events of the period. The American Printing House (APH) opened in Louisville in 1858 and is the oldest organization of its kind in the US. The Dot Experience, a $22 million museum opening at APH next Fall, aims to be the “most accessible museum in the world” and will house the largest repository of Helen Keller archives, provide factory tours to see how braille books are made, and have hands-on opportunities to learn the history of education for people who are blind. Connected to The Portland Museum, the AHOY Children’s Museum is set to open in late 2026 and will transform a Victorian house into an immersive and experiential two-story adventure including indoor and outdoor play areas. The $4 million project will be considered the city’s first children’s museum.
BOURBON: Louisville’s distilling heritage dates back to the 1780s, but it wasn’t until 2013 when Evan Williams Bourbon Experience opened that the city had a ticketed bourbon attraction. Since then, Louisville has undergone a spirited renaissance that shows no sign of slowing down. Seven new Bourbon tasting rooms are currently planned to open in Louisville by 2026. Bourbon brands like Green River Distilling Co., featuring a full bar and speakeasy, as well as Pursuit Spirits, offering tastings, a prohibition-style bar, and a live podcast studio, have both recently opened on Louisville’s Whiskey Row. WhistlePig plans to open the The Vault by the end of the fall inside a former 1912 bank building and allow guests to order a drink that will travel through a bank deposit tube to the bar. Brands like Binder’s Stash, Chicken Cock Whiskey, and Nashville Barrel Whiskey Co. plan to open in NuLu by early 2026, while Uncle Boojie’s Distilling Company recently opened in Paristown.
ATTRACTIONS: Kentucky Kingdom, the state’s largest amusement park, will unveil a $25 million upgrade featuring new lands, rides, and dining experiences with a Kentucky twist by Spring 2026. The Speed Art Museum, the oldest and largest art museum in Kentucky, is opening a $22 million, 3-acre park and sculpture garden in October 2025. Free and open 24/7, Speed Outdoors will feature 13 new world-class sculptures and 150 new trees. The Kentucky Science Center teamed up with Waterfront Park to open the $50 million PlayPort this past Spring, continuing the park’s expansion along the Ohio River, bridging the divide between the Downtown and Portland neighborhoods.
ACCOMMODATIONS: The 6-story Curio by Hilton Hotel Bourré Bonne opened this April, just one block south of Whiskey Row. The 168-room property features a rooftop pool & bar, and a first-floor eatery, Bourré Bonne Steakhouse. The Brown Hotel will celebrate the city’s official dish, The Hot Brown, as it turns 100 years old in 2026. Louisville celebrates the iconic open-faced sandwich every October during Hot Brown Week, coinciding with the hotel’s birthday. America’s first art hotel chain will turn 20 years old in 2026, with the 21c Louisville marking two decades since the opening of the brand’s flagship property. The historic Seelbach Hotel celebrates 100 years of The Great Gatsby in 2025 with historic tours and a new Great Gatsby suite. And, the Louisville Bourbon Inn was named ‘The Best Bed & Breakfast in America’ in 2025 by Tripadvisor, marking a significant accolade for the 1887-built Old Louisville staple.
The U.S.A. will celebrate 250 years in 2026, and Louisville is an under-the-radar destination that gives visitors a taste of Americana. An iconic American cocktail, the Old Fashioned, was invented in Louisville, while the Mint Julep has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby since the 1930s. Both made with America’s only native spirit, Bourbon. Baseball is America’s favorite pastime, and baseball bats have been made at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory since the late 1800s. The National League of Professional Baseball will celebrate 150 years in February 2026. After taking a selfie with Babe Ruth’s 120-foot replica bat, visit Cave Hill Cemetery, the final resting place of the Hill sisters, writers of the world’s most sung song, Happy Birthday To You. It’s also where you’ll find the graves of KFC’s Colonel Sanders and Muhammad Ali. Visit the Muhammad Ali Center to learn about America’s Civil Rights history and the Champ’s boxing career. 2026 will mark the 10-year anniversary of Ali’s passing and be celebrated during the annual Ali Fest. Across the street, cruise on the world’s oldest operating Mississippi River-style steamboat aboard the Belle of Louisville. A one-hour road trip south will lead you to the birthplace of America’s most popular president, the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park.
