What makes Louisville Zoo sights so special is the unique mix of old-fashioned charm and modern animal welfare that you can feel when entering the entrance. I remember how I was there for the first time in 1995 when the Zoo building still smelled a little after 1930’s industrial design and the animal enclosure looked more like a dusty amusement park. Since then, this has become an almost respectable example of urban nature conservation initiatives – in the heart of Louisville Metro, in the tranquil Jefferson County.
The zoo was opened in 1969, a product of the then citizens' initiative, which wanted to save the last piece of greenland in the city from the demolition. Today you are proud of the vast paths that lead from a former railway track to today's Flamingo-Habitat, and you can hear almost the silent whisper of history when you pass the old stone walls. I don't quite understand the hype about the huge elephant herds, but the way staff informs visitors about the threatened species is really great. And if you are honest, this is the kind of place that gives you the feeling that you are part of a small but important movement – without smelling too much to Zoo propaganda.
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You can assess light, perspective and location before visiting the site – ideal for photography, sunrises and sunsets.
To find the exact point where the sun disappears behind the skyline, use the azimuth display on poi-travel.de. In Louisville Zoo, the sun travels further northwest below the horizon in summer, while in winter it takes a more southwesterly angle. With the embedded line on the map, you can determine your tripod position down to the metre.
The first stop after the zoo is Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, a 16,000 hectare green piece, which is about 30 miles east. I made a picnic under the huge oak trees, while a squirrel boldly inspected my sandwiches – no joke, the animal was almost as curious as the visitors in the monkey's mountains. Admission is free, parking is usually easy as long as you do not arrive at the weekend with a whole family of nature lovers. The path leads you through artistic sculpture paths that are more than just decoration; they tell about the history of the forest and its inhabitants.
Only a short run south leads to Jefferson Memorial Forest, the largest urban forest in the USA. There are more than 35 miles of hiking trails here, and I have almost like a 19th explorer when running the trail. The century felt – until I was surprised at a place almost by a bear (well, a very big dog). Parking is easy to find at the main entrance, but the smaller accesses can be full on sunny Saturday afternoons. The forest is a perfect place to escape the urban hustle and bustle without having to drive too far.
A bit further west, about 45 miles from the zoo, lies the charming town Bardstown. The city is famous for My Old Kentucky Home State Park, which served as a model for the kingdom in the film “The King of Lions” – at least according to a tourist guide I found there. I made a guided tour there with a somewhat too enthusiastic guide who claimed he could sort the horses in the park according to their cradle. Parking is a bit tight at the historic house, but a small price for the feeling of standing in another time.
Another highlight I don't want to miss is that Shaker Village of Pleasant HillAbout 70 miles south. The village is a living museum that shows the simple but refined life of the shakers. I took part in a handwork workshop and spent almost the whole day sewing pillowcases – a surprisingly soothing experience that distracted me from the loud animal voices in the zoo. The visitor centre has a small parking lot that will be filled quickly when the school classes arrive, so prefer to come early.
For those looking for a little more adventure, the Mammoth Cave National Park A must. The caves extend over 400 miles and offer guided tours ranging from light to extremely demanding. I chose the “Domes of Discovery” tour and was impressed by the huge stalactites that almost look like natural sculptures. Parking is generous at the main entrance, but the visitor centers can be crowded on holidays – a good reason to plan the visit under the week.
A last stop, which is particularly interesting for connoisseurs, is located in the heart of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, about 55 miles from the zoo. I took part in a tasting where you can not only taste the whisky, but also observe the artistic distillation. The tour is informative, and the staff is friendly, though a little proud of their centuries-old tradition. Parking is free at the main entrance, but on weekends there can be a small traffic jam because the number of visitors suddenly increases.
If you want to discover a bit more of the surroundings after a day at the zoo, these goals offer a successful blend of nature, history and culture – all within Louisville's reach. They show that the Louisville Zoo Attractions not only can be found in the animal park itself, but extend over the entire region.
This guide invites you to spend half a day in the heart of Jefferson, where the children's circles and the distant lions' boars merge into a strange but charming soundtrack. I have the first time African savanna entering when I thought a zoo was just a place for bored children – a complete miscalculation. There are the giraffes that are so majestic that you almost forget that they are basically only huge, carnivorous plant eaters that stretch the neck over the fence to get to the leaves that the staff cuts for them. In the heat of the summer I set myself in the shadow of an acacia and observed how a zebra with a man who rather remembers a badly cut hair, gently strolls past me. That's what I mean when I get from the Louisville Zoo Attractions speak – a bit wild, a bit ungrounded, but damn authentic.
A short detour to Gorilla Forest feels like stumbled into a film by David Attenborough, only that the camera is guided by a bored visitor with a selfie stick. I stood there, the hands in the pockets, and watched as a young silver spine suddenly caught a piece of fruit from the ground and stole it with such an elegance that I almost forgot the popcorn I had pulled out of my pocket. The forest is dense, the foliage smells of wet soil, and the quiet marble of the group makes you almost forget that you are in a commercial amusement park.
The Tiger is another place I cannot overlook because the tigers are not only walking through the grids, but almost through a labyrinth of trees and rocks that the staff has built to employ the animals. I remember, as I slept halfway a morning, entering the cradle and suddenly a grown-up bear, who didn't belong here, slipped through the gate – a small slipper in the safety plan, which, for a short moment, brought pure excitement. The tiger, a magnificent, striped giant, turned around to me, almost shredded, and I thought: “Here you could have almost a date. ‘
A bit childish, but I have to admit that Penguin Coast has attracted me more than any art gallery in downtown. The penguins wag in a way that is both funny and admirable, and the water that they swim through is cool enough to forget the heat of the day. I discovered a small sign there that explains that the penguins come from Antarctica – a detail I had never noticed before, because I thought that was just a “cool” theme for Instagram. And yes, the water is actually cold, so bring a sweater if you don't want to feel like an ice bear.
The Butterfly Garden is a short but intense trip to a mini paradise that you could almost overlook if you don't bend around the corner by chance. I stood there, surrounded by dazzling wings that glittered in sunlight, and thought that this is the only real “natural experience” in the zoo that was not designed by human hand. A little boy beside me whispered: “Look, this is like a rainbow flying.” And I had to laugh because that's exactly what I love in this place – the pure, unsightly joy.
Another highlight I can't leave is that Elephant Habitat. The elephants here have a huge sand pool that they whisk through to the heart's pleasure, and a water pool that is large enough to imitate a small lake. I once observed how an elephant bull pulled a piece of wood out of the water and threw it triumphantly into the air as if he were the king of the jungle. This is what makes the zoo special for me: these moments in which the animals show their own personality, without a sign of it, explaining why they do.
Finally, a short note that is not in every guide: parking is usually a Klacks, unless you arrive on Saturday night, then the car park becomes a battlefield. And if you ask yourself where to pack your lunch – the café at the entrance has a good coffee, but the real culinary highlight is the ice cream you have in the Children’s Zoo Enjoy while watching the little monkeys while climbing. I've eaten a piece of chocolate ice cream there, which was almost as sweet as the smile of the children who roamed around me.
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