Louisville to Lexington KY drive: Distance, time & best stops
The distance from Louisville to Lexington KY by car is 78 miles, with a 1h10m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Louisville to Lexington KY drive are the Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort and the Woodford Reserve Distillery.
Finding the best things to do between Louisville and Lexington KY
The Louisville to Lexington drive connects the two biggest cities in Kentucky.
Louisville is the biggest city in Kentucky, and has a strong range of attractions to enjoy. The Louisville Mega Cavern has underground zipline tours, the Churchill Downs race track hosts America’s most famous horse race – the Kentucky Derby – and the Louisville Slugger Factory makes the world’s most famous baseball bats. You can take factory tours and there’s a museum attached.
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 Louisville accommodation choices include the history-drenched Brown Hotel and the art-packed 21C Museum Hotel.
Why you should visit the Kentucky Derby Museum
The Kentucky Derby Museum isn’t just about the nation’s top horse race – it’s about the phenomenon that surrounds it. Museum entry tickets include the chance to see the trophies, learn the backstories of famous winners and watch an immersive theater screening. Best of all, they also include a walking tour of the Churchill Downs Racetrack. Find out more here.
David Whitley, author of Best3Stops.
Interesting Lexington experiences include downtown food tours, guided art walks, zipline tours through the Kentucky River Palisades. You can also try bluegrass cocktail tours, visiting a thoroughbred horse farm and visiting Mary Todd Lincoln House.
Louisville to Lexington KY distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Louisville to Lexington KY is 78 miles. You can expect a driving time of around one hour and ten minutes. The quickest route is largely along the I-64.
The best stops on a Louisville to Lexington road trip itinerary are the Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort and the Woodford Reserve Distillery.
Louisville to Lexington KY drive: Josephine Sculpture Park
The Josephine Sculpture Park on the outskirts of Frankfort is a farm that has been turned into an art installation. Along two miles of mowed trails, there are 70 sculptures amid the forests and meadows.
Entry to the park is free, and it is open from dawn to dusk.
Private tours are available if booked in advance, but the real joy comes in free-roaming discovery.
Best stops between Louisville and Lexington KY: Frankfort KY
Frankfort is the relatively small capital of Kentucky. The capitol building is architecturally impressive, but the city’s real strength is its distilleries. The Buffalo Trace distillery offers tours and free tastings. You can do tours at the Castle & Key distillery, too.
For something more on a natural bent, Cove Spring Park is home to wetlands, ravines and picturesque waterfalls.
Louisville to Lexington KY road trip attractions: Woodford Reserve Distillery
Woodford Reserve is one of the most famous bourbon brands in the world, and the distillery is in Versailles KY. At the time of writing, distillery tours aren’t running. However, you can still visit the bar at Woodford Reserve Distillery, and take part in guided tasting experiences.
Mixology classes are also available upon reservation.
More Louisville road trips
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More Lexington KY road trips
Atlanta to Lexington KY | Chicago to Lexington KY | Lexington to Columbus | Indianapolis to Lexington KY | Lexington to Knoxville | Lexington to Nashville.