Louisville to Cincinnati drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Louisville to Cincinnati drive are the La Grange Railroad Museum, General Butler State Resort Park and Big Bone Lick Historic Site. The distance from Louisville to Cincinnati by car is 100 miles, with a driving time of 1h36m.
Planning a Louisville to Cincinnati road trip itinerary
The drive from Louisville to Cincinnati takes you from Kentucky’s biggest city over the border into southern Ohio.
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.
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.
Louisville to Cincinnati distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Louisville to Cincinnati is 100 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 36 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-71.
The best stops to add to a Louisville to Cincinnati road trip itinerary are the La Grange Railroad Museum, General Butler State Resort Park and Big Bone Lick Historic Site.
La Grange Railroad Museum
If trains are your thing, then the La Grange Railroad Museum should keep you happily occupied for an hour or two. The museum hosts vintage rolling stock and all manner of railroad memorabilia, but the real delight comes from the model railroad.
Someone has clearly had a great deal of fun putting this together…
General Butler State Resort Park
The centerpiece of the General Butler State Resort Park in Carrolton is the red brick, Federal-style Butler-Turpin Historic House, which was built in 1859. Tours of the house are available, but on a sunny day you’re better off outdoors.
Head to the Overlook for splendid views over the confluence of the Kentucky and Ohio River, or hire a kayak from the boat dock.
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 Louisville road trips
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More Cincinnati road trips
Akron to Cincinnati | Cincinnati to Atlanta | Cincinnati to Boston | Cincinnati to Buffalo | Cincinnati to Chicago | Cincinnati to Cleveland | Columbus to Cincinnati | Cincinnati to Dallas | Cincinnati to Denver | Cincinnati to Detroit | Cincinnati to Houston | Cincinnati to Kansas City | Cincinnati to Knoxville | Cincinnati to Indianapolis | Cincinnati to Memphis | Nashville to Cincinnati | Cincinnati to New Orleans | Cincinnati to New York City | Cincinnati to Niagara Falls | Philadelphia to Cincinnati | Pittsburgh to Cincinnati.