Lots to Do in Louisville - Grandparents.com

Baseball bats and thoroughbreds are two of the many attractions in this Kentucky city

The pageantry, color and excitement of the Kentucky Derby attract visitors from around the world. But when you tour Louisville with your grandchildren, choose a more relaxing time than the first Saturday in May. After all, you’ll want to explore this city on the Ohio River without the bustle. Even when the horses aren’t running for the roses, you’ll find plenty of action.

"My grandkids love to hang out with me in Louisville,” says local Gayla Schaftlein. “We can ride a paddlewheel down the Ohio, watch a baseball bat being made or a game being played. Go on a ghost tour, see gorillas at the zoo and horses at Churchill Downs and the Derby Museum. There’s something to entertain each of us, from 3-year-olds to teenagers.”

The Birth of a Bat

Head first for downtown’s West Main Street, where, in a two-block walking area, you’ll discover several great attractions. Standing 120 feet tall, the world’s biggest bat marks the home of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. The Hillerich & Bradsby Company tour features bats used by Babe Ruth and other baseball legends, along with interactive exhibits. Your Little Leaguers can see how bats are made and how it feels to watch a baseball hurtling toward them at 90 miles per hour. After the tour, everyone gets a miniature Louisville Slugger as a souvenir.

Right behind Louisville Slugger, you can change pace at Glassworks. Open daily, the Walk-in-Workshop offers a variety of craft projects like painting, etching, stained glass, and more. You’ll need an appointment for grandchildren ages 7 and up to enter the glassblowing studio to create, with assistance from resident artists, unique hot glass pieces, which make cool keepsakes.

Sports enthusiasts will want to take in the Muhammad Ali Center to try the punching bags and shadow boxing. A chronological timeline illustrates the champ’s professional boxing career and life outside the ring. Boxing memorabilia, multimedia presentations, and other exhibits provide insights into the life and legacy of a Louisville legend.

Nearby in a 19th century warehouse, the Louisville Science Center offers exciting exhibits plus an IMAX theater. Kentucky's largest hands-on science center features a full schedule of special events and changing films, so there's always something new to challenge the imagination.

Step into the past at The Frazier International History Museum. The third floor Royal Armouries exhibit featuring ten centuries of weapons and warfare enthralled Ravin Loy, age 10, who visited with her grandparents Polly and Paul Loy from Sellersburg, Ind. Ravin said, "They have reenactments and pretend to be real people from history. It's really cool to watch them fight with swords that weigh ten pounds."

"Louisville is a fun and affordable city to entertain children in,” says resident Carrie Shepherd. “My favorites for the grandkids are the Louisville Zoo with its Gorilla Forest and the Science Center. My grandson loves going to Waterfront Park on the river and then having lunch at Fourth Street Live! With Six Flags and the museums along Main Street, we never run out of ideas."

Drop by the Downs

Churchill Downs, home of the greatest two minutes in sports, offers year-round walking tours. For a behind-the-scenes look at equine life, you can take a backside stable tour and see where thoroughbred legends are housed and trained. At the adjacent Kentucky Derby Museum, the grandchildren can sample some of horse racing’s excitement with a 360-degree multimedia show and three floors of exhibits including a mountable model horse, straining at the starting gate. In the paddock area, they’ll enjoy meeting the resident thoroughbred. “Risen Warrior” assumes this post in May, 2008.

The Speed Art Museum features outstanding African and Native American collections, along with works by Rembrandt, Cezanne, Picasso, and other renowned artists. Docents provide free tours for families. Kids can indulge their creativity in Art Sparks, an interactive gallery presenting 30 multi-media activities.

For a splashing good time, head for Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, a combination amusement/waterpark located in the heart of downtown. The park has more than 110 rides and attractions, including eight roller coasters plus a water coaster called Deluge, a gigantic wave pool, water slides, and Looney Tunes Movie Town.

Slow down the pace and leave the high-tech world behind with a cruise on the Ohio River aboard the Belle of Louisville. Listening to the calliope and watching that big red paddlewheel churn the waters just seem to put things in perspective.

In Clarksville, Ind. — just across the river from Louisville — an authentic fossil-hunting experience awaits at Falls of the Ohio State Park. The Interpretive Center highlights the area’s natural history. When the river’s low from May through October, you can hike across an exposed Devonian fossil bed, once the bottom of a tropical sea.

Louisville offers more than120 attractions, which include a wonderful zoo with 1,300 animals, a Triple A baseball team at Louisville Slugger Field, and an active performing arts scene. For current shows, check out Stage One: Music Theatre Louisville and Derby Dinner Playhouse with Saturday productions for kids.

Don’t miss Lynn's Paradise Cafe, famous for fine home cooking with a twist. Start the day with buttermilk biscuits, old-fashioned waffles or Popeye omelets. Or, dig into a Paradise or Bleu Grass burger for lunch. A wacky decor, toys and '50s-style novelties make each Formica-topped table a mini-amusement area.

With all that Louisville offers, your biggest challenge will be choosing what to see. Excuse me while I grab my 10 grandchildren. I hear Louisville calling.

Best time to visit:
Both spring (excluding Derby Week) and fall make great times to visit.

Getting there:
Nine major air carriers fly into Louisville International Airport, which is just seven minutes from downtown. The city is located at the intersection of east-west I-64 and north-south I-65.

Getting around:
Downtown, you can hop aboard a green TARC Trolley (50¢) and leave the driving to someone else.

Where to stay:
The elegant Brown Hotel is the grande dame of Louisville lodgings. Galt House Hotel & Suites, in the heart of downtown, is within walking distance of many attractions and the only riverfront hotel in Louisville. Minutes away in Clarksville, Ind., is a Holiday Inn with miniature golf, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, next to a waterpark and a dinner theater.

Where to eat:
Esquire magazine named Lynn's Paradise Cafe one of the four most fun restaurants in America in 2002. Lucky Strike Lanes offers a full menu with bowling on the side. It’s worth the half-hour drive to Joe Huber Family Farm & Restaurant in Starlight, Ind., for a fried chicken and honey ham dinner served family-style, a petting zoo and U-pick produce. At Mark’s Feed Store, you’ll find award-winning barbeque in four locations, and kids eat free on Tuesday.