Dozens of Accolades Pour into Bourbon City

LOUISVILLE, KY (Dec. 28, 2022) – Louisville kicked off the year on a high note with a slew of popular travel-related publications and media outlets pointing to the city as a top U.S. travel destination for 2022. For many of the city’s tourism-industry-related partners, those sentiments came to fruition with festivals, attractions, and hotels seeing increased visitation over the past 12 months. Weekend bourbon distillery tours regularly sold-out weeks in advance, and Fall festivals Jack O’Lantern Spectacular, Bourbon & Beyond, and Louder Than Life all saw record-setting attendance in 2022, with over 100,000 attendees each.

The city was lauded with recognition throughout the year, with accolades coming from several prominent national travel and tourism authorities, including Travel + Leisure, Southern Living, AFAR, Fodor’s, and Forbes.

Over the past 12 months, Louisville has also been touted as a strong seasonal destination, with AFAR, The Points Guy, and TravelZoo all naming it as a “Best Place to Travel in May.” Fodor’s, World Atlas, and The Travel all point to the city as a top place to travel during the Fall, and Jetsetting Fools and Travel + Leisure both include Louisville in their top winter destination roundups.

Below is a compiled list of some of Louisville’s top accolades of 2022:

OVERALL CITY ACCOLADES

∙ “The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022” – Travel + Leisure
∙ “The 22 Best Places to Travel in the US in 2022” – Forbes
∙ “50 US Cities Worth Exploring in 2022” – Travel Pulse
∙ “These Are the Very Best Vacation Spots in the US” – BuzzFeed
∙ “The South's Best Cities 2022” – Southern Living
∙ “Best Weekend Getaways in the USA” – Jet Setting Fools
∙ “Top 25 Best Places to Live in the Southeast” – Livability
∙ “A guide to the USA's Best Urban Escapes” – Wanderlust
∙ “Best Places to Visit in May” – The Points Guy
∙ “10 Best Places to Travel in May” - AFAR
∙ “The Best Places to Travel in May” - TravelZoo
∙ “21 Best U.S. Cities for Fall Travel” – Travel + Leisure
∙ “Top 12 US Cities to Visit This Fall” – World Atlas
∙ “10 Small Towns to Spend Halloween in This Spooky Season” – The Travel
∙ “The 12 Most Hauntingly Beautiful Cities in the US” – Fodor’s
∙ “13 Best Places To Go in the Winter” – Travel + Leisure
∙ “22 Best Winter Vacations in the US for 2022” – Jetsetting Fools
∙ “2022’s Best Winter Holiday Destinations” – WalletHub
∙ “These Are the Top 20 Cities in The U.S. To Bring In 2023” – Wallet Hub
∙ “7 Destinations that elevate Black culture year-round” – The Points Guy
∙ “Kentucky’s Most Family-Friendly City” – Travel Pulse
∙ “2022’s Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities” – LawnStarter
∙ A score of 100 on HRC’s 2022 Municipal Equality Index – Human Rights Campaign
∙ “Best Southern Food Cities” – Restaurant Clicks
∙ “Top 10 Best Foodie Cities for Renters” - Apartment Advisor
∙ “10 Best U.S. Cities to Visit If You Love Old Houses” – Best Life
∙ “50 Best Cities for Biking in the US” - Explore
∙ “2022’s Best Cities for Soccer Fans” – Wallet Hub
∙ “10 Destinations for Horse Lovers in The United States” – Everything Horse
∙ “10 Most Affordable US Cities to Stretch Your Travel Dollar” – World Atlas
∙ “10 Popular Cities in The US That Are Surprisingly Cheap” – The Travel
∙ “Top Destinations to Consider in 2023” – Groups Today
∙ “50 Best Places to Travel in 2023” – Travel Lemming

See below for a list of more Louisville-based accolades received in 2022, including those for hotels, restaurants, and festivals.

