Where to stay near Louisville, KY?

[torquelover]

Our trip will require a stop in the Louisville area. We don't need to stay in the city. Is there a nice suburb South of the city, up to an hour or so away, with some newer hotels/restaurants anyone recommends?

 

[jimandami]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites Louisville East two weekends ago for a gymnastic meet and it was great. It is a newer hotel that was probably one of the most well run ES we have stayed in...and we stay in them a lot! It's not downtown but in a more surburban area and there were a few restaurants just across the street, but we ended up just eating dinner at the restaurant. You cannot beat the free breakfast and the manager's reception...they actually allowed us to order from the restaurant while drinking our free beverages from the reception, which was quite nice.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I would recommend Elizabethtown if you are looking for economy hotels(places like Hampton/Holiday Inn etc) and you are looking for interstate type fare like Cracker Barrel. The Louisville Airport/Expo area has quite a few hotels, but are thin on good restaurants. Further south you will find quite at bit at Bowling Green, that is more 90 minutes south of Louisville. You will also find hotels just before crossing into Louisville, and again in the downtown area. The east side of Louisville has the largest selection of hotels and best restaurant selection IMO, but that would take you out of the way.

 

[Gondingl]

I second the Embassy Suites East. It is a greatly ran hotel, with reception hour and the rooms are quite spacious as well - something I find very handy after a car ride. But if you don't want to veer too far off of I65, the Hampton Inn Louisville Downtown is really nice, right downtown and usually very nicely priced as well! Welcome to Kentucky!

 

[tracynicole21]

If you are passing through the Northern Kentucky area anywhere between, say, Newport and Florence, you have tons of options. Florence, in particular, is a great suburb closer to Cincinnati, OH but a little over 1 hour from Louisville. However, there are tons of restaurants, stores, and even a mall if you want something to do for the evening (and of course many hotels). If you're looking for something closer to Louisville, I would go onto tripadvisor and do a search around the Louisville area and look at the hotel ratings.

 

[MrsHammer]

I would recommend Elizabethtown if you are looking for economy hotels(places like Hampton/Holiday Inn etc) and you are looking for interstate type fare like Cracker Barrel. The Louisville Airport/Expo area has quite a few hotels, but are thin on good restaurants. Further south you will find quite at bit at Bowling Green, that is more 90 minutes south of Louisville. You will also find hotels just before crossing into Louisville, and again in the downtown area. The east side of Louisville has the largest selection of hotels and best restaurant selection IMO, but that would take you out of the way.

I live in Bowling Green (woo hoo). If you happen to be coming into Louisville from I71, there are several places to stay at and eat right on the Gene Snyder freeway. The first few exits have many new restaurants, stores and hotels. If you are a fan of Corvettes and have some extra time, stop here in BG and check out the National Corvette Museum and factory. Every Corvette is built here.

 

[torquelover]

Thanks for all the replies. We've booked the Embassy Suites Chattanooga Hamilton Place on the way down and the Elizabethtown Hampton Inn for the way back. Both seem to get okay reviews on Tripadvisor, and the Embassy is connected to a Ruth's Chris which will be nice after the long first leg drive.