Bourbon City Recognized As A Top Foodie Destination

LOUISVILLE, KY. (Dec. 26, 2024) – As fans of Bourbon City raise a glass to mark the end of 2024, it’s time to recap and celebrate a momentous year in the city’s dynamic tourism industry. Louisville was frequently in the winner’s circle over the past 365 days, earning top travel accolades from national travel media heavyweights such as TripAdvisor, Travel + Leisure, and Airbnb, among others

Louisville started out 2024 on a high note, being named to Travel + Leisure’s list of ‘50 Best Places to Travel to in 2024.’ Contributing to Louisville’s historic year was the back-to-back hosting of the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby and the 106th PGA Championship, helping Louisville earn a spot on Travel Pulse, Condé Nast Traveler, and The Manual’s lists of ‘Best Places to Travel to in May.’ Both TripAdvisor and Airbnb marked Louisville as a top “trending destination” in the United States, with the online platforms using reviews and booking data to affix Louisville to the prestigious lists.

Throughout 2024, Bourbon City upheld its status with an outpouring of accolades for its vibrant culinary and cocktail scene. Louisville’s restaurant reputation is sizzling, with Travel + Leisure highlighting it as one of the ‘Best Food Cities in the U.S.' and Cheapism proclaiming it as one of ‘America’s Best Food Cities.’ The hip and artsy NuLu neighborhood earned recognition from AFAR magazine as one of the ‘Best Food Neighborhoods in the USA,’ with numerous NuLu restaurants also receiving individual accolades.

Several of Louisville’s culinary standouts were awarded accolades from the prestigious James Beard Awards. Chef Lawrence Weeks of Enso and North of Bourbon and Dallas McGarity of The Fat Lamb were both named semifinalists. The LEE Initiative, co-founded by Top Chef contestant and recent ‘Culinary Class Wars’ competitor Edward Lee, received a James Beard Humanitarian award, marking the Louisvillian’s second James Beard Award win. Lee also received a shout for his Butchertown restaurant NAMI, which was named to USA Today’s ‘2024 Restaurants of the Year’.

Several of Louisville’s beer and bourbon festivals were also recognized nationally. The sixth annual Bourbon & Beyond music festival had a record attendance of 210,000 attendees over the four-day weekend, including 60,000 on a single day. This marked the festival’s highest single-day attendance ever.

Garden & Gun magazine highlighted festivals Bourbon & Beyond, Garden & Gun Distilled and the Bourbon Boule as three of the ‘Seven Standout Southern Bourbon Festivals,’ while Tailspin Ale Fest captured a spot on USA Today’s 10Best ‘Beer Festivals in the US.’

Louisville’s powerful reputation as a convention destination was also widely recognized with a trifecta of awards including winning the Groups Today Readers' Choice U.S. ‘Destination of the Year,’ a MeetingsToday’s ‘Best Destination Marketing Organizations in the South,’ and a ConventionSouth Readers' Choice Award.

Below is a compiled list of some of Louisville’s top accolades for 2024:

OVERALL CITY ACCOLADES
“Best Places to Travel in 2024” – Travel + Leisure
“Best Places to Go in 2024” (Kentucky) – Frommer’s
“The World’s Best Travel Destinations in 2024” – Culture.org
“The South's Best Cities 2024” – Southern Living
“Trending Destinations - United States” – TripAdvisor
“Top Trending Destinations Locals Love” – Airbnb
“Most Up-and-Coming Neighborhoods in the U.S.” (Butchertown) – TravelMag
“Best Places to Travel in The South This April” – Southern Living
“Best Places to Travel in May” – Conde Nast Traveler
“Where to Travel in May 2024” (Churchill Downs) – Travel Pulse
“Best Places to Visit in May” – The Manual
“Best Places to Honor Black History in 2024” – U.S. News
“These 10 Destinations Elevate Black Culture Year-Round” – The Points Guy
“Awesome and Unique Bachelorette Party Destinations” – Purewow
“Best Vacations in the U.S. to Explore America's Adventure Capitals” – Men’s Journal
“2024 Readers’ Choice Awards” (Destination of the Year) – Groups Today

