The 22 Best Louisville Tours (by a local tour guide)

Welcome to Louisville, y’all! One of the best things to do in Louisville during your visit is to take a tour. You’ll get to sit back, relax, let someone else take care of logistics (and maybe even feed you and serve you drinks!) and just enjoy yourself for a few hours. Now THAT sounds like a vacation!

But which tours in Louisville are worth the price? I’ve gotcha covered – just consider us your personal tour guides. (No really – I also run tours in Louisville, so you might actually see me on your tour!) Here are the best Louisville tours, from food tours to bourbon and distillery tours to history and ghost tours. …And one baseball bat factory for good measure.

Psst: Looking for things to do in Louisville and nearby? Check out some of our other posts:

• The 10 Best Distilleries in Louisville, Kentucky (With a Map!)
• The 17 Best Bourbon Bars in Louisville, Kentucky
• Kentucky Bourbon Trail: the Perfect 3 Day Itinerary

Food Tours in Louisville

Louisville is a foodie city, y’all. We invented a bunch of delicious food that not enough people give us credit for, like beer cheese (yes! that was us!) and pulled pork (you’re welcome, everyone) and several more that not enough people have tried, like bourbon balls, the Hot Brown, Modjeskas, and Derby Pie. In fact, in our guide to delicious, famous Louisville & Kentucky foods, fried chicken didn’t even make the cut. Gasp.

So in a foodie city full of innovative, delicious culinary creatives, what’s the best way to stuff your face while learning all about Louisville and Kentucky’s heritage? If you guessed “food tour,” you get a gold star!

The premiere walking food tour company in Louisville is Louisville Food Tours, and they truly lead the best food tours in Louisville, with thousands of 5-star reviews on Google and TripAdvisor. Several of the below tours are run by them, and you can use our code LGL10 for 10% off your booking!

Louisville Food & History Tour in NuLu

The NuLu Food & History Walking Tour by Louisville Food Tours tells the story of Louisville and Kentucky through its cuisine. On 6 delicious stops, you’ll taste Kentucky classics like bourbon balls and fried chicken, see a historic home once occupied by Thomas Edison, taste a sweet treat inspired by a Victorian-era actress, and trace the history of German immigrants in Louisville.

• Explore NuLu & Butchertown while diving into the fascinating history of these two historic neighborhoods
• Taste 6-7 delicious dishes celebrating Louisville’s culinary heritage
• Sip local craft beer and refreshing bourbon slushies

Use the code LGL10 for 10% off your booking, and be sure to come hungry – there’s a lot of food on this tour. The 3 hour tour runs on Fridays and Saturdays at 1pm and 1:30 PM. Check availability now, or read our full tour review here!

Highlands Heritage Tastes & Tales Tour

Stroll through the historic Original Highlands and Cherokee Triangle neighborhoods savoring the story of Louisville and Kentucky one bite at a time on the Highlands Heritage Tastes & Tales Tour.

As you walk along some of Louisville’s oldest and most iconic streets, you’ll taste (and drink) delicious local specialties; visit the iconic entrance of Cave Hill Cemetery, final resting place of Muhammad Ali and Colonel Sanders; try a dish inspired by the Hot Brown in Muhammed Ali’s former boxing gym; sip bourbon in Louisville’s oldest bar; trace the footsteps of the immigrants who shaped the city; and admire opulent Victorian homes and historic architecture near stunning Cherokee Park.

• Taste 4 dishes and 3 drinks that represent Kentucky’s culinary heritage
• Sip bourbon in Louisville’s oldest bar
• Learn the gritty and glamorous story behind two of Louisville’s most historic neighborhoods

The 3 hour tour runs every day Weds – Sunday at 1:30 PM. Reserve your spot in advance and use the code LGL10 for 10% off your booking.

Beyond the Barrel: Bourbon & Bites Food Tour

Explore the taste, history, and impact of bourbon on this one-of-a-kind bourbon food tour – the only one like it in the world!

Experience bourbon like never before through expertly paired bites and cocktails that highlight the surprising versatility of Kentucky’s beloved amber spirit. As you explore the vibrant NuLu neighborhood, you’ll discover hidden speakeasies, rooftop terraces, and cozy tasting rooms. This tour is both a fantastic introduction to bourbon for the uninitiated, and a master class in bourbon and food pairing for aficionados!

• Explore the unfiltered history of bourbon in Kentucky
• Enjoy 3 cocktails and 2 pours showcasing bourbon’s versatility
• Savor 8-10 delicious paired bites at award-winning restaurants and bars in NuLu

This tour is offered Tue-Fri at 5 PM. Reserve your spot in advance and use the code LGL10 for 10% off your booking.

