14 Weekend Trips From Louisville That Are Perfect For Labor Day Weekend

Red RIver Gorge Treehouses

How about a weekend at a treehouse? This beautiful wooden home sits on the side of the Red River Gorge while holding up against the trees and rock just over two hours away from Louisville. The homes with The Canopy Crew can list anywhere from $300 to over $800 for one weekend, but the views and amenities can make it all worth it.

Land Between The Lakes

Getting out of the city and into nature is a favorite pastime of many. Land Between the Lakes should not be overlooked as a beautiful escape. Featuring two large lakes, Hematite dam waterfall, a living history farm, and much more from fishing to hunting, boating and hiking.

Indiana Dunes National Park

Knock a national park off your list by visiting the Indiana Dunes. A day at this sandy nature oasis is indistinguishable from a trip to the seaside, save for the decidedly not salty water. It’s also a fun vacation in the winter, when you’ll get to see it in its frozen splendor. The park is also just a train ride away from Chicago, which has plenty to do.

Chicago

A drive to Chicago averages five hours, and the 300-mile drive from downtown Louisville is almost entirely along the easy-to-navigate Central Till Plains of Indiana. Enjoy any of the 18 beaches along Lake Michigan from the South Shore all the way north to Rogers Park. Drive along Lake Shore Drive to access beaches as well as the Magnificent Mile retail district, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Institute, or the museum campus just south of downtown, which includes the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium. Chicago also offers some of the most delectable pizza, Mexican, Chinese, and innovative American cuisine in the Midwest. After dinner, make your way back to the lakeshore for fireworks at Navy Pier at 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 25.

Bourbon Barrel Retreats

Lawrenceburg, KY At Bourbon Barrel Retreats, you can sleep in an repurposed bourbon barrel. Whether you are traversing the Kentucky bourbon trail or looking for a unique glamping experience, each two-person occupancy barrel includes a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchenette inside — and if you book a premium barrel, a hot tub outside. Situated among 17 distilleries on 50 acres of rural land, the barrels offer privacy as well as access to a shared space with a fire pit, a grill, and hammocks. All of this is only 55 miles from downtown Louisville, which is only slightly more than a one-hour drive away.

Patoka Lake

For something that will be a little less harsh on the wallet, head up north to Patoka Lake in Birdseye, IN — an hour and 10 minutes from Louisville — for some fun on the water. With nearly 26,000 acres of land and water, there is plenty of room for you to head out and enjoy the outdoors. There are also hiking trails around the lake if you’re not the best swimmer.

Gervasi Vineyard

Canton, Ohio
Want to feel like you've escaped to Italy without, you know, paying for a whole plane ticket to Italy? Enter Gervasi Vineyard with luxury resort & spa about 5 hours from Louisville. Here you can enjoy a Tuscan getaway on the sprawling 55-acre estate, complete with wine tasting, multiple restaurants and breathtaking views throughout the property.

Bardstown, Kentucky

If you want the bourbon options of Louisville but in a small town setting, Bardstown, Kentucky is your place. Named the “Most Beautiful Small Town in America” by USA Today, the city is home to 11 distilleries that will more than take up your weekend. You can also catch a ride on the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train for a scenic trip through the Kentucky countryside enjoyed with a four-course meal. Or, in the summer, stop in for a showing of “The Stephen Foster Story,” a Broadway-style musical about “the father of American Music,’ who penned “Oh Susanna!” And “Camptown Races.”

Taste of Cincinnati

Looking for more of a day trip? Head to Taste of Cincinnati over Memorial Day weekend and it'll feel like you hit half the city in just a few hours. Featuring free admission, live entertainment, and some of the city's best food vendors.

French Lick, Indiana

In the hills of Southern Indiana, you’ll find a resort that’s the Hoosier state’s answer to the Greenbrier. The West Baden Springs Hotel and the French Lick Resort are historic sister hotels with their own charm: West Baden has a grand atrium, a world class spa and a championship-level golf course while French Lick contains a Vegas-style casino, a bowling alley and has horseback riding on site. You can also explore the nearby Wilstem Wildlife Park that hosts grizzly bears, elephants and giraffes, or take the kids to the Big Splash Adventure Hotel & Indoor Water Park. The nearby towns of Orleans and Paoli are host to their own attractions: In the winter, head to Paoli Peaks for snowboarding, skiing and tubing and in the spring, you can visit Orleans for the Annual Dogwood Festival.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave, the largest cave system known in the world (400+ miles to be exact), is just a little over an hour drive south of Louisville. The park offers tours of the caves, hikes, canoeing on the Green River, horseback riding, camping and more. Nearby Cave City is host to other attractions, including Dinosaur World, Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo, zip lining and kayaking.

Hocking Hills State Park

Hocking Hills State Park has five different sections within the 9,000+ acres of land to explore. Millions of guests embrace the forest year-round by hiking, rock climbing, canoeing and camping on one of the 200 campsites in the area. A must-see is Ash Cave, an out-of-this-world rock formation that just so happens to be the biggest recess cave in the state.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Enjoy Appalachian Mountain views without crowds at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, which is claimed by three states: Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. There are over 80 miles of hiking trails in the park with “scenic vistas” and “cascading waterfalls”. Nearby is the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum for the history buffs. For an even more hidden treasure, Kentucky’s Pine Mountain State Resort Park is only 20 minutes away, which has — in addition to scenic hikes — an 18-hole golf course, lodge and an amphitheater.

Covington, KY

It’s more than Cincinnati-lite, Covington has its own charm and apparently a plea for folks to “Keep Your Shirt On Covington.” The city boasts tons of unique architecture, murals and fun places to eat, shoot arrows and throw axes. Less than two hours from Louisville, this city has plenty of its own charm and direct access, “30-seconds” to “The Queen City,” Cincinnati.