WELCOME TO LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY Though shorter than skyscrapers, the Muhammad Ali Center towers over downtown Louisville. More than a boxing museum, the values, influence and remarkable life of the most recognizable man in the world unfold in a waterfront complex ... More BLACK GENESIS Although St. Louis claims to be the starting point of the great Western Expedition, explorers Lewis & Clark began their expedition actually began in Louisville where they chose York to be their slave guide in 1803 ... More
CULTURAL SITES Kentucky Center for African American Heritage is rising among a cluster of renovated buildings at Muhammad Ali Boulevard and 18th Street. For decades the city's streetcars and buses, were repaired and stored here ... More
RESTAURANTS and NIGHTCLUBS Café Kilimanjaro, The Jazz Factory, Jay's Café, Expressions of You and several more nightclubs and restaurants make for fond memories and nice weekend getaways in Louisville ... More
SHOPS and GALLERIES Ed Hamilton Studios by the sculptor known for his monuments of York, Black Civil War Soldiers, Booker T. Washington at Hampton University, Joe Louis, and the Amistad Memorial ... More
BLACK JOCKEYS When Thoroughbred Racing was in its infancy, most great jockeys were African American. In the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, 14 of 15 were Black jockeys and 15 of the first 28 Derby races were won by Black jockeys ... More MUHAMMAD ALI CENTER PRESENTS THE LIFE OF A HERO MAC is the definitive repository of Ali’s biographical materials. A Louisville native, Ali's backstory is covered from his roots, to his boxing career, his societal and religious convictions, stand against the unjust Vietnam War, and ... More
SPEED PLANTATION, A MIXED PATH TO FREEDOM Farmington Home was built from a plan by Thomas Jefferson and completed in 1816 for John and Lucy Speed, wealthy hemp plantation owners. Every part of the enterprise was made profitable by the labor of slaves who were also frequently hired out to neighboring plantations ... More
HISTORIC SITES From York Monument to Russell District to I. Willis Cole Residence to Columbia Gym where Cassius Clay trained to Central High Scool to Farmington Historic Home and more, Louisville is loaded with Black history sites ... More
FAMILY ATTRACTIONS Louisville Slugger Museum, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville Science Center, Louisville Zoo, Louisville Waterfront Park, Louisville Slugger Field ... More
GENERAL ATTRACTIONS Kentucky Center for the Arts is more than a premier performance venue, it also has an appreciation for Black Heritage. In the 1930s, 40s and 50s ... More
ART and HISTORY MUSEUMS Kentucky Derby Museum, Frazier Historical Arms Museum, Speed Art Museum, Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft and International Museum of the Horse ... More
TRIVIA and FAMOUS RESIDENTS Located on the banks of the Ohio River southeast of Chicago, east of St. Louis, northwest of Atlanta, and west of Philadelphia, Louisville is one of the most accessible cities in the country ... More
RESEARCH CREDITS:
Lysa Allman-Baldwin
Thomas Dorsey
Calvin Young
Sheila Umolu
BLACK CULTURAL TRAVEL MADE EASY