The Speed Art Museum is free every Sunday and will unveil a free outdoor Art Park on its campus this Fall. The 21c Museum Hotel offers more access to art with its free 24/7 contemporary art gallery located in its lobby. Visit Cave Hill Cemetery to check out the 296-acre burial ground and arboretum serving as the final resting place for Muhammad Ali and Colonel Sanders, or take a walk across the Big Four Bridge for epic views of the city skyline. Spend more time outside at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens or one of eighteen Olmsted-designed parks, all free and open to the public. The new Kentucky African American Heritage Trail brings greater visibility to African American heritage sites and stories across Kentucky and includes sixteen Louisville locations, many with no entrance fee. Learn more history at the Filson Historical Society, offering free tours twice a week, or on a free historic Seelbach Hotel tour, taking place every weekend. Plug into one of the city’s free LouGrass sessions, highlighting the state’s Bluegrass musical roots every weekend, April - October, or one of the dozens of neighborhood festivals happening year-round.
HOW IMMIGRANTS ARE SHAPING THIS FLOURISHING FOODIE NEIGHBORHOOD
Recently named one of “The Best Food Neighborhoods in the USA”, NuLu has become one of the city’s must-visit dining destinations. Just east of downtown, NuLu’s eclectic cuisine offers flavors from around the world. Yucatan-born Bruce Ucán was first on the scene nearly two decades ago with his long-time staple Mayan Café. Cuban-born Fernando Martinez has done his part to brighten up the neighborhood with the addition of two successful concepts, La Bodeguita de Mima and Guacamole. Husband and wife duo Alvio and Elaisy Lapinet bring extra flavor to the city’s exploding Cuban community with the addition of Cured. Israeli-born Noam Bilitzer was recently nominated for a James Beard award for “Best Chef: Southeast” after celebrating the one-year anniversary of Meesh Meesh, a Levantine-inspired restaurant lauded as one of the best new eateries in the country. Wash it all down at Rabbit Hole Distillery, which houses the ultra-modern Bourbon brand created by Kaveh Zamanian, originally from Iran, but made his way to Kentucky after falling in love with his Louisville-born wife.
Louisville is largely known for its spirits, but it is an underrated destination for Halloween and haunted sites. Visit Old Louisville, where you’ll find a registered historic district that was once named “One of America’s Most Haunted Neighborhoods.” Learn about its century-old restored Victorian mansions (and previous residents) on a nightly walking ghost tour. Another one of America’s most haunted places is Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Initially opened in 1910 as a tuberculosis hospital, the gothic-style facility was nearly condemned when the hospital closed in 1981 after seeing the death of thousands of former patients. Today, tours are offered throughout the sanatorium, including the morgue and body chute. The Seelbach Hotel, built in 1920, has seen the likes of celebrities, mobsters, and even ghosts during its time. Ask about the Lady in Blue on a free historic hotel tour. Annual Halloween events include Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom, the Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular, and Louisville’s own Halloween street, Hillcrest Avenue.
LOUISVILLE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Returning in 2025 Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom will include over 1.5million lights, a 300 Christmas trees, and a four-story, 175-foot-long snow tubing hill retrofit into the water park’s wave pool. One hundred feet below ground, you’ll find Louisville Mega Cavern’s Lights Under Louisville, featuring the world’s only fully underground, drive-through holiday light show. The underground adventure features over 7 million points of light, 900 lit characters and a laser light show. The Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour takes place in the country’s third-largest historic district and showcases Victorian-era mansions ornately decorated for the holidays. The 6-week Fête De Noël in the Paristown district offers outdoor ice skating, trackless train rides, and a Holiday Market. Other classic Louisville traditions include the Louisville Ballet’s annual production of the Nutcracker, Gardens Aglimmer at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, and “Scrooge,” an adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at the beloved Actors Theatre of Louisville.
