Louisville, Kentucky

Pull over here for a second; this spot is more important than it looks! St. Boniface was the first German Catholic Church in Louisville, founded way back in 1836. In the 1830s, Louisville was booming, and a lot of…

Pull over here a sec – we're right near the heart of Smoketown, a Louisville neighborhood with a powerful story to tell. Following the Civil War, Smoketown became a haven for African Americans seeking new lives and…

Get ready to crane your neck! You're approaching one of the world's largest clocks, a massive timepiece that was once the face of a bustling Colgate-Palmolive factory. This giant clock, boasting a 40-foot diameter, was…

Ancient Devonian fossil beds exposed along the Ohio River in Clarksville, where Lewis and Clark recruited George Rogers Clark.

Imagine being a riverboat worker in the 1800s. If you fell ill, your life depended on places like this. The United States Marine Hospital in Louisville, built in 1845, was one of seven hospitals built to serve sick…

Imagine a city of the dead, but also a vibrant green space filled with history. That's Cave Hill Cemetery. Established in 1848, Cave Hill was designed as a rural cemetery, a popular style at the time meant to be a…

Welcome to the birthplace of American Indiana! You’re at the site of Clarksville, Indiana's first American town, founded by Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark in 1783. Clarksville was established on a…

Prepare to step back in time to an era of grand riverboats and industrial might! You’re approaching the Howard Steamboat Museum, a magnificent mansion that tells the story of the family who built more steamboats than…

Look around you, because this spot was once at the very heart of a struggle for equal education. This school was the first in Louisville built specifically to address the massive overcrowding of Black students in the…

Home of the Kentucky Derby since 1875, the oldest continuously held horse race in America.

Feast your eyes on a sight that marries beauty and necessity: the Louisville Water Tower, the oldest ornamental water tower *in the world*! Back in 1860, Louisville faced a constant struggle with water supply and…

Imagine living in a house so grand, it was a local wonder! That's exactly what the Culbertson Mansion was, and still is. William Culbertson, a self-made millionaire who made his fortune in dry goods, commissioned this…

Look around you, and imagine New Albany as Indiana's bustling powerhouse, its grandest city, where fortunes were built and displayed in brick and stone. This isn't just a street; it's a testament to a golden age. Main…

This historic church once served as a beacon of hope for enslaved people seeking freedom on the Underground Railroad. Built in 1852 as the Second Presbyterian Church, it stood tall in what was then Indiana's largest…

Pull over, because just ahead is hallowed ground, a testament to the sacrifices made for our nation. This is New Albany National Cemetery. This cemetery holds the remains of soldiers from every major American conflict,…

Ever wonder how New Albany got its name? You're about to pull up to the very first house built in this historic city, the home of Joel Scribner, one of its three founding brothers. It's a true piece of living history!…

Right here, near where Farmer's Feed and Supply once stood, brave people risked everything to help enslaved individuals find freedom. This location, at the southeast corner of Main and West Seventh Street in New Albany,…

Ever wonder where famous explorers and presidents hung out in Kentucky? This is it. Historic Locust Grove was once the bustling home of the Croghan family. Around 1790, the Croghans built this Georgian-style mansion. It…

Ever wonder where presidents grew up? Right here, a young Zachary Taylor spent his formative years. Known as Springfield, this was the boyhood home of Zachary Taylor, the future 12th President. He lived here from 1785…

Ever wonder where Kentucky's weaving traditions come from? Look no further than the Little Loomhouse, a unique site right here in Louisville. Three cabins, built between 1870 and 1896, make up the Little Loomhouse.…

Buckle up, because this spot is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in America: Waverly Hills Sanatorium. In the early 1900s, Jefferson County was battling a serious outbreak of tuberculosis, also known as the…

This quiet cemetery holds a dark chapter from the Civil War: a controversial execution that still sparks debate today. Here in Jeffersontown, four Confederate soldiers – Wilson P. Lilly, Rev. Sherwood Hatley, Lindsey…

Pulling up on Central State Hospital, you're near a place that once housed thousands of patients, many struggling with severe mental illness. Originally known as the Louisville Marine Hospital, it was established in…

Imagine a world where Kentucky was the edge of civilization. That's the world of Blackacre, a preserved homestead offering a real glimpse into pioneer life. The heart of Blackacre is the Presley Tyler home, built around…

Ever wonder what life was like on a bustling Kentucky farm along the Ohio River? This is Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing, a window into that past. Built around 1837, the Farnsley family grew this property to…

Imagine building your family’s life from scratch in the wilderness, only to have it ripped away in an instant. That's the story of the Lincoln family right here near Long Run. In 1786, Captain Abraham Lincoln,…

Corydon served as Indiana's first state capital from 1816 to 1825; the original limestone capitol building still stands.