Around Louisville: Top Attractions & Downtown-Area Restaurants

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Louisville, Kentucky, the host city for next week's Winter Institute, offers visitors a wide range of events and attractions -- everything from historical sites and distillery tours to steamboat rides and a world-class zoo, from the state science center to the Derby and Louisville Slugger museums, and much, much more. For evening entertainment, there's award-winning theater, blues and dance clubs, opera, and scores of restaurants.

The Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) provides a comprehensive look at all that the city has to offer, and the Winter Institute Welcome Packet will include an Official Visitors Guide to help booksellers find their way.

To whet your appetite, here's a look at some of the area's top attractions, courtesy of the Louisville CVB, and a list of restaurants within walking distance of the Louisville Marriott Downtown.

Some of Louisville's Top Attractions

4th Street Live align=Fourth Street Live!: Louisville's $70 million entertainment district has revitalized downtown by adding a variety of restaurants and entertainment venues, all within walking distance of the majority of downtown hotels and the Convention Center. Tenants include The Hard Rock Cafe; Sully's Restaurant and Saloon; Saddle Ridge; Red Star Tavern; The Pub; Lucky Strike, an upscale bowling alley; and the one and only Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge. (Fourth Street Live is just one block from the Louisville Marriott Downtown.)

ChurchChurchill Downs: Recently completing a $121 million renovation and expansion, the racetrack is most famous for the oldest continuously run sporting event in the U.S., the Kentucky Derby. Known as the "Run for the Roses" or the greatest two minutes in sports, the Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown of thoroughbred horse-racing. In addition to the Derby, Churchill Downs hosts spring and fall race meets and simulcasts throughout the year.

Louisville ZooLouisville Zoo: The Louisville Zoo has more than 1,300 animals from all over the world, exhibited in beautiful natural settings. Favorites include gorillas, lions, tigers, penguins, pygmy hippos, orangutans, reptiles, hundreds of colorful birds, and more. Enjoy the popular, interactive Lorikeet Landing, the award-winning Gorilla Forest featuring 11 gorillas, a new elephant and the newly opened Glacier Run Splash Park. The zoo is open year-round.

Science CentreLouisville Science Center & IMAX Theatre: Kentucky's largest hands-on science center with about 150 interactive exhibits and activity stations, a four-story-tall IMAX Theatre, teaching laboratories, a variety of educational programs, and distance learning capabilities. Permanent exhibits include: The World We Create, The World Within Us, The World Around Us, and a Kids' Zone for children under seven. Climb aboard an airplane, ambulance, and mass transit bus.

Kentucky Derby Museum: The Kentucky Derby Museum, located next to Churchill Downs, captures the thrill and traditions of the Kentucky Derby every day in an exciting 360-degree high-definition multimedia show. The museum has exhibits and art to delight all ages. Guests can also take a walking tour through historic Churchill Downs to see the Grandstand, the Finish Line, and the Winner's Circle. Visit the barn to pet Inky, the resident thoroughbred.

Derby Dinner PlayhouseDerby Dinner Playhouse: An entertainment tradition for over 30 years, Derby Dinner Playhouse offers live-stage productions, a plentiful buffet, and desserts that are so big you'll need two spoons. Derby Dinner is one of the largest dinner theatres in the country seating 500 guests and entertaining over 200,000 people a year with Broadway-style classics to holiday specials and children's theatre.

Louisville Slugger MuseumLouisville Slugger Museum & Factory: See the world's biggest bat at six stories tall! Exhibits at the interactive museum honor baseball's greatest hitters. The fun and fascinating tour includes a walk through an underground locker room into a full-size dugout and a virtual home plate where guests can test their skills against a fastball. See how the official bats of Major League Baseball are made before being shipped to your favorite player.

Speed Art MuseumSpeed Art Museum: Established in 1927, the Speed Art Museum is Kentucky's oldest and largest art museum with 12,000 pieces in its permanent collection. The museum has distinguished collections of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish painting, 18th-century French art, Renaissance and Baroque tapestries, and significant holdings of contemporary American painting and sculpture. Painting highlights include Paul Cezanne's Two Apples on a Table and works by Picasso, Chagall, Rembrandt, Claude Monet, and Mary Cassatt.

FrazierArms-M_by-Dan-Dry_hiFrazier International History Museum: Located in the heart of Louisville's downtown cultural arts district, "Museum Row," the Frazier Arms Museum is a collaboration with Britain's Royal Armouries. Visitors enjoy interactive exhibits and live reenactments including sword demonstrations. Many of the artifacts once belonged to noted politicians, celebrities, frontiersmen, and soldiers including Geronimo's bow, Custer's rifle, and Roosevelt's "Big Stick."

