My kids and I have spent a few days out of this summer exploring the city, using the cultural pass [4] that was made available to Jefferson County residents through Vision Louisville [5]. We visited two places on the passport program that were new to us. We had never visited Locust Grove [6] or Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing [7]. I must say, I was so happy to have finally visited these historic sites and learn about the early days of settlers to this area along the Ohio River and the farms that were developed from these people landing along the banks and staying here to raise their families.
My oldest child is 11 and entering middle school next week, and she and I really had some neat discussions about our city’s history, everything from the flooding that occurred in 1937 to really diving into her own birthplace’s rich timeline of events that happened near the grounds of Locust Grove and The Farnsley-Moremen house. We had conversations about how people lived then, and what it would have been like for slaves working on those farms at the time. It was a really great way to spend some of our summer days together. She loved our cultural pass days! It is our hope that the city continues this program in the future, as we really gained a lot from it. I know in hearing what other parents think that those in Oldham County et al would love to see the program extended beyond Jefferson County.
Other great places of interest in Louisville that hold tons of historical value to visitors are Belle of Louisville [8], Farmington Historic Home [9], Frazier History Museum [10], Muhammad Ali Center [11], Portland Museum [12], Thomas Edison House [13], and the WaterWorks Museum at the Water Tower [14]. See the links from Louisville Metro Government’s Visitors tab [15] for more ideas or this list of smaller-scale museums [16] throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana.
The program officially ends on August 13; we hope to explore Kentucky Derby Museum [17] and Asia-Institute-Crane House [18], as well as Yew Dell Botanical Gardens [19] before the start of school next Wednesday.
Cover photo courtesy of Farmington Historic Plantation, Facebook; other photos by Erin Nevitt