Pride Plates: A Taste of Kentucky’s Queer History

Come out with us and explore the queer stories of Louisville’s past and present as you eat and drink your way down Bardstown Road, Louisville’s gay epicenter!

As you stroll through the lush avenues of historic Cherokee Triangle, you’ll taste classic Kentucky bites such as fried chicken, spoonbread, and shrimp and grits paired with a selection of bourbon cocktails. Along the way, you’ll uncover the diverse history of Kentucky’s Queer folx, from a Black Prohibition-era drag queen to the poets, authors, and activists that paved the way for Kentucky’s Queer community.

• 4 Delicious dishes representing Louisville & Kentucky
• 5 Refreshing bourbon cocktails
• Fascinating stories of Kentucky’s queer history and its home-grown artists, authors, and activists

This tour is offered Weds – Friday, 6-8:30 PM. Reserve your spot in advance and use the code LGL10 for 10% off your booking.

Louisville Ghost Tours

Louisville is an old city .. and that means it’s haunted AF! While the best time of year to seek out scary thrills is during Halloween season, you can venture out after dark on these spooky tours in search of Louisville’s least living residents all year long.

Phantoms of the Prohibition Ghosts & Cocktails Tour

What would make a ghost tour even better? If you answered “drinking,” then this unique Whiskey Row walking tour is for you!

Venture out with Louisville Food Tours and explore the hidden stories of Louisville’s haunted past. As you eat and drink your way down Whiskey Row, you’ll meet the resident ghosts of Louisville’s historic downtown, trace the footsteps of bourbon magnates and mobsters, discover hidden speakeasies, and learn the shocking true story of Prohibition.

If you think you know a little about Prohibition, this tour just might have you questioning everything. Like for instance: Carry A. Nation, the hatchet-wielding saloon smashing Kentuckian that is the poster child for Debbie Downer temperance ladies, was actually a certified bada** who history has given a completely undeserved bad rep. Or that the Blue Lady, who haunts one of Louisville’s most famous historic hotels (you know, the one made famous by the Great Gatsby) was actually murdered by a celebrated Kentucky war hero.

The stories on this tour are as fascinating as the ghosts, and the Prohibition-era cocktails and spirits (paired with delicious small bites) make the perfect accompaniment to Louisville’s spooky history. Reserve your spot in advance – especially around Halloween time – and use the code LGL10 for 10% off.

Whispers On Whiskey Row: Murder, Crime, & The Ghosts Of Derby City

Step into the shadows of the past on a haunting history tour through the heart of downtown Louisville, once known as the “Graveyard of the West.”

On this dark history & ghost tour of Louisville, you’ll hear tragic true tales of fires, floods, conflict and unrest. Dive into salacious unsolved murders and dark scandals that gripped the community, leaving behind a trail of mystery and intrigue. And honor those whose stories are long forgotten or rewritten, who struggled against the chains of oppression leaving a legacy that should not be forgotten, such as …

• Ghosts and spirits whose souls still haunt the city
• Fires, floods, and plagues that ripped through the city leaving a wake of destruction
• Unsolved murders and shocking scandals

This 1.5 hour dark history & ghost walking tour is run by our friends at Louisville Food Tours (although it is NOT a food tour!) so you can use the code LGL10 for 10% off your booking! Tours run every night except for Mondays at twilight (specific hours change depending on the season). Reserve your spot online.

Old Louisville Ghost Tours

Old Louisville is said to be Louisville’s most haunted neighborhood. Ghosts lurk around the lush courtyards and streets of Old Louisville – and witches, too.

On a haunted walking tour of Old Louisville, you’ll listen to stories of wealthy titans who used to roam the streets as you explore St. James Court, Ormsby Avenue, Floral Terrace, and Millionaires Row by flickering gaslamp.

Waverly Hills Tour

Lots of ghost tours explore beautiful areas, so that you can appreciate the scenery while hearing ghost stories. But what if you don’t care about scenery and just want spine-tingling horror? Enter Waverly Hills, Louisville’s most haunted attraction – and one of the most haunted buildings in the entire country.

Waverly Hills was a tuberculosis sanatorium. And there is no question about how haunted it is: so many people died here that they literally had a body chute to efficiently dispose of the deceased. Yeah. Morbid.

If you dare, you can go on a guided tour of Waverly Hills, a tour that focuses more on the history, or a 6 hour long paranormal investigation. Heck, if you’re really feeling brave, you can spend the night there, too. Count us out, though.

But don’t try to book a tour during Halloween season! All season long, Waverly Hills turns into a super creepy, legitimately haunted house instead (and it’s one of our favorite local haunted houses)!

