6 Flags Kentucky(have free kids tickets) or Holiday World

[sumrmist]

The Bernheim Arboretum and Forest are really neat. They are at exit 113 on 65. IF you are going south then take exit 113 and then turn left at the end of the ramp. There are also some historical things to do at Bardstown. We are headed there next weekend. My dad is from that area.

[SDFgirl]

I second the Louisville Bats game, if they're at home. The games are really fun and have a real "small-town" feel to them. Plus, the kids might see "Jake the Diamond Dog" who entertains between innings!

I also second visiting the Louisville Zoo. They have a new baby elephant who I hear is adorabe! And they have a splash park for the kids to cool down in.

You should be pretty close to 4th Street Live since you're staying downtown. There are a lot of restaurants there, plus a big Borders bookstore and Lucky Strike bowling (which is expensive at night, might be lower during the day).

If you want to get away from downtown for a bit, you could head up to the Highlands neighborhood which is pretty close to downtown. It's a really cool, walkable neighborhood with lots of shops and restaurants. Some family-friendly places in the Highlands include Wick"s Pizza (my personal fave!), Ditto's Bar and Grill, or Mark's Feed Store (good BBQ and I think they have a kids eat free night...). All three of these restaurants are on Bardstown Road. Here's a website with reviews of Louisville restaurants: www.louisvillehotbytes.com

For some hiking/nature, head down to Bernheim Forest south of Louisville. It's beautiful...they have a new canopy tree walk where you can walk way high up in the trees.

Have fun! You will love Louisville! Please feel free to PM me if you want more info.

[madge]

Originally Posted by sumrmist

The Bernheim Arboretum and Forest are really neat. They are at exit 113 on 65. IF you are going south then take exit 113 and then turn left at the end of the ramp. There are also some historical things to do at Bardstown. We are headed there next weekend. My dad is from that area.

LOVE Bernheim Forest. love it. I wish we could get there more often.

[insoin]

Good to hear so many nice things said about Louisville. Did anyone already say the Science Museum? It's really neat.

I know you already said you would go to Holiday World, and here is another vote for it. I live about 10 minutes from Ky Kingdom, and would go to Holiday World any day

To bad we dont have the fountian in the middle of the river anymore huh ?

[wiggles]

would have to argee with everyone else. Holiday world is a great, fun, clean park. We go every year. Probably in the next few weeks. Also in Bowling Green there is Beech Bend and the Russell sims aquatic center. We went to the aquatic center several times a summer until we got our pool. Not very expensive either.

[tooh8ful]

The Old Spaghetti Factory is right down town, good and fairly inexpensive.

I second the vote for Lynn's, its WONDERFUL.

I can think of a million other great places to eat but not necessarily kid friendly. Sorry

Have fun!

[Praying Colonel]

Originally Posted by chalex

I think it's got to be Holiday World. To be honest I think I already knew that!
I was just trying to save some pennies. However, I just got a steal on the hotel. Hyatt Palce for $42 a night.
Total for 5 nights on the Hyatt website is $695 + tax

Just hope getting to all the attractions downtown is not going to be a hassle.

As for Mammoth Cave, it's already on the list. I think the kids are going to do the TROG tour.

I am so excited. We leave in 2 days time.

Thanks for all the helpful advice. Please keep it coming. Especially good / kid friendly places to eat.
Angie

W.W. Cousins on Breckinridge Lane has kids-eat-free nights on Monday and Tuesday. Great burgers, sandwiches, fish and a fixins bar to rival Pecos Bills.

Louisville also has a lot of great locally-owned restaurants. They may not fit within a budget but they are exceptional. Others have already mentioned Lynn's Paradise Cafe, which has an eclectic menu and crazy decor that'll keep everybody interested. You can read more reviews of Louisville restaurants at this Courier-Journal link----> clicky clicky

[chalex]

Now I'm getting worried that 6 days is not enough.

The Hyatt Place is on South Hurstbourne Parkway, East of downtown.
Where should I park downtown?

We will be visiting the slugger museum, science museum, frazier museum, waterfront; not all on the same day of course.

The Bats are at home on 6/29 and although my kids are not big baseball fans (both love soccer) I know they will enjoy it and I can always bribe them with the fireworks!

Now I need to put together an itinerary so we don't forget anything.

I couldn't have done this without all your help. A heartfelt thank-you to you all.

One of the moms on my daughters soccer team called and asked me 'what' on earth are we going to do in Kentucky for 2 weeks. If only she knew!

Angie

[Praying Colonel]

There are lots of parking garages downtown, and during the evenings and on weekends you can use any of the metered parking for free.

Please give us a report when you return--I love living in Louisville and hope you enjoy our town!

[ICF]

Originally Posted by cfknight

I would MOST definatly choose holiday world! We just got back saturday and it was awsome. Food was really cheap,FREE COKES ALL DAY, rides and crowds were great. 2 of the rides had a good wait but for a saturday it was not bad. IMHO I can't stand KY kingdom. way,way to small for the amount of people, and expensive!

