Your Guide to Exploring Louisville and Southern Indiana

Render Capital’s home of Louisville and Southern Indiana is a lively, hip conurbation on the Ohio River with a lot to offer. Kentuckiana, as it is called, is a region of culture and opportunity with a diverse community. Louisville and Southern Indiana have a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, ranging from a variety of main-street businesses to startups across the health and tech industries.

It’s Derby week, and as all eyes fix on the action at Churchill Downs, we wanted to shine a light on some of the other great things Kentuckiana has to offer. From parks to boutiques to bars, here are some of our favorite places to explore in case you ever have the chance to visit, or move your startup here.

Stats and Fun Facts

• Population: 1.3 million
• Louisville’s Waterfront Park is comprised of 85 acres
• 95% of the world’s bourbon is produced in Kentucky
• There are 2,500 restaurants in Louisville
• The name was a tribute to King Louis XVI of France
• A 1937 flood submerged 60% of the city
• The Old Fashioned was invented in Louisville
• Frederick Law Olmsted designed eighteen parks in the city

Places to Eat

610 Magnolia, Wagner’s Pharmacy, Hammerheads, Feast, Con Huevos, Grind, Red Hog, El Mundo, Game, Harvest, Mayan Cafe, Jack Fry’s, Royal’s Hot Chicken, Louisville Cream, New Wave Burritos, Heart and Soy, Phở Ba Luu, Taco City, Parlour, The Exchange, La Bodeguita De Mima, Havana Rumba, Vietnam Kitchen, The Pine Room, Taco Luchador, Bar Vetti, Biscuit Belly, Red Top, Agave & Rye, Toasty’s Tavern, Torino’s Sandwich Bar, Emmy Squared, Naive, Portage House, The Red Yeti, Union Restaurant & Gameyard, Polly’s Freeze, The Post, Senora Arepa, Guacamole, Simply Thai, Green District, Chik’n & Mi, and Habana Blues Tapas.

Grab a Drink

Proof on Main, Against the Grain, Taj Louisville, Garage Bar, Monnik Beer, 8Up, Galaxie, Nouvelle, Atrium Brewing, Mile Wide Beer Co., Upland, Goodwood Brewing, The New Albanian, Hell or High Water, The Champagnery, Rabbit Hole, Gravely Brewing, Gertie’s, West Six Nulu, Ten20 Brewery, Match Cigar Bar, Pints and Union, Recbar 812, Floyd County Brewing Company, Akasha Brewing Company, and The Earl.

Coffee and Bakeries

Please and Thank You, Quills Coffee, Sunergos Coffee, Nord’s Donuts, Blue Dog Bakery, Wiltshire Pantry, Butchertown Bakery, Coffee Crossing, Starlight Coffee Co., Atlantic No. 5, Bean, Heine Brothers, Full Stop, North Lime Donuts, Plehn’s Bakery, Hi-Five Doughnuts, Pearl Street Coffee, and Smør Nordic Bakeri.

Shop Local

Scout, Carmichael’s Bookstore, Guestroom Records, Revelry Boutique, Misc. Goods Co., The Nitty Gritty, The Odd Shop, True North, Kozy Candles, Dress & Dwell, Him Gentleman’s Boutique, Paddock Shops, Woman-Owned Wallet, Work the Metal, Mahonia, Forage, Oneness Boutique, Louisville Stoneware, Quest Outdoors, Hazel + Hunt, Artist & Craftsman, Mamili, Fleur De Flea, and Westport Village.

Go Explore

Louisville Slugger Museum, Speed Art Museum, Woodford Reserve Distillery, Muhammad Ali Center, Frazier History Museum, Zanzabar, 21c Museum, The Parklands of Floyds Fork, Angel’s Envy Distillery, Big Four Bridge, Georgetown Drive-In, Cave Country Canoes on the Blue River, Jefferson Memorial Forest, Old Louisville Ghost Tour, Kentucky Science Center, Belle of Louisville Cruise, Old Forester Distillery, Muhammad Ali Childhood Home Museum, Idlewild Butterfly Farm, Cherokee Park, Waterfront Park, Churchill Downs, Flea Off Market, Copper & Kings, Mega Cavern, Actors Theatre, Falls of the Ohio, Kentucky Kingdom, Logan Street Market, The Craftery, KMAC, and LaGrange Quarry at Falling Rock Park.