Distillery & Bourbon Tours in Louisville

Did you know that there are a bunch of awesome distilleries right in the heart of Louisville? Yep, you don’t have to go anywhere to taste bourbon, rye whiskey, brandy, or gin. We have it all!

Pretty much every distillery in Louisville offers a tour or two, so we’re going to summarize a few of our favorites below. We’ve got a detailed guide to distilleries in Louisville with more!

Bourbon Tours in Louisville

Did you know that there are 8 bourbon distilleries located right in Louisville? We’ve got a whole guide to distilleries in Louisville, but here are a few of our favorites to tour:

• Angel’s Envy Distillery: NuLu’s premiere bourbon distillery is absolutely gorgeous, and a tour is well worth it (especially if you tack it on before or after a NuLu food tour which ends a block away!) The Angel’s Envy Signature Tour offers an hour-long deep-dive into the distillery’s history to learn about the distilling process from start to finish. The tour concludes with a tasting of the Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Casks and Rye Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks. If you want to get a little more hands on, check out the Bottle Your Own Tour,
• Michter’s Distillery At the Michter’s “micro distillery” located in the historic Fort Nelson Building on Museum Row, you can take the Discovery Tour, which offers a brief one-hour overview of the Michter’s distilling, barreling, and the extra steps they take to pursue their goal of making the “greatest American whiskey”. The tour concludes with a tasting of five Michter’s expressions.
• Rabbit Hole Distillery: During the one-hour, immersive guided tour of this contemporary, industrial-chic distillery in NuLu, you’ll learn about how grains are transformed into whiskey, how Rabbit Hole’s philosophy is changing the bourbon industry, taste a 4-grain Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and end at the Overlook lounge for a generous bourbon tasting with a view. Book a bourbon food tour before or after your tour to dive even deeper into bourbon – it will start and end less than a block away!

Beyond the Barrel Bourbon & Bites Food Tour

Experience bourbon like never before on this guided bourbon and food pairing walking tour through Louisville’s NuLu district! This tour explore the taste, history, and impact of bourbon through expertly paired bites and cocktails that highlight the surprising versatility of Kentucky’s beloved amber spirit.

As the sun dips below the horizon, you’ll discover hidden speakeasies, rooftop terraces, and cozy tasting rooms while diving deep into the unfiltered story of bourbon.

This guided tour is both a fantastic introduction to bourbon for the uninitiated, and a master class in bourbon and food pairing for experienced aficionados! This tour runs Weds, Thurs and Friday at 5 PM, and you can use the code LGL10 for 10% off your booking when you book your ticket in advance.

Copper & Kings Distillery

Guess what, y’all? There’s more than just bourbon distilleries in Louisville! The Butchertown-based Copper & Kings Distillery produces brandy, absinthe, gin, and a variety of liqueurs, all made from American-grown grapes and apples.

The one-hour Copper & Kings Experience will show you how their spirits are made with a tasting experience where you will sample from their core portfolio of innovative spirits including American Brandy, Gin, Absinthe & Liqueurs.

Or, try the Barrel-to-Bottle Experience where you’ll sample the full lineup of cask-strength, limited release spirits and dive into the science and the art of barrel aging while tasting the diverse flavor profiles of unique barrels and finishes. Following the tasting, you can fill your own selection straight from the barrel for a souvenir bottle to take home with you!

Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tours

While not technically *in* Louisville, Louisville makes a fantastic jumping-off point to explore bourbon distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Yep, that means you can taste bourbon without having to worry about the logistics of safely navigating those winding backcountry roads!

On this bourbon trail tour, you’ll meet in downtown Louisville (or get a pickup from your hotel) and get to pick 3 bourbon distilleries from a list of 15. If we might offer a suggestion, there are two bourbon distillery tours on the Kentucky Bourbon trail which are well worth the day trip: Woodford Reserve and Maker’s Mark.

• Maker’s Mark: The grounds of Maker’s Mark are stunning: stained glass artworks, a stream running through the grounds, those cute little red shutters on all of the buildings, a delicious farm-to-table restaurant. But the tour of Maker’s Mark is the best part of all – because it is truly a barrel to bottle tour. You’ll see and learn about everything, from the rickhouses and finishing rooms to the private tasting areas and even have a chance to see bottle labelling and watch as bottles are dipped into their iconic bright red wax. Every single bottle of Maker’s Mark is made here, dipped and labelled by hand. It’s mind-boggling and SO cool to see! Plus, you’ll get a chance to dip your very own bottle of bourbon.
• Woodford Reserve: The grounds of Woodford Reserve are stunning, as is the drive to get there through winding horse farms lined with that iconic Kentucky fencing. But the beauty continues along every single step of this tour: it’s simply the most aesthetic, historic distillery we’ve been to! Woodford Reserve only makes a small number of barrels, and they’re exquisite. You’ll get to taste their original bourbon and finished bourbon along with a delicious chocolate bourbon ball.

