Fern Creek, KY Local Area Information

The Louisville Zoo is not just for animal-watching. Feed the birds nectar at Lorikeet Landing, pet a wallaby or wallaroo (and learn the difference) in the Wallaroo Walkabout, and watch the seal and sea lion training demonstrations at Glacier Run. And if watching a giraffe bend and twist itself over a fence to munch on green leaves isn't enough entertainment, check out the splash park (open seasona... (read more)

This 90-minute walking tour covers half a mile of downtown Louisville. Costumed tour guides lead you through haunted historic buildings, including the Old City Jail, the Seelbach Hotel and the Brennen House. Tours begin at 8 PM, and reservations are required. read more about Louisville Ghost Tours (read more)

Part of the parks system developed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park, Cherokee Park features the 2.4-mile paved Scenic Loop that takes drivers, walkers, bikers and runners past a 9-hole golf course, playgrounds, a spray pool, a soccer field that doubles as an Ultimate Frisbee field and Baringer Hill, the perfect sledding spot in winter. read more about Cherokee Park (read more)

The Crescent Hill reservoir and Gatehouse opened in 1879 as the first step in the water purification process and today still play a key role in producing Louisville's drinking water. The reservoir is a settling basin where sediment from the Ohio River settles before the water moves to the next part of purification. Valves in the Gatehouse control the flow of water in and out of the reservoir. On... (read more)

For one weekend each year, Cherokee Triangle (a neighborhood just outside Cherokee Park in the Highlands) fills with artist's booths, live music and food vendors. The Cherokee Triangle Art Fair is a juried art fair and the major fundraiser for the neighborhood association. There are children's activities to entertain the kids while you browse the artists' stalls, a plant booth for any gardening de... (read more)

Carmichael's Bookstore is Louisville's oldest independent bookstore. It opened in 1978 and today has two locations, one in the Highlands neighborhood and one in Crescent Hill. In addition to books, papers, and magazines, both locations sell paper goods, including locally made greeting cards. They host readings and book signings. The Bardstown Road location connects to Heine Brothers Coffee and is ... (read more)

Squallis Puppeteers is a group of local artists and performers who use homemade puppets (some as tall as nine feet) to tell creative and educational stories. The non-profit group, whose name is taken from the Latin word for shark, offer shows on a number of topics, from healthy food and Abraham Lincoln to lessons on emotions presented by dinosaur puppets. Different stories are geared at different ... (read more)

Louisville's only arboretum is also the final resting place of Kentucky Fried Chicken's founder, Colonel Sanders, and Patty Smith Hill, who wrote (with her sister) the tune for the Happy Birthday song. The Cave Hill Heritage Foundation offers historical, geological and Civil War walking tours periodically throughout the year (the 2011 dates have yet to be announced), as well as a Twilight Driving ... (read more)

In Louisville, you can visit the grave of Patty Smith Hill, one of the sisters responsible for writing the "Happy Birthday" song, at Cavehill Cemetery; you can also visit Little Loomhouse, where the sisters first sang the song at a birthday party. Little Loomhouse consists of three cabins (all three are on the National Register of Historic Places) that served as Master Weaver Lou Tate's home, stor... (read more)

Located next to University of Louisville's Belknap campus, the Speed Museum is Kentucky's oldest and largest art museum. Admission is free for members, $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for children between 3 and 17, and free for children under 3. The first Friday night of the month is free for everyone (between 5 and 9 PM, not including special exhibitions). Children will enjoy Art Sparks, the a... (read more)