The Best of Old Louisville: 60-Minute PRIVATE Guided Walking Tour

Learn about the architecture of Old Louisville's famous "Conrad's Castle" and the history of St. James Court, the prestigious residential enclave at the heart of this splendid Victorian neighborhood just a mile from downtown Louisville.

Once home to descendants of the famous DuPont family, today's Central Park has long served at "the green heart" and "the lungs" of Old Louisville. In the very early 1900s, it received a make-over at the hands of the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted and it currently counts as one of some 20 Olmsted designs in the city. This area was also important during the famous Southern Exposition, which debuted in 1883 and put Louisville, and Kentucky, on the map. On this tour, a friendly guide will tell you more about this impressive agricultural and mercantile trade show—an early world's fair, if you will—and how it led to the development of one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in the bustling river town.

Since the 1890s, this lovely water-fed statue of Venus rising from the sea has served at the symbol and cultural epicenter of the Old Louisville neighborhood. In the 1970s, it was recast at the Motts Foundry in Brooklyn, and the decorative railings from the balcony seating area of the sadly recently demolished Strand Theater on Fourth Street were used to enclose the focal point of this leafy residential enclave. This is the perfect place to stop for a selfie or two.

It's good to have a guide showing you around because you might have missed this hidden gem on your own! Just steps from the famous neighborhood fountain is this, one of Old Louisville's secluded "walking courts." The guide will walk you through to the gate on South Fourth Street, where you will discover more three-story brick residences from the city's Gilded Age.

This stately brick residence at the corner of South Fourth Street and West Magnolia Avenue was once home to a popular Louisville mayor—and a dynamo in the local preservation movement. It was also the site of the wedding for one of the city's most famous personalities. Can you guess who was married here when Harvey Sloane and his wife called it home?

Originally constructed in 1897 as one of the largest private residences in the city, this 52-room mansion clad in glazed orange brick is a popular bed and breakfast today. For the first 50 years of its existence, it was home to Samuel Culbertson and his family. Culbertson was the son of Indiana's wealthiest man at the time and during their time living in heart of what would become known as the city's "Millionaires Row," Samuel served as the president of Churchill Downs. Not surprising, there are many horse-racing secrets associated with this house. Do you know what idea Samuel Culbertson implemented in 1932, the year Burgoo King won the Kentucky Derby?

Built in the Beaux Arts style at the height of Louisville's Gilded Age, this impressive ashlar façade hints at influences from the much larger "cottages" of the Victorian elite in Newport, Rhode Island, and elsewhere on the East Coast. A well-known city councilman restored it in the preservation years of the 60s and 70s, but early on, one of Louisville's most prominent bourbon barons would call it home. On this tour, your guide will tell you more about this German-Jewish immigrant who made a spirited name for himself on promenade-themed South Third Street, the first paved thoroughfare in the city.

At South Fourth Street and Hill Street, at what was once the southeast corner of the massive Southern Exposition building, sits a row of nearly identical Châteauesque townhomes known as "Werne's Row." In 1897, the structures were built for Joseph Werne, a prominent jeweler and antiques dealer, who lived in one of the residences with his wife, while Dr. William Wathen resided in the iconic blue house overlooking stunning Belgravia Court. The interiors of the houses were designed by Claude Balfour; the exteriors were the work of Mr. F. W. Mowbray, the architect who also designed the still-standing Union Station at Tenth and Broadway in downtown Louisville.

By day or by night, gas flames flicker in the street lamps that line this, one of the most charming residential addresses in the city. You'll be glad you joined our guided walk when you enter Belgravia Court, one of the country's hidden design gems, because it's only accessible on foot, (hence the designation as one of Old Louisville's "waking courts.") Strolling through four secluded and tree-shaded "quadrants," you'll enjoy eye-catching architecture and lovely façades, including the stunning William Wathen Mansion at 402 Belgravia Court, constructed in the neighborhood's heyday. This is quintessential Old Louisville and it will be a highlight of your 50-minute jaunt to learn about the "history and highlights" of Old Louisville.

Built around 1890, this striking, towered brick residence at the south end of St. James Court has long been a beloved local landmark—not just in the neighborhood, but in the entire city of Louisville. The eye-catching shades of pink that envelope the façade are a more recent addition, however, and on this tour you'll discover why the Pink Palace looks the way it does today. You'll also learn something of the building's alleged scandalous past, even if much of it is attributed to legend and lore. This is a private residence today, so please do not try to enter!

After strolling the length of Belgravia Court and admiring the lovely Pink Palace, you'll be able to enjoy one last bit of the neighborhood's finest architecture as you wander back to the starting point of your 50-minute tour. Constructed on the site of the temporary main building for the grand Southern Exposition of 1883, St. James Court would emerge as an elegant, London-inspired bastion for the well-to-do in a burgeoning new suburb at the city's southern end. Among the architectural styles on display, you'll find varied examples of Arts & Crafts, as well Richardsonian Romanesque, Châteauesque, Italianate, Renaissance Revival, Queen Anne, and Neo-Georgian. Today, St. James Court stands as a testament to the tastes and whimsies of the Victorian era, not to mention the perseverance and tenacity of the many preservationists who fought to save this area of the city in the 1960s and 1970s.