The Evan Williams Experience

The Evan William’s experience is unique in Louisville. It’s not a distillery, it’s an experience. And y’all, it’s so cool! On the 45-minute long Speakeasy Tour, you will be transported back in time as you sneak through a safe into a hidden Prohibition-era speakeasy, complete with a 1920’s bartender who’s brimming with historic bourbon knowledge!

During your trip back in time you’ll get to try plenty of samples of Evan Williams bourbon – and hopefully make it out safely without being busted by a hatchet-wielding member of the Temperance Movement. This fun and unique experience is surprisingly affordable (and kid-friendly, as far as bourbon tastings go) and comes with a souvenir distillers glass.

Louisville Brewery Tour

Looking for a beer-focused tour? Look no further than Derby City Brew Tours. Their daily “beer walk” visits 3 breweries in Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood. They also offer a small bites tour that includes a few samplings from delicious local eateries.

Historic Louisville Tours

From walking tours exploring the area’s history and architecture to a peek inside a historic home and a look back at the most iconic sporting event in Louisville’s history, here are the best historic tours of Louisville!

The Highlands Food, History & Architecture Tour

The Original Highlands is one of Louisville’s oldest neighborhoods – and its most quirky. Tree-lined avenues house elegant Richardsonian Romanesque, sophisticated Queen Anne, and dignified Italianate homes that date back to Louisville’s founding. Historic Victorian homes branch off of a vibrant thoroughfare that stretches all the way to Bourbon country, lined with vibrant murals, eclectic shops and hip local restaurants & bars.

Explore the area on a walking food tour of the historic Highlands, which dives into the history of Louisville and Kentucky while tasting and drinking local specialties at beloved locally-owned eateries!

As you walk along some of Louisville’s oldest and most iconic streets, you’ll taste (and drink) iconic Kentucky culinary creations; visit the grand entrance of Cave Hill Cemetery, the final resting place of Muhammad Ali and Colonel Sanders; learn about Louisville’s surprising disco ball history at the place where they are still made to this day; and admire beautiful Victorian homes in the Original Highlands and Cherokee Triangle neighborhood while learning about different styles of architecture from Louisville’s opulent heyday.

The 3 hour tour runs every day Weds – Sunday at 1:30 PM. Reserve your spot in advance and use the code LGL10 for 10% off your booking.

The Conrad-Caldwell House Museum

Step back in time to the Victorian grandeur of Louisville’s Gilded Age on a tour of the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum. Constructed in 1895, this Richardsonian Romanesque castle is one of the most unique mansions in historic Old Louisville.

It was built to house two of Louisville’s most prominent businessmen and entrepreneurs, and today it has been perfectly restored to the Edwardian Age, featuring stained glass, intricate woodwork carved with fleur de lis, luscious textiles, chandeliers, and a whole lot of opulence! They just don’t make them like they used to.  Oh and yes… it’s haunted (and even offers a ghost tour during spooky season! Learn more in our guide to Louisville ghost tours.)

Locust Grove

The historic home of Lucy Clark – sister of General George Rogers Clark, of “Lewis & Clark” Fame – was a meeting place for important American luminaries in the late 1700s. Presidents James Monroe and Andrew Jackson, John James Audubon, Cassius Marcellus Clay (not Muhammad Ali, I was confused too), and both Lewis and Clark—among others—all passed through Locust Grove.

Locust Grove has been beautifully preserved and maintained as a museum and a National Historic Landmark, and serves as a unique example of early Kentucky architecture, craftsmanship, and history. Take the 90-minute Unfolding the Story tour, which will immerse you in the year 1816 as you witness the sights, smells and sounds of a 19^th-century farm all while learning about the lives and stories of the enslaved community at Locust Grove. 

Old Louisville History and Architecture Tour

History and Architecture Tours of Old Louisville are offered daily from March to November and are a nice introduction to “America’s Grandest Victorian Neighborhood”.

Louisville is home to the largest collection of Victorian homes in the country, and just like the historic Highlands neighborhood, the Old Louisville neighborhood is truly grand. Flickering gas lamps line the pedestrian-only paths winding past a massive fountain adorned with flowers. Also, there’s a giant pink castle. And a witch’s tree!

