Outdoor Recreation Within Driving Distance (Lexington, Louisville: theatre, school, subdivision)

[LenLenLen]

Hello! We are weighing some options in relocating to Louisville in the future- family of five, school age kids. What do LOU residents like to do to get out into nature if staying within 1-2 hours drive from the city? Are there any local water activities at all? Are there trails for biking, or walking/running, local or rural? If you were to take an out of state visitor to impress them with views, where would you take them? Gardens, parks.. anything worth visiting as a tourist? What about winter time- do people generally stay in doors? I’d love to hear your thoughts on all things outdoorsy. Thank you for sharing your lovely city!

[kygman]

I'm not a Louisville resident, but my son and daughter in law and their youngsters love driving up to Bernheim Forest to hike around. They drive from far western Ky. to enjoy it all. And, according to google maps, this is only about a half hour from Louisville.

[rrah]

Originally Posted by kygman

I'm not a Louisville resident, but my son and daughter in law and their youngsters love driving up to Bernheim Forest to hike around. They drive from far western Ky. to enjoy it all. And, according to google maps, this is only about a half hour from Louisville.

Second this. My brother's family with 3 boys love going to Bernheim. They always seem to be going some place hiking. Lots to do for families in the Louisville area.

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Originally Posted by LenLenLen

Hello! We are weighing some options in relocating to Louisville in the future- family of five, school age kids. What do LOU residents like to do to get out into nature if staying within 1-2 hours drive from the city? Are there any local water activities at all? Are there trails for biking, or walking/running, local or rural? If you were to take an out of state visitor to impress them with views, where would you take them? Gardens, parks.. anything worth visiting as a tourist? What about winter time- do people generally stay in doors? I’d love to hear your thoughts on all things outdoorsy. Thank you for sharing your lovely city!

Hi! Welcome to the Louisville forums here at City Data!
The Louisville area has tons of great parks and outdoor places for you to enjoy.
Like others have mentioned Bernheim is beautiful.
Louisville has one of the best park systems in the country.

Louisville has a network of 18 Olmstead Parks
Cherokee Park, Iroquois Park top the list of my favorites.

Lots of other great Parks like McNeely Lake Park, Tom Sawyer State Park, Tom Wallace Park, Waterfront Park....and so many more, here is a listing of some...Plus there is Jefferson Memorial Forest.

Plus there is the Pedestrian Bridge, Kentucky Kingdom (they have a water park there -Hurricane Bay)

If you were to take an out of state visitor to impress them with views

My favorite spots were the look outs at Iroquois Park....especially the highest one, you wouldn't believe the views!
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Location..._Kentucky.html


Here is a nice list of things to do in Louisville.


Plus you can take a riverboat cruise on the Belle Of Louisville, catch a play at Actor's theatre,

Visit the Kentucky Science Center, stop by and see the animals and the Louisville Zoological Gardens,
Visit the Speed Art Museum, Check out the Louisville Palace for shows (it's beauty and glamour from another age is beyond beautiful). Visit or take a tour of Old Louisville (gorgeous!) Not to mention the world famous Churchill Downs.
Within 2 hours of Louisville? There is literally so many places it would take forever to list them all.
(You can get to Lexington or Cincinnati in that time frame....plus hundreds of great places along the way!)

[Peter1948]

Outstanding list Crazy Cat

In Indiana suburbs and close in envoirons all within 45 mins....

Patoka Lake
Charlestown State Park
Deam Lake
Indiana Caverns and caves in Harrison Co.

In KY

SO much but I love the Parklands at Floyds Fork especially the area around the Silos.

Don't forget Louisville is building a world class Waterfront Botanical Gardens. While small now, it will be 27 acres by 2030.

The Ohio River has a huge boat culture especially in Party Cove by Prospect and around Captain Quarter's restaurant.

Outdoor activity is too numerous to mention.

Another areas with sweeping views of the city is Floyd's Knobs, IN. Check out the views from areas like Plum Hill subdivision and skyline dr. This actually may be an option for you if you want more bang for your buck and a quieter atmosphere, but given your love of urbanity and history, I'd place you near Cherokee Park, itself a gem.

Also Red River Gorge is very close!

[CraigCreek]

In addition to the wonderful parks and places already mentioned, the Falls of the Ohio park is just across the river, and contains a very large and incredibly well-preserved prehistoric marine fossil bed. Some of the shells and other marine fossils there even retain their original coloring! It's probably best visited in the spring or fall, as sunshine beating down on a fossilized prehistoric coral reef can be extremely hot.

There are also numerous historic sites and museums in Louisville and within a two-hour range. Kentucky is blessed with a rich history and much to see and do. Mammoth Cave National Park is just slightly beyond that two-hour range, and if you extend it to two and a half or three hours, you can add the Red River Gorge and Berea to your list.

Hope you will decide to move here and will enjoy your New Kentucky Home.

[LenLenLen]

Excellent! Thank you for sharing about your beautiful state. Would you say fall time is a good time to visit these outdoorsy things?

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by LenLenLen

Excellent! Thank you for sharing about your beautiful state. Would you say fall time is a good time to visit these outdoorsy things?

Anytime but yes, it stays very pleasant into November most years. Early Oct can even be warm, then an abrupt change brings peak color by Halloween.

Some of the rural bourbon distillers are worth a visit too

[CraigCreek]

Originally Posted by LenLenLen

Excellent! Thank you for sharing about your beautiful state. Would you say fall time is a good time to visit these outdoorsy things?

Definitely. Spring and fall are our best seasons, though early summer is usually pleasant as well.

The Red River Gorge is spectacular during all four seasons, but fall color is usually outstanding there, as a very wide variety of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs grow there. If you can visit on a weekday during October, traffic will be lighter on both roads and trails.

Farther from Louisville, Cumberland Falls State Park near Corbin is also heavily wooded and offers beautiful fall color and hiking trails of various difficulties and lengths, plus the spectacular falls and the CCC-built rustic lodge.

Mammoth Cave National Park is also heavily wooded and is a great place to visit anytime, but especially in the fall (cave temperatures are steady year-round - a light jacket or sweater is all that's required while on a cave tour). There are many privately operated show caves nearby also well-worth visiting.

[LenLenLen]

Thank you everyone! We’ll plan a trip for late fall!