Cave HillCave Hill Cemetery: Originally part of William Johnston's Cave Hill Farm in the 1770s, Cave Hill Cemetery contains one of the city's finest collections of outdoor monumental sculptures, ranging from decorative tombstones to mausoleums. The Cemetery is the burial site for many famous people, including George Rogers Clark, Colonel Harland Sanders, and a number of bourbon industry legends. Guided tours are available.

Belle-of-LouisvilleBelle of Louisville: No other river steamboat in American history has lasted as long, been to as many places, or traveled as many miles as the Belle of Louisville, commissioned in 1914. The Belle, a National Historic Landmark, is now recognized as the oldest river steamboat still in operation. Now in her nineties, the Belle continues to journey back to the time when she carried passengers and goods, including Kentucky bourbon, to ports all along the scenic Ohio River.

MellwoodMuhammad Ali Center: The stunning Muhammad Ali Center opened in late 2005 with a celebrity-studded gala attended by former President Bill Clinton, Jim Carrey, Bob Costas, Matt Lauer, James Taylor, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie. This inspirational tribute to the world's favorite boxing legend should be on your "must see" list while in Ali's hometown. Shadow box with the champ, watch legendary boxing clips in a model ring, and be inspired by the ideals of one of the world's most celebrated athletes and humanitarian. (The center will be the site of Wi3's opening reception on Thursday, January 24, from 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.)

CaesarsCaesars Indiana: Caesars Indiana, just a short drive from Louisville, offers world-class gaming action for every level of player, with over 130 gaming tables and 2,000 slot machines. Caesars guests enjoy the largest variety of customary casino games in Indiana -- 24 hours a day. With four floors of gaming and dining, guests can take their pick of luxuriously decorated casinos. Also, check the calendar for the monthly feature of music and comedic entertainment.

Restaurants Within Hotel Walking-Distance

Here's a list of great restaurants all within walking distance of the Louisville Marriott.

Artemisia (620 East Market Street)
Contemporary continental cuisine, fine art, and live jazz come together in the heart of Louisville's art gallery district. Reservations: (502) 583-4177

Bistro 301 (301 West Market Street)
Eclectic American cuisine in an upscale, casual, relaxed, and fun atmosphere. Reservations: (502) 584-8337

Bristol Bar & Grille Downtown (614 West Main Street)
One of Louisville's finest dining traditions since 1977, the Bristol offers aged choice steaks, pasta, fresh seafood, salads, sandwiches, and appetizers, including their famous Green Chili Wontons, and an award-winning wine list and an extensive beer and beverage list. Reservations: (502) 582-1995

Browning's Restaurant & Brewery (401 East Main Street -- same location as Park Place; this is the brewery/pub part of the restaurant.) Casual Kentucky flair in a classic pub setting featuring Kentucky comfort-foods using fresh and local ingredients for the inspiration of good old-fashioned home cooking. In addition, a unique three-story brewing facility creates superior artisan beers using only the best available grains and hops from England, Germany, and the Pacific Northwest. Reservations: (502) 515-0174

Jarfi's Bistro (501 West Main Street)
Enjoy a unique dining experience at Jarfi's Bistro, located at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in downtown Louisville. As an extension of the Center's theater magic onto the culinary stage, Jarfi's Bistro features international cuisine in a contemporary yet elegant setting. Reservations: (502) 589-5060

Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge (446 South 4th Street)
Fourth Street Live! is home to the first-ever Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge offering an eclectic menu, designed to be shared, as well as a Tapas menu. The 57'8" ft. long wood-topped bar is outlined in glass and underlit with soft white lighting. An entire wall of backlit Maker's Mark bottles from each of Kentucky's distilleries is showcased. Reservations: (502) 568-9009

Park Place on Main (401 East Main Street -- same location as Browning's; this is the upscale part of the restaurant.)
Upscale and unique Kentucky flavors truly come to life in the regional contemporary cuisine. Working closely with local farmers and producers in order to ensure the freshest and finest ingredients for each dish, from succulent cuts of beef to the chef's vegetarian whim, the food is bold and classic. Reservations: (502) 515-0172

Primo (445 East Market Street)
Nationally recognized for a spirit of stylish innovation and an uncompromising commitment to quality, the eclectic and contemporary Italian fare is inspired by the trattorias and osterias of Italy. Upscale dining in a downtown setting. Reservations: (502) 583-1808

Vincenzo's Italian Restaurant (150 South 5th Street)
The top-tier Italian fare reflects the owner's European heritage in an elegant and relaxed atmosphere. Located in a high-ceilinged, square-pillared dining room of an old bank building, the unabashedly Italian dining experience offers continental classics and their original Eurospa cuisine. Reservations: (502) 580-1350

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