EAT

∙ “Airport Bars Worth a Layover” (Book & Bourbon) – Imbibe
∙ “Yelp’s top 100 US restaurants 2022” (Bully BBQ, Cask, and Cultured) - Yelp
∙ “The Best Fried Chicken in America” (Chik’n & Mi) – Eater
∙ “America's best regional desserts: 15 sweet treats to try” (Derby-Pie®) – CNN Travel
∙ “The Best Sandwich in Every State” (Hot Brown) – Reader’s Digest
∙ “The Best Burger in Every State 2022” (Mussel & Burger Bar) – Reader’s Digest
∙ “7 Iconic BBQ Sports in the Southeast” (Mark’s Feed Store) – StyleBlueprint
∙ “The Best Wing Spot In Every State” (Mark’s Feed Store) – Esquire
∙ “25 Outstanding Restaurants Worth the Drive” (North of Bourbon) – Garden & Gun
∙ “13 Beautiful + Instagrammable Bars in the South” (Old Seelbach Bar) - Style Blueprint
∙ “The Best Coffee Shops in Every State” (Please & Thank You) – Food & Wine
∙ “The Best Coffee Roasters in America” (Quills) - Food & Wine
∙ “Where to Order the Most Extreme Hot Dogs Across the Country” (Red Top) – Cheapism
∙ “The Best Chicken Sandwich in Kentucky” (Royals Hot Chicken) - Eat This! Not That!
∙ "15 Black-Owned Restaurants To Check Out In The South” (Six Forks Burger Co.) - Atlanta Daily World
∙ “America’s Very Best Cities for Coffee Lovers” – Mandoe Media

PLAY

∙ “9 totally amazing, one-of-a-kind fall festivals in the US (Bourbon & Beyond) – TripAdvisor
∙ “2022 Festival Preview: The Best Country and Americana Festivals to See This Fall” (Bourbon & Beyond) – Wide Open Country
∙ “Top Drag Brunches Across the U.S. 2022” (CC’s Kitchen, The Hub, Le Moo) – Yelp
∙ “10 best LGBT+ bars across the United States” (Chill Bar) - Budget Travel
∙ “America’s 12 Scariest Corn Mazes” (Field of Screams) – Fodor’s
∙ “Music Festivals You Should Check Out In 2022” (Forecastle) – The Hype Magazine
∙ “Can’t-Miss Music Festivals of Summer 2022” (Forecastle) – Her Campus
∙ “American’s Largest City Parks” (Jefferson Memorial Forest) – 24/7 Wall St.
∙ “7 Biggest Horse Races in the US” (Kentucky Derby) – Casino News
∙ “The Best VIP Sporting Experiences To Enjoy In 2023” (Kentucky Derby) – Luxury Lifestyle Magazine
∙ “The Best Amusement Park in Kentucky” (Kentucky Kingdom) – Wealth of Geeks
∙ “25 over-the-top Christmas displays from across America” (Lights Under Louisville) – Stacker
∙ “10 Creepy, Kid-Friendly Ghost Tours In Top U.S. Cities” (Louisville Historic Tours) – Families Go Travel
∙ “25 Best Factory Tours in America” (Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory) – Good Housekeeping
∙ “8 of the Best Factory Tours Across America” (Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory) – Never Stop Traveling
∙ “The South's Best Museums 2022” (Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory) – Southern Living
∙ “Best Thrill-Seeking Activities for Adrenaline Junkies” (Louisville Mega Cavern) – Men’s Journal
∙ “10 Best Riverwalks in the United States” (Waterfront Park) - USA Today 10Best
∙ “21 Best Urban Parks and Trails for City-Dwellers Seeking Green Spaces” (Waterfront Park) – Men’s Journal
∙ “25 Abandoned Places You Can Still Visit” (Waverly Hills) – U.S. News
∙ “10 Best Haunted Destinations in the US” (Waverly Hills) – USA Today 10Best
∙ “Explore these 8 'haunted' places in the USA” (Waverly Hills) – Lonely Planet
∙ “11 Epic Southern Ghost Tours” (Waverly Hills) – StyleBlueprint

STAY

∙ “2022 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Magnificent Art Collections” (21c Louisville) – Historic Hotels of America
∙ “9 of The Best Art Hotels Around the World (21c Louisville) - Prestige
∙ “2022 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Unique Culinary Heritage and Culinary Traditions” (Brown Hotel) – Historic Hotels of America
∙ “Most Iconic Hotel in Every State” (Galt House) – Fifty Grande
∙ “The South’s Best New Hotels” (Grady Hotel) - Atlanta Magazine
∙ “10 Incredible Urban Camping Retreats to Book Now” (Progress Park) – Men’s Journal
∙ “America’s Most Haunted Hotels You can Stay in for Spookier Halloween” (Seelbach Hotel) – Homecrux
∙ “16 most haunted hotels in the United States” (Seelbach Hotel) – Yahoo!
∙ “The 27 Most Haunted Hotels in America” (Seelbach Hotel) – U.S. News
∙ “Our Favorite Hotels Said to Be Haunted” (Seelbach Hotel) – AAA

*This list may not include all accolades the city or its tourism-related businesses have received over the past 12 months.