Why? While most travel to Louisville in May each year to attend the main and peripheral events surrounding the Kentucky Derby, there is no reason not to holiday in Kentucky at any other time of year. The pleasant city is lively, friendly, packed with an awesome array of restaurants and a beautiful park system that is second to none, sporting all manner of recreational attractions.

When? Winters in Louisville are very chilly, with some snow, so unless you enjoy cold weather it is best to pick another time of year to holiday in Louisville. Summers are extremely hot, spring and autumn warm, but it can be wet during any season so bring an umbrella.

Who for? A holiday in Louisville is not only for Kentucky Derby punters. The city is a great destination for families, with plenty of interesting museums and the lovely parks in which to pursue outdoor fun in the sun. Food-lovers can indulge themselves in a Louisville holiday with all sorts of cuisine on the menu, and baseball fans flock to the Louisville Slugger Museum.

More info: If you are planning to travel to Louisville find out all you need to know before you go to plan a perfect holiday with the help of our Louisville travel guide, which features details of attractions and events, and the public transport system.

Louisville Theatre ©

Louisville is world-renowned for being home to America's most exciting two sporting minutes each year when the Kentucky Derby is run at the famed Churchill Downs racetrack. The thundering of the hooves of thoroughbred racehorses, however, is not all this lively city on the banks of the Ohio River has to offer. Kentucky's largest city also offers scores of fine restaurants and a diverse arts community, and boasts some of America's most beautiful parks and renowned art and science museums.

Louisville is definitely a city of good taste, with more than 2,500 restaurants serving an astounding variety of cuisines, ranging from quiet cafés and coffee houses to ethnic restaurants and gourmet palaces. The city is big on the national sporting map, too, being the home of the famed Louisville Slugger, and baseball fans flock to the downtown museum dedicated to the 'Official Bat of Major League Baseball'. This, together with some exciting attractions like an indoor forest, a restored old sternwheeler river boat, an excellent zoo and a thrilling amusement park, makes Louisville a perfect family holiday destination, set in the very heart of America. The local tourist authority boasts that the city is within a day's drive of more than half the population of the United States.