photo: Jesse Hurt Photography
Whether your kids are back at school, or still at home trying to navigate this “new normal”, they deserve a break, and so do you! Louisville, Kentucky serves as the perfect escape for you and your family. You will find comfort and be refreshed with plenty of outdoor activities and venues taking the proper precautions to keep you and your family safe during your visit.
Here is our guide to a Fall family getaway in Louisville:
First, on the agenda, check into 21c Louisville where you probably will run into a Red Penguin supporting the mask mandate. For your safety and the safety of our communities, we ask that you also wear a mask and practice social distancing during your visit. For the most up to date information about all of our cleanliness and wellness policies, designed with the safety of our teammates and guests in mind, click here. Once the whole family has settled into the room head down to Proof on Main where the team will provide all the fuel needed for your Louisville adventure.
Before you head out on the town, stroll around our gallery space featuring our current exhibitions, Wim Botha: Still Life with Discontent and Truth or Dare: A Reality Show. Explore our site-specific installations including Ned Kahn’s Cloud Rings, which can be viewed from the first floor hallway window, and catch the falling letters of a poem in the interactive installation Text Rain by Camille Utterback and Romy Achituv. On the way out, snap a selfie with Serkan Özkaya’s 30 foot tall David (inspired by Michelangelo).
Immerse yourselves in the Fall spirit with a trip to Gallrein Farms, located about 37 miles from the hotel. Between pumpkin patches, corn mazes, hayrides and train rides, there is plenty of fun to be had for the whole family. Looking to enjoy a glass of wine or a boozy Fall drink too? Huber’s Orchard and Winery is the place for you. Once it’s dark, hop in the car and drive-thru Louisville’s Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular at Iroquois Park (open thru November 1st).
Ready for another museum visit? The Louisville Slugger Museum is just a block away! Snap a family picture with the Big Bat, the world’s largest baseball bat, weighing in a 68,000 pounds and 120 feet high. Afterwards, head to the Speed Art Museum and find yourself mesmerized by the bright and eclectic colors of Andy Warhol: Revelation (on view now thru November 29, 2020).
@cj_upshot via @courierjournal
Teach your little ones the importance of using their voice with a visit to BallotBox, a Louisville Visual Arts exhibit for Metro Hall, now on view at 21c Louisville in Galleries 4 & 5. This exhibit, curated by Skylar Smith, features new works by five artists who examine issues related to voting rights, democracy, and citizenship. Featured artist include Sandra Charles, Brianna Harlan, Jennifer Maravillas, Taylor Sanders, and James Robert Southard.
Continue experiencing art outside our walls with SHE ASCENDS, a virtual, interactive Augmented Reality (AR) monument for Breonna Taylor and the “Say Her Name” movement, by Louisville-based artist Brianna Harlan and Nancy Baker Cahill, creator of 4th Wall/COORDINATES. After, visit some of the city’s newly completed murals, including:
- “SAY THEIR NAMES” by Whitney Holbourn, Andrew Norris and Resko. This mural honors the lives of Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Sandra Bland. Find this mural at the corner of West Main Street and 11th Street in downtown Louisville.
- “I Am Singing” by Charlie Nunn and Jared Diaz. This mural is the second installment of a series called “I AM.” The mural depicts an original photograph by Danny Lyon: “The March on Washington” August 28, 1963, and “serves as a reminder of the hard work that has been done to get us to where we are today. It’s also a reminder that as a society – we are not done” – @artbydiaz. Find this mural at 2900 W Broadway at the NIA Center.
- And 12 murals by local Louisville artists from the 2019 Fund for the Arts Imagine Mural Festival located throughout Smoketown. Click here for interactive version of the map.
What is a family trip without exploring the great outdoors? Take a short drive to Bernheim Forest and hike amongst the Forest Giants. Or go for a leisurely stroll through the 2-mile Wild Hyacinth Trail at The Parklands. Brought along your bikes and kayaks? The Parklands is the perfect place for these activities too! Trails and hiking not for your crew? Reconnect with nature at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens and see the newly completed Bear Grass Creek, which connects the Gardens to the Butchertown Greenway.
You’ve probably worked up quite the appetite with all this exploring, learning and all the fun you have been having! Lucky for you, Louisville is filled with plenty of family-friendly dining options. For a brunch fit for superheroes, head to SuperChefs on Bardstown Road. Trust us, you can’t go wrong when you start your day with a tower of fluffy Reese’s Cup Pancakes. Parents, needing to refuel? Get your caffeine fix on just a couple doors away from the hotel at Black Beard Espresso. Looking for a quick bite to eat before you hit the road? Hop across the street and grab a sandwich like no other from Another Place Sandwich Shop. For dinner, head to Feast BBQ in the NuLu neighborhood – they’ve got seriously good mac & cheese for the kids and rotating flavors of bourbon-slushies for the parents. And don’t forget dessert! Stick around NuLu and grab a cone of small-batch ice cream from Louisville Cream.
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