The Secrets and Scandals of Old Louisville Tour

The Secrets and Scandals of Old Louisville Tour focuses on the gritty underside of Louisville high society against the gorgeous scenery of Old Louisville and St. James Court.

Based on Dominé’s recent book A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City: Murder, Secrets, and Scandal in Old Louisville which has been compared to Louisville’s version of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, you’ll learn about a gay murder house, rich debutantes marrying into failing European estates, ghostly gunshots, and why Louisville is nicknamed “glitter ball city”.

Thomas Edison House

Thomas Edison, famed inventor of the light bulb, came to Louisville in 1866, at age 19, to work as a telegraph key operator, a career he’d dabble in for many more years. During Edison’s years as a telegrapher he became fascinated with improving the telegraph. Most of his early inventions were either improvements of the telegraph or similar machines.

You can tour the shotgun duplex where he lived during his year in Louisville in the Butchertown neighborhood, called the Thomas Edison House. (You’ll also stop there on a NuLu food tour! The street neighbors Nulu.)

The Kentucky Derby Museum

The Kentucky Derby Museum, located at Churchill Downs, preserves the legacy of the Kentucky Derby. But if you really want to know what it’s like to experience the derby, you’ve got to sign up for one of their many guided tours.

On the Backside Tour, you’ll get to experience a once-in-a-lifetime view of the Twin Spires from the other side of the track: the Backside of Churchill Downs.  Or take the Bourbon and Bridles experience to combine a tour of the track with Bourbon tasting, and a Mint Julep cocktail mixing experience!

• Psst: Interested in attending the Kentucky Derby? We have a whole first-timers guide to the Derby for you to read!

Louisville Bus (& Trolley) Tours

Want to relax on a comfortable seat while driving around the city and seeing the sights from the window of a bus or trolley? These tours are for you!

Trolley de Ville

Once upon a time, when I was in high school (which honestly wasn’t all that long ago), trolleys were the main form of transit in downtown Louisville. They rode up and down Main Street and Market, and you could hop on and off wherever you liked. That era has sadly gone, but what we do have now is Trolley de Ville: old fashioned trolley tours of Louisville!

Their public narrated trolley tour covers a lot in just 90 minutes. You’ll visit Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and America’s largest collection of Victorian style homes in Old Louisville. Book on their website.

City Taste Tours

City Taste Tours is a homegrown bus tour, which includes a few small bites from local spots and visits a few of Louisville’s coolest attractions.

Your tour guides will take you along on a guided historical tour of Louisville with a few samples along the way.  From the comfort of your seat, you’ll cruise through the Victorian Mansions of Old Louisville and make pit stops to get out and explore/shop at Churchill Downs and Museum Row.

“Made in Louisville” Tours

Louisville Slugger Museum

One the best tours in Louisville is also one of its the most unique. Louisville Slugger bats are known worldwide by sports fans (and casual baseball fans who mostly just like to go to games for the beer and vibes) for being the best in the industry, used by greats like Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente – whose bats are on display at the museum inside the factory!

On a tour of the Louisville Slugger factory you’ll get to see the bats being made, try your hand at the batting cage using bats from famous baseball stars, and walk away with an awesome souvenir – a mini Louisville Slugger bat! Finding the museum is easy – just look for the world’s largest Baseball Bat. It’s 120 feet tall.

Bourbon Barrel Foods Tour

Ever heard of bourbon barrel aged soy sauce? Bourbon Barrel Foods created this delicious and innovative soy sauce right here in Louisville almost 20 years ago, and has since expanded to offering over 100 delicious bourbon-barrel-smoked products. They truly embody their slogan, “eat your bourbon.”

Take a tour of their Butchertown facility and learn about the production process, from start to finish – and savor all the delicious bourbon-smoked smells. After your tour, you can order unique cocktails at their gorgeous bar while enjoying a one-of-a-kind tasting – think strawberries dipped in soy sauce and bourbon-smoked sugar.

While you’re there, you’ll have the chance to taste and ship their full line of yummy products, from barbecue sauces, spices, and marinades to every kind of soy sauce and even barrel-aged sorghum. It’s a delicious experience that you can truly ONLY do in Louisville, y’all!

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Which tours in Louisville are you most excited to try? Drop us a comment below.

Looking for more things to do during your visit to Louisville? Take a look at these posts to help plan your trip:

• The 10 Best Distilleries in Louisville, Kentucky (With a Map!)
• The 63 Best Things to Do in Louisville, Kentucky (by a local)
• Louisville Weekend Trip: The Perfect 3-Day Itinerary
• The 17 Best Bourbon Bars in Louisville, Kentucky

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