Columbus to Louisville road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Columbus to Louisville drive are Kings Island, Cincinnati and the Big Bone Lick Historic Site. The distance from Columbus to Louisville by car is 206 miles, with a 3h5m driving time.
Planning a Columbus to Louisville road trip
The drive from Columbus to Louisville connect the capital city of Ohio to the biggest city in Kentucky.
In Columbus, a three day attractions pass covers most of the top sights. These include the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. For other Columbus experiences, try scavenger hunts, a town tour aboard the Trolley Pub and the Legoland Discovery Center.
Good Louisville experiences include Old Louisville ghost tours, the Kentucky Derby Museum and a tasting tour of multiple bourbon distilleries. The food and history tours are also worth checking out.
Columbus to Louisville distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Columbus to Louisville is 206 miles. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and five minutes. The quickest route is down the I-71.
The best stops along the Columbus to Louisville driving route are Kings island, Cincinnati and the Big Bone Lick Historic Site.
Top attractions between Columbus and Louisville: Kings Island
Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, should fulfil all your theme park requirements. There are several thrill rides, including the giant frisbee-style Delirium, the shuttle-style Invertigo and Banshee, an inverted rollercoaster with seven inversions.
The Planet Snoopy section is more geared towards families and Coney Mall has rides that hark back to traditional fairgrounds.
Access to the Soak City water park is included in the ticket price.
Columbus to Louisville road trip stops: Cincinnati
Cincinnati is the biggest city in southern Ohio, with a wealth of attractions. Among the more distinctive are the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the American Sign Museum.
Top Cincinnati activities include underground tours – some with beer tasting – and food tours by streetcar. You can also try baseball history tours, indoor skydiving and guided ghost walks.
Columbus to Louisville drive: Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site offers short hiking trails and picnic tables, but the bison herd tends to be the big attraction here.
Bison haven’t lived in Kentucky since the 1800s, but the herd at Big Bone Lick harks back to the Ice Age. It’s a link to the historic site’s other key difference – several fossils have been found in paleontological digs here. The Diomara Pit recreates what has been found and the Visitor Center tells the story.
More Columbus road trips
Akron to Columbus | Columbus OH to Ann Arbor | Columbus OH to Atlanta | Columbus to Buffalo | Canton OH to Columbus OH | Columbus OH to Chicago | Columbus to Cincinnati | Columbus to Cleveland | Dallas to Columbus | Dayton to Columbus | Columbus to Detroit | Columbus to Indianapolis | Lexington to Columbus | Nashville to Columbus | Columbus to Philadelphia | Columbus to Pittsburgh | St Louis to Columbus | Toledo to Columbus.
More Louisville road trips
Atlanta to Louisville | Bowling Green to Louisville | Louisville to Chicago | Louisville to Cincinnati | Louisville to Cleveland | Louisville to Dallas | Louisville to Detroit | Evansville to Louisville | Louisville to Gatlinburg | Louisville to Indianapolis | Knoxville to Louisville | Louisville to Lexington KY | Louisville to Memphis | Louisville to Nashville | Pittsburgh to Louisville.