Just to clarify since it may be important to some...the free drinks aren't "cokes" but Pepsi products. They do have water / lemonade / iced tea and gatorade available as well for free.

They have food prices on their website, and you can beat them at other parks. I had BBQ sandwich, baked beans, fires and cookie when I was there and I it was either $4.99 or $5.99 and was very good.

We love the park and were there last week on a Friday and the crowds weren't bad at all. Our longest wait in the water park was probably 15-20 mins. They have 3 roller coasters at the park and the other smaller rides. Our kids are young, but I would imagine the older kids (12+) would like the water park, but not be that crazy about the rids in the Holiday World section as there are not a lot of "thrill rides".

The free parking , free suntan lotion, and free parking all make it a fun place to go.

[Alesia]

Originally Posted by madge

I don't want to hijack the thread - but, I do have a question about Holiday World and crowds. From what I understand, it's better to go during the week. What about July 4th or 5th? does anyone know if it's wall to wall people around the holiday?

I've never been on the 4th, but we go every year on the 5th of July (DD's birthday.) It's busy, but not unbearable. Saturdays are ridiculous, but Sundays are not bad. The best advise I can give you is to go to Splashin' Safari first. First thing in the morning there are no lines for the water slides. That changes by about 1:00. The lines in Holiday World aren't generally long in the afternoon unless it is VERY busy.

[madge]

Originally Posted by Alesia

I've never been on the 4th, but we go every year on the 5th of July (DD's birthday.) It's busy, but not unbearable. Saturdays are ridiculous, but Sundays are not bad. The best advise I can give you is to go to Splashin' Safari first. First thing in the morning there are no lines for the water slides. That changes by about 1:00. The lines in Holiday World aren't generally long in the afternoon unless it is VERY busy.

good to know, thanks!

[Alesia]

I honestly think you might save money by going to Holiday World. At Kentucky Kingdom you have to pay to park and food and drinks are incredibly expensive. I have Heard that 1 slice of pizza is more than $6. We can feed 4 people dinner for less than $20 at Holiday World.

The Bakuli (the new water slide) is awesome!!!

[Pugrpooh]

Originally Posted by chalex

Now I'm getting worried that 6 days is not enough.

The Hyatt Place is on South Hurstbourne Parkway, East of downtown.
Where should I park downtown?

We will be visiting the slugger museum, science museum, frazier museum, waterfront; not all on the same day of course.

The Bats are at home on 6/29 and although my kids are not big baseball fans (both love soccer) I know they will enjoy it and I can always bribe them with the fireworks!

Now I need to put together an itinerary so we don't forget anything.

I couldn't have done this without all your help. A heartfelt thank-you to you all.

One of the moms on my daughters soccer team called and asked me 'what' on earth are we going to do in Kentucky for 2 weeks. If only she knew!

Angie

The museums are all within a block of each other on Main St. There's a parking garage right behind Slugger Museum and a parking lot behind the Science Museum off of River Rd.

I haven't been to the Ali Center yet, but DH took some people there and they really enjoyed it. That's also right there in the same area.

I heard someone from the Bats on the radio this morning and they have a lot of things planned for their long home stretch coming up. One night they are having the LA Lakers dancers to dance between innings and they may be having fireworks after a game. You can probably find the info on their website.

Mark's Feed Store has great bbq and sides. Either Mon. or Tues. nights kids eat free and the other night is free dessert night. I can't remember which is which though.

I don't know where you're coming in from, but the Newport Aquarium is a nice place to visit, and there's also King's Island north of Cincinnati (but not cheap). KK has added new water attractions in the water park, but we haven't been yet, and I've never been to Holiday World.

The Kentucky Derby Museum is very nice and easy to get to from downtown.

Mammoth Cave is a must. Go to their website to reserve your tours -- sometimes they sell out in the summer.

Shakertown and Old Fort Harrod are nice if you're in that area. Also the Perryville battlefield, although I've only been there for the reenactment and there's probably not a whole lot to see at other times.

The splash park at the zoo is nice. We took DD5 there a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday and they were very crowded, but it's big enough and there's such a lot to do that she was fine. The splash park at Waterfront Park is good too.

You can take the Belle of Louisville boat ride on the river. I think it's air conditioned now.

Locust Grove, Farmington, Farnsley Moreman House, and Edison House are historic homes here.

I could go on, I keep thinking of other things to do but this is long enough! Louisville has a nice website that lists all of the attractions and activities.

Have fun!

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!

[Indianadisneyfan]

It's Holiday World for me also. I have been to Kentucky Kingdom once, and the only reason that I went then it was for a work picnic/ get together. I would never go back even if I got in free again. To many little "punks" walking around with their pants half off. I also say lot of women ( and yes I don't mind seeing them in bathing suits) walking around in them riding rides and it wasn't a pretty site. You won't see that at Holiday World. When you leave the swimming area you have to have all your clothes on over your bathing suit.