10Best, a division of USA Today, held a reader’s choice competition to name the best waterfront in the country and our own Louisville waterfront placed sixth. Cities with populations both greater than and less than Louisville’s finished in front of our river city. Pittsburgh also represented the Ohio River on the list. Wilmington, North Carolina took the top spot. Here’s the full top ten list:
- Wilmington, N.C.
- Spokane, Wash.
- Davenport, Iowa
- Dubuque, Iowa
- Pittsburgh
- Louisville, Ky.
- Chattanooga, Tenn.
- Savannah, Ga.
- Detroit
- Richmond, Va.
There were no details or critiques released with the list as to why each waterfront earned its spot, but it’s obvious that Louisville’s waterfront deserves to be on the list. It hosts music events of all kinds like Forecastle Festival, WFPK Waterfront Wednesday, Abbey Road on the River, and individual concerts like Willie Nelson & Alison Krauss and Mumford & Sons.
The waterfront is also a great place for exercise with the Big Four Lawn and The Great Lawn so accessible. The Big Four Bridge to Jeffersonville provides a unique view to both sides of the Ohio River (as well as an excuse to walk to Jeffersonville for lunch or dinner). Now we have to see how Louisville responds to the culinary challenge when Tumbleweed on the river closes its doors on November 15.
There are also multiple walks or 5K’s held on Louisville waterfront nearly every month of the year.
And not to mention Thunder Over Louisville and other Kentucky Derby Festival events!
If you don’t make regular visits to Waterfront Park, you need to! And if you think the spirit of Waterfront Park is gone once cold weather hits, you are wrong. It is simply replaced by the Christmas spirit when Witherspoon Street in front of The Great Lawn becomes Christmas Tree Lane for one of the best hot spots to buy Christmas trees.
Photo courtesy of Louisville Waterfront Park Facebook page.