Description: Louisville is changing the way people think about Southern destinations. From its booming bourbon renaissance, to its culinary jewels, to its one-of-a-kind attractions, the city offers a menu of things to see and do all wrapped within its hallmark Southern charm. Urban distilleries, burgeoning neighborhoods, classic cocktail bars, great places to eat and iconic attractions and events make Louisville a top destination. This is a city that’s truly unique and different. A city that combines heritage with innovation, authenticity with originality and quirkiness with friendliness. A city full of sights, sounds and sips all its own—including its official cocktail, the Old Fashioned, and the one-and-only Urban Bourbon Experience, a citywide adventure that includes distilleries, endless craft cocktail bars and Bourbon attractions and exhibits.

This is one of the most exciting cities you’ll ever eat, drink, explore and meet in. Louisville has been transformed by a $1.5 billion investment in tourism infrastructure. Some of the highlights are the 2018 expansion and renovation of the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC), our centrally located downtown convention center. KICC’s expansion includes over 200,000 contiguous square feet of open, spacious exhibit space, a 40,000 square foot ballroom, 52 meeting rooms, 175-seat state-of-the-art conference theatre, advanced WiFi capabilities and GBAC and LEED Silver Certification.

Louisville has not one, but two convention centers. The Kentucky Exposition Center is the sixth largest center in the nation, sporting over 1.2 million square feet of space. Additionally, Louisville’s 22,000-seat KFC Yum Center, $450 million downtown arena is the heart of Whiskey Row, an eclectic dining and entertainment district on Whiskey Row. Louisville also boasts more than 100 hotels and over 21,000 hotel rooms in the Louisville Metro area.

Louisville is home to ten bourbon attractions with seven within walking distance of the downtown convention center since 2013 (the first bourbon businesses to come back to historic Whiskey Row since before Prohibition). These are Angel’s Envy, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Kentucky Peerless Distilling, Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery, Old Forester, Rabbit Hole and the best place to start your bourbon education - the Frazier History Museum’s Welcome Center for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Other “bourbonism” attractions in Louisville include the Stitzel-Weller distillery and a rock-n-roll spirited brandy distillery in Butchertown – Copper & Kings.

Louisville is brimming with Bourbon-themed restaurants and bars. The Urban Bourbon Trail provides visitors a taste of what the city’s best Bourbon bars and restaurants have to offer, with many stops throughout the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

Additional authentic, iconic visitor experiences compliment the incredible unique attractions that Louisville has taken pride in for years, including the century-old Belle of Louisville, the Kentucky Derby Museum and Churchill Downs – home of the Kentucky Derby, Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Kentucky Science Center, Louisville Mega Cavern – the world’s only location for underground zip-lining and mountain biking, Frederick L. Olmsted designed park system and many more.

To top it off, Louisville’s culinary scene is cooking and it’s caught the attention of people all across the globe including Bravo’s Top Chef show featuring Kentucky in the 16th season. Travel + Leisure, Garden & Gun, Bon Appetit, Saveur, National Geographic, Southern Living and many others have taken notice that the city has positioned itself as a foodie destination. Louisville was named “Best Up-and-coming Food City” by Thrillist, one of “America’s Best Cities for Food” by Travel + Leisure and one of the “Nation’s Best Local Food Scenes” by USA Today. From farm-to-table to modernist cuisine to country cooking, top chefs and top shelf, Louisville has a lot to bring to the table.

Features: Audio Visual Services, Auditorium-Permanent, Bus Loading/Unloading, Bus Parking, Catering, Computer Rental, Decorating Services, IT Lines, Pre-Function Space, Security, Speaker Ready Room, Sports Arena, Storage Facilities

Off-Site Venues/Highlights: Louisville is home to many iconic venues to host your next meeting or event. Start your meeting off at the races at the Kentucky Derby Museum and world-famous Churchill Downs, take a cruise on the century-old Belle of Louisville, knock your meeting out of the park at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, or host a meeting fit for a champion at the Muhammad Ali Center. Louisville has a long list of authentic venues – from Broadway stages and music halls to sports facilities and bourbon distilleries – that will meet all of your events needs with friendly staff ready to help bring your vision to life.