LOUISVILLE — Louisville has a rich history, vibrant culture and special architecture that it invites visitors and local residents to take in on walking tours of Downtown Louisville using the Downtown Louisville Easy App Walking Tour Series.
Presented by Republic Bank Foundation, this self-guided tour series is designed to immerse locals and visitors alike to participate in the authentic culture.
Created by the Louisville Downtown Partnership, the ever-growing series includes historic West Main Street, Civil Rights Markers, and Whiskey Row, with tours narrated by Louisvillians including University of Louisville Archivist Tom Owen; author and daughter of Muhammad Ali, Rasheda Ali; and LDP’s executive director Rebecca Fleischaker.
Each tour is 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how long individuals want to stop and look around with directions provided within the audio tour. The series is accessible via any podcast platform, found under LDP’s Spotify, or can be streamed directly from LDP’s website. The tours are free, and digital maps of each tour can be downloaded or printed here.
Walking Tour Descriptions
Take a stroll down historic West Main Street to learn about Louisville’s founding along the Ohio River and early years of commerce! From varying architectural styles, to the start of the whiskey trade, to redevelopment of a special district, you will discover many facts about this city that sits at the crossroads of north and south.
Jump back in time for a historic tour of the Civil Rights Markers throughout Downtown. The burgeoning movement of the 1960s, which swept across the South, ignited a spirit of protest among African American teenagers in Louisville, who emerged as the frontline activists, challenging discrimination in public accommodations.
Join us for a tour of Whiskey Row, the block-long entertainment district in the 100 block of West Main St. Historic Whiskey Row, originally a mile long and home to offices and warehouses for the bourbon and tobacco industries, is now a nationally recognized single iconic block in Louisville’s Downtown.
