Louisville Lands on New York Times 2023 List of ‘52 Places to Go’
Between the Kentucky Derby every spring and bourbon culture all year long, those who live in Louisville have seen the city’s tourism grow for the last several years. This week, Louisville landed on the New York Times’ annual list of “52 Places to Go” for 2023.
The premise of the list is to highlight possible new and exciting travel destinations for the publication’s readers. “For 2023, some are cities on the rise both in the U.S. and around the world, some are popular spots worth revisiting, and others are far-flung destinations that you might not have heard about,” The Times Wrote in previewing the list.
Louisville landed at No. 40 on the list, which is not a ranking so much as a reference guide for travelers, offering reasons to visit the various spots, which this year range from a number of U.S. cities to farther-flung destinations like Auckland, New Zealand; Bhutan; the Namib Desert; Fukuoka, Japan, and Boquete, Panama.
About Louisville, The Times’ Paul L. Underwood writes that Louisville is not just one of the oldest cities west of the Appalachian Mountains but “arguably most beautiful,” noting the city’s parks system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and its “bourbon-filled convivial spirit.”
Screenshot from The New York Times
“Today, its L.G.B.T.Q. scene is also thriving, with hot spots like Chill Bar and Play Dance Bar, which hosts regular drag nights featuring touring artists,” Underwood wrote, also citing Louisville’s high ratings from the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for seven years running and two new L.G.B.T.Q. community centers.
“This spring brings Hotel Genevieve, from the Texas-based Bunkhouse Group, which offers Louisville-inspired touches like décor that pays homage to the city’s rich quilting heritage, an on-site market selling work from local artists and an art garden with rotating murals and bourbon selections from neighboring Rabbit Hole Distillery,” he wrote.
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