Roller Coaster Road Trip 2014: Louisville, Kentucky - The Big Four Bridge and Waterfront Park

One of the best things about these roller coaster road trips is getting to visit places and do things you wouldn't ordinarily do on a vacation.  Every time my friends and I take a road trip to ride coasters, we always try to see and do things that are nearby, and it's always good.  One of our home bases for this year's trip was Louisville, Kentucky, a place that I'd never dreamed of visiting, but I'm glad I did.

  

allhailtheblackmarket

If you're from the Northeast and you ever visit virtually any Midwestern city, at least the ones I've been to, the first thing that'll strike you is that it seems as if not many people actually live in the cities.  All of these big buildings and the streets are empty.  I first noticed it on our last road trip when we visited Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati is a fairly large-sized city, but the one night we spent there it seemed like a ghost town.  No one around.  That's a far cry from New York City, where I'm from, where the streets are teeming with people virtually 24/7.  

Louisville is one of those Midwestern cities that seem almost deserted.  It's not as large as Cincy, but it does have a skyline and even though we were there at the beginning of the work week, it was still pretty empty at the time we were there. Though Louisville may not be a vacation destination for many of you out there, there are some pretty cool places to see and things to do here.

TripAdvisor lists 78 attractions in Louisville, and like attractions in any city, some are not for everybody. There are places there that many would love to visit, I'm sure, like the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory or Churchill Downs.  Then there's the Mohammed Ali Center and the Louisville Zoo. Well, we didn't do any of these things, but we did get to see some cool stuff anyway.   

The Big Four Bridge

One of the coolest things we did in Louisville was visit The Big Four Bridge and Waterfront Park.  I love bridges.  They fascinate me.  So when I saw the listing for the bridge and park in downtown Louisville, this was one of the places I wanted to see.  The edifice is a former railroad truss bridge first built in 1895 and refurbished in 1929.  The bridge spans Louisville and neighboring Jeffersonville, Indiana and is today simply a pedestrian bridge, and a beautiful one at that!  The three of us took a walk across the span and it was awesome.  The bridge offers great views of Louisville, as well as some good exercise.  Take a look at some photos...

Waterfront Park

Waterfront Park is indeed that, a waterfront park.  Nestled under the Big Four Bridge, this spot offers spectacular views and a nice place to sit and relax.  There's a playground, complete with sprinklers and barbecues and swings and such.  

Pretty cool, huh?  If you ever find yourself in the Louisville area, be sure to check out The Big Four Bridge and Waterfront Park for a relaxing afternoon, with some great exercise and spectacular views.  In the meantime, stay tuned for more of our Roller Coaster Road Trip 2014 and Louisville, Kentucky!