Attractions in Louisville

Boat Tours
The authentic 1914 stern-wheel steamboat The Belle of Louisville and her sister vessel The Spirit of Jefferson, both docked at Louisville's 4th Street wharf, offer sightseeing, sunset, lunch and dinner cruises on the Ohio River; phone (502) 574-2992 or (866) 832-0011.

Carriage Tours
Louisville Horse Trams Inc. provides downtown horse and carriage sightseeing tours in surreys after 6 p.m. Monday through Friday (weather permitting) and Saturday and Sunday beginning at 3; phone (502) 581-0100.

Walking Tours
Walking tour information is available at several locations. The Old Louisville Information Center, 1340 S. 4th St. in Central Park, is open Mon.-Fri. noon-4. The center offers brochures and maps of a walking tour that emphasizes the area's historic and Victorian architecture as well as a 20-minute video presentation describing the history of the neighborhood; phone (502) 635-5244.

The Greater Louisville Visitor Information Center, at Jefferson and Fourth streets across from the Kentucky International Convention Center, has maps and information about other sightseeing tours. The center is open Mon.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. noon-5; phone (888) 568-4784. The Main Street Association, 627 W. Main St., offers guided walking tours as well as brochures and information about the history of Main Street and its cast iron architecture; phone (502) 568-2220. The association is open Mon.-Fri. 11-3, Apr. 1-Dec. 1, or by appointment; all tours are weather permitting.

Shopping
Many of Louisville's historic buildings have been converted into shopping and dining complexes, which makes browsing for a special purchase even more interesting. Works by regional artists are sold at the Water Tower, a renovated 1861 industrial structure at River Road and Zorn Avenue. Antique shops along Bardstown Road offer many choices for collectors.

Fourth Street Live!, a pedestrian mall downtown on 4th Street between Liberty Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, is a retail, dining and entertainment zone as well as a venue for concerts and other outdoor events. A glass ceiling over 4th Street provides protection from the elements.

The Louisville area offers three enclosed suburban malls. To the east are Oxmoor Center and Mall St. Matthews, both on Shelbyville Road. Southeast of the city is Jefferson Mall, at the Outer Loop east of Preston Highway. Major department stores represented in these malls include Dillard's, JCPenney, Kohl's, Macy's and Sears.

East of the city in Shelbyville, English antiques and silver are the specialty of the Wakefield-Scearce Galleries.