Kentucky’s largest city is widely associated with the fruits of bourbon country, but there’s a lot more to Louisville than Wild Turkey, Bulleit, Evan Williams, and their pals. Carrying a metro area population close to 1.3 million people, Louisville regularly hosts top national conferences and international festivals. However, not everyone realizes what a sports-centric city Louisville is, and has been for well over a century.
Moreover, Louisville is famous for the Kentucky Derby, whether you’re in it for the ponies or the hats. However, even the ‘most exciting two minutes in sports’ is only one of Louisville’s many major contributions to the sporting world. Derby City is also home to several professional sports teams, a variety of sports-themed attractions, and the hometown of plenty of athletic icons. If you’re curious about what’s below the tip of the iceberg, here are 6 must-see attractions for sports enthusiasts who find themselves in the greater Louisville area.
Muhammad Ali Center
One of the most famous athletes of all time, Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, is still renowned by many as ‘the Greatest.’ Before Ali made a significant impact on popular culture as a whole, not just within sports, his story began right here in Louisville. It’s fitting, then, that the Muhammad Ali Center is headquartered within the city’s West Main Historic District, nearby attractions like the Frazier History Museum and the Kentucky Science Center.
The 6-story non-profit museum and cultural center opened in 2005 and was expanded after Ali’s death in 2016. It features a mix of memorabilia, specially-produced documentaries, and interactive exhibits. Additionally, there’s even a mock boxing ring based on Ali’s Deer Lake Training Camp and two art galleries on-site that regularly rotate their exhibits. If these exhibits leave you with Ali-fever, head to Muhammad Ali’s boyhood home just a few miles away at 3302 Grand Ave to learn even more about the Louisville Lip.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
A museum and factory tour attraction within Louisville’s “Museum Row” district, Louisville Slugger baseball bats are indeed made at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Since the 1880s, Louisville Slugger’s bats have been used on the field by many of baseball’s greats past and present – including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz and Curtis Granderson.
The museum offers a mix of sports history and pop culture exhibits, including recent collaborations with the likes of LEGO, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, the Charles M. Schulz Museum & Research Center, and Coca-Cola. One of the notable attractions is its “Feel The Heat” exhibit in which guests can experience what it’s like to be in front of a 90 MPH fastball pitch.
Moreover, the museum generously gives complementary mini-bats to its visitors; however, it’s worth making sure that whatever your next destination might be does not restrict you from carrying a bat. The Louder Than Life music festival once made me ditch my bat in order to gain access.
Louisville Slugger Field
Louisville Slugger Field, which opened in April 2000, is a proper stadium with a listed seating capacity of 13,131. It is home to both the Louisville Bats (the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds) and the United Soccer League’s Louisville City Football Club, and hosts major sporting events like the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Game.
Consequently, Louisville Slugger Field has also seen performances by Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson. It even held 18,543 people for a 2008 concert by the Dave Matthews Band. Additionally, rumor has it that 2020 will bring a new soccer stadium for the Louisville City FC, Lynn Family Stadium. If so, this new $65 million stadium will be located just east of downtown Louisville, one of the city’s more higher-profile areas.
Churchill Downs
There’s no getting around it – Louisville is called Derby City for good reason. The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously-held major sporting event in the United States, running every year since 1875. Churchill Downs, the center of all that action, spans over 190 acres with a 26-acre infield, 47 barns, and 1,424 stables found on-site. Founded by the grandson of famed Lewis and Clark explorer William Clark, the Downs’ popularity remains strong. In 2019, 150,729 people attended the Derby, while 18 million viewers watched the NBC telecast that year.
Additionally, Churchill Downs is home to the Kentucky Derby Museum, featuring two floors of family-friendly interactive exhibits. After exploring and learning more about the history of horse racing, grab a bite at one of the numerous restaurants on site. Churchill Downs is packed with great dining options, including Millionaires Row & Skye Terrace, the Stakes Room, the Roses Lounge, the Aristides Lounge, The Loft at Aristides Lounge, The Courtyard at Downs After Dark, and The Rooftop.
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling – or OVW for short – serves not only as a training school for professional wrestlers but also as the first accredited professional wrestling trade school in the United States. Formerly the official “developmental territory” for the WWE, OVW has been a training ground for many wrestling greats over the decades. This includes such stars as John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Batista, CM Punk, The Miz, Big Show, Mark Henry, and Cody Rhodes.
Today, OVW is overseen by owner Al Snow, a former WWF European Champion and Hardcore Champion with over 35 years of professional wrestling experience. OVW broadcasts a weekly television show from the Davis Arena, which is also available for streaming on YouTube and through the subscription-based Gladiator Sports Network.
Cardinal Stadium
Opened in 1998 and expanded in 2018, Cardinal Stadium holds 61,000 football fans on the southern end of the University Of Louisville campus. It is considered to be part of “Louisville’s Sports Corridor,” located within a mile of Jim Patterson Stadium, the Kentucky Exposition Center, and the earlier-mentioned Churchill Downs.
Should you attend a college football game at Cardinal Stadium, there are plenty of traditions to partake in. For starters, train cabooses are used for tailgating outside the stadium’s west side. Also, about 30 minutes prior to kick-off, the stadium drops a not-so-subtle hint that it is time for fans to start coming into the stadium by shooting off fireworks and sounding a train horn.
If the University Of Louisville’s team emerges victorious, expect to see Louisville players walking around the stadium and giving high-fives to fans – illustrating yet another reason why sports enthusiasts ought to spend time in Louisville, Kentucky.
