Central Park (Louisville)

Spread a blanket for free Shakespeare under the summer stars, then walk the Olmsted paths of a 17-acre park among the Victorian mansions of Old Louisville.

1340 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40208 · Louisville, KY

About Central Park (Louisville)

Central Park is a 17-acre park in Old Louisville on the former DuPont family estate, laid out in 1904 and 1905 to plans by the Olmsted firm. In 1883 most of the grounds were roofed over for the Southern Exposition, one of the first large public showings of Thomas Edison's light bulb. Each summer the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival stages free plays at the C. Douglass Ramey Amphitheater, a tradition that began in the park in 1960. The park also has walking paths, a playground, a spray pad, tennis courts and the Old Louisville Visitors Center.

#city park
#olmsted
#shakespeare
#old louisville
#outdoor theater

What's around here?

The closest stops to Central Park (Louisville), ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Museums
Rainy-Day Pick
Speed Art Museum
$25–$50
See art from antiquity to the present, including works by Rembrandt, Rubens and Monet, at a Louisville museum founded in 1927.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
The Louisville Palace
Check prices
Historic downtown Louisville theater that now hosts concerts and live music shows.
1.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Iconic
Kentucky Derby Museum
Under $25
Explore two floors of Kentucky Derby history, watch a 360-degree film and join a guided track visit at Churchill Downs.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sports & Outdoors
Falls of the Ohio State Park
Under $25
Indiana state park on the Ohio River, known for its exposed Devonian fossil beds and interpretive center.
3.2 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Local Gem
Cherokee Park
Check prices
Walk, run or bike the 2.4-mile Scenic Loop through Frederick Law Olmsted's rolling meadows and woods along Beargrass Creek in Louisville's Highlands.
3.7 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Local Gem
Shawnee Park
Check prices
Picnic on the Olmsted-designed Great Lawn above the Ohio River, then walk or bike a stretch of Louisville's Riverwalk Trail.
4.2 mi awayMore like this