Map view
Green River Bluff, Echo River Springs, Sinkhole and Heritage Trail, Mammoth Cave National Park
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: April-Oct
Cost: $
- National park encompassing portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system known in the world
- The cave system has formally been known as the Mammoth–Flint Ridge Cave System since 1972
- As of 2022, more than 426 miles (686 km) passageways had been surveyed, over 1.5 times longer than the second-longest cave system, Mexico's Sac Actun underwater cave
Elm Lick Trail, Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Arboretum, forest, and nature preserve located in Clermont, founded in 1929
- Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, a German immigrant and successful brewer purchased the land in 1928 at $1 an acre because most of it had been stripped for mining iron ore
- Now a preserve, the natural area contains most of Bernheim's hiking trails, and is primarily a beech-maple forest
Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Non-profit museum and cultural center dedicated to boxer Muhammad Ali in Louisville
- Ali, a native of Louisville, and his wife Lonnie Ali founded the museum in 2005
- An orientation theater features a mock boxing ring that is recreated based on his Deer Lake Training Camp
- There are also booths where visitors can view clips of Ali's greatest fights on video-on-demand terminals, which also feature pre- and post-fight interviews
Kentucky Kingdom
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Amusement park in Louisville, that includes a collection of amusement rides and the Hurricane Bay water park, opened in 1987
- The park has opened many first-of-its-kind roller coasters: T3 was the first Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster in North America, and Storm Chaser was the first roller coaster in the United States to feature a barrel roll drop
#18 in Best Theme Parks in the USA
Speed Art Museum, Lexington
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Oldest and largest art museum in Kentucky, established in 1927, in Louisville
- The Speed houses ancient, classical, and modern art from around the world
- The focus of the collection is Western art, from antiquity to the present day
- Holdings of paintings from the Netherlands, France, and Italy are prominent, and contemporary art and sculptures are also featured
Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park
Best time to visit: April-Oct
Cost: $
- Mammoth Cave developed in thick Mississippian-aged limestone strata capped by a layer of sandstone, which has made the system remarkably stable
- It is known to include more than 400 miles (640 km) of passageway
- New discoveries and connections add several miles to this figure each year
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Museum and factory tour attraction located in Louisville
- The museum showcases the story of Louisville Slugger baseball bats in baseball and in American history
- One of the attractions is the world's largest baseball bat, achieving Guinness World Records for largest baseball bat, it is 120 ft. tall and weighs 68,000 pounds
Auxier Ridge Trail to Courthouse Rock, Red River Gorge
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Canyon system on the Red River, that lies within the Daniel Boone National Forest and the Red River Gorge Geological Area
- The intricate canyon system features an abundance of high sandstone cliffs, rock shelters, waterfalls, and natural bridges
- Rock shelters and other sites in the Red River Gorge Geological Area contain artifacts of prehistoric occupancy by indigenous people, beginning with the Paleoindian period, dating from more than 11,000 year ago
National Corvette Museum
Best time to visit: April-Oct
Cost: $
- Museum that showcases the Chevrolet Corvette, an American sports car that has been in production since 1953
- The museum tells the Corvette's history, with over 70 different car models and extensive memorabilia
- Constructed in 1994, it is located only a quarter mile from the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where Corvettes have been made since 1981
Mega Cavern, Louisville
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Former limestone mine in Louisville, that stretches under parts of the Watterson Expressway and the Louisville Zoo
- The cavern is used for business, storage, recycling, and tourism, with offerings including tram-guided tours, zipline tours, a ropes course, an annual holiday lights display