Louisville, Kentucky

===Museums, galleries and interpretive centers===

[[File:FIHM.jpg|thumb|upright|Facade of the [[Frazier History Museum]]]]
{{See also|List of museums in the Louisville metropolitan area|List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area}}

The [[West Main District (Louisville)|West Main District]] in [[downtown Louisville]] features what is locally known as "Museum Row". In this area is the [[Frazier History Museum]], which opened its doors in 2004 as an armaments museum, featuring the only collection of [[Royal Armouries]] artifacts outside of the United Kingdom. Since then the Frazier has expanded its focus to broader history. The Frazier Museum has three floors of exhibits, an education center and a tournament ring, which presents daily performances, as well as event spaces available for rent, including a rooftop garden featuring native plants and 4th floor loft-style space that accommodates up to 360 people seated.

Also nearby is the [[Kentucky Science Center]], which is Kentucky's largest hands-on science center and features interactive exhibits, [[IMAX]] films, educational programs and technology networks. [[Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft|The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft]], opened in 1981, is a nonprofit organization. The [[Muhammad Ali Center]] opened November 2005 in "Museum Row" and features Louisville native [[Muhammad Ali]]'s [[boxing]] memorabilia. [[File:AliCenter.jpg|thumb|left|[[Muhammad Ali Center]], alongside [[Interstate 64|I{{nbhyph}}64]] on Louisville's riverfront]]

The [[National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution]] (SAR) is a patriotic, historical, and educational non-profit organization and a leading male lineage society that perpetuates the ideals of the American war for independence and the founding of the United States. The SAR opened its [[National Genealogical Research Library]] in 2010 along Louisville's Museum Row next door to its national headquarters, with an on-site American Revolutionary War Education Center expected to be completed soon.

The [[Speed Art Museum]] opened in 1927 and is the oldest and largest [[art gallery|art museum]] in the state of Kentucky. The museum was closed for three years, re-opening in 2016 with 220,000 sq. ft. of renovations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://louisvilleky.com/the-countdown-to-the-speed-art-museums-reopening-has-begun/|title=The Countdown to the Speed Art Museum's Reopening has Begun in Louisville KY|last=RickRedding|date=March 18, 2015|website=Louisville KY|language=en-CA|access-date=March 22, 2019|archive-date=March 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322214819/http://louisvilleky.com/the-countdown-to-the-speed-art-museums-reopening-has-begun/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Located adjacent to the [[University of Louisville]], the museum features over 12,000 pieces of art in its permanent collection and hosts traveling exhibitions. Multiple art galleries are located in the city, but they are especially concentrated in the [[East Market District]] (NuLu), immediately to the east of downtown. This row of galleries, plus others in the West Main District, are prominently featured in the monthly First Friday Hop.

Several [[local history]] museums can be found in the Louisville area. The most prominent among them is [[The Filson Historical Society]], founded in 1884, which has holdings exceeding 1.5&nbsp;million manuscript items and over 50,000 volumes in the library. The Filson's extensive collections focus on Kentucky, the [[Upper South]] and the [[Ohio River Valley]], and contain a large collection of portraiture and over 10,000 museum artifacts. Other local history museums include the [[Portland Museum (Louisville)|Portland Museum]], [[Historic Locust Grove]], [[Conrad-Caldwell House|Conrad-Caldwell House Museum]], the [[Falls of the Ohio State Park]] [[interpretive center]] ([[Clarksville, Indiana]]), [[Howard Steamboat Museum]] (Jeffersonville, Indiana) and the [[Carnegie Center for Art and History]] ([[New Albany, Indiana]]). The Falls interpretive center, part of the [[Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area]], also functions as a [[natural history]] museum, covering findings in the nearby exposed [[Devonian]] [[fossil]] bed.
[[File:Belle of Louisville 2.jpg|thumb|left|The ''[[Belle of Louisville]]'']]

There are also several historical properties and items of interest in the area, including the ''[[Belle of Louisville]]'', the oldest [[Mississippi]]-style [[steamboat]] in operation in the United States. The [[United States Marine Hospital of Louisville]] is considered by the [[National Park Service]] to be the best remaining [[antebellum architecture|antebellum]] hospital in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=-2130183395&ResourceType=Building |title=National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL)—United States Marine Hospital |access-date=July 15, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107043203/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=-2130183395&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=November 7, 2012 }}</ref> It was designed by [[Robert Mills (architect)|Robert Mills]], who is best known as the designer of the [[Washington Monument]]. [[Fort Knox]], spread out among [[Bullitt County, Kentucky|Bullitt]], [[Hardin County, Kentucky|Hardin]] and [[Meade County, Kentucky|Meade]] Counties (two of which are in the [[Louisville metropolitan area]]), is home to the [[United States Bullion Depository|U.S. Bullion Depository]] and the [[General George Patton Museum of Leadership|General George Patton Museum]]. The previously mentioned Locust Grove, former home of Louisville Founder [[George Rogers Clark]], portrays life in the early days of the city. Other notable properties include the [[Farmington Historic Plantation]] (home of the Speed family), [[Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing]] and the restored [[Union Station (Louisville)|Union Station]], which opened in 1891. The Louisville area is also home to the [[Waverly Hills Sanatorium]], a [[Fin de siècle|turn-of-the-century]] (20th) [[hospital]] that was originally built to accommodate [[tuberculosis]] patients, and subsequently has been reported and sensationalized to be haunted. The [[Little Loomhouse]] maintains historical records of local spinning and weaving patterns and techniques, and also offers tours, hands-on activities, and professional-level classes and materials.