EAT & DRINK
"Best Food Neighborhoods in the USA” (NuLu) – AFAR
“The South’s Best Whiskey Bars” (Watch Hill Proper, NEAT, North of Bourbon)  –Garden & Gun
“2024 Restaurants of the Year” (Barn8 and Nami) – USA TODAY
“Best beer festivals in the US” (Tailspin Ale Fest) – USA Today 10Best
“Best Fried Chicken in Every State” (Chik’n & Mi) – Cheapism
“Standout Southern Bourbon Festivals” (G&G Distilled, Bourbon Boule and Bourbon & Beyond) – Garden & Gun
“Best Cookbooks of Spring 2024” (Bourbonland, Ed Lee) – EATER
“Iconic American Restaurants to Try Before You Die” (Brown Hotel, #18) – Cheapism
“Best Whisky Bars in the World” (The Pearl of Germantown, North of Bourbon, Tartan House, Proof on Main, NEAT) – Inside Hook
“Best Foodie Road Trips in the U.S.” – Best Life
“These are the 10 Best Cities for Fine Dining in the U.S.”– TimeOut
“Cities With the Best Soul Food in America” – Explore.com
“Best New Restaurants in the South 2024” (Enso, Meesh Meesh) – YELP
“Best New Restaurants of 2024” (Meesh Meesh - #3) – Yelp
“Best Bars in America in 2024” (Neat Bar & Bottle Shop) – USA Today
“Beautiful + Instagrammable Bars in the South” (Old Seelbach Bar) – StyleBlueprint
“Hotly Anticipated Restaurant Openings Debuting This Fall” (Byrdie's) – Michelin Guide
“The Restaurant List 2024” (North of Bourbon) – New York Times
“Best Distilleries with Restaurants to Visit Across The US” (Copper & Kings) – Tasting Table
“Best Food Cities in the U.S.” – Travel + Leisure
“America's Best Food Cities” – Cheapism
“Best American Cities for Foodies That You’ll Want to Travel For” – LoveFood
“Best Fried Chicken in The South, According to Southern Chefs” (Lucretia’s Kitchen) – Southern Living
“Yelp’s Top Romantic Restaurants for 2024” (Repeal) – Yelp

PLAY
“Best Minor League Ballpark” (Louisville Slugger Field, #5) – USA Today 10Best
“Best Zoo Exhibit” (Glacier Run, #10) – USA Today 10Best
“Most Beautiful Libraries in the World” (Louisville Free Public Library South Central Regional Branch) – Home Décor
“Best Music Festivals of 2024” (Louder Than Life) – Hollywood Reporter
“Beautiful Southern Libraries Worth Visiting” – Southern Living
“Best riverwalks across the US” (#3) – USA Today 10Best
“Best State Fairs to Visit This Summer” – The Travel
“23 Places to Begin Your Exploration of America’s Civil Rights History” (Ali Center) – Atlanta Magazine
“Best Cities for College Basketball Fans” (#9) – WalletHub
“Best State Fairs in America” – Livability
“Best Antique Markets in The South” (Fleur de Flea) – Southern Living
“Best Attraction for Sports Fans” (Louisville Slugger Museum and Kentucky Derby Museum) – USA Today 10Best
“Most Thrilling Ziplines Across the World, According to Travelers” (Louisville Mega Cavern) – Islands
“Best Cities for New Year's Eve Celebrations” (#17) – Wallet Hub

STAY
“Best LGBTQ+ Friendly Hotels in the US, According to Research” (21c and Genevieve) – Explore.com
“Best B&Bs and Inns - United States” (Inn at Woodhaven) – TripAdvisor
“Best New Hotels in North America, Europe, and Beyond for 2024” (Genevieve) – Esquire
“Most Iconic Hotel in Kentucky” (Brown Hotel) – Travel Pulse
“Top 12 Most Haunted Hotels in America Where You Can Check In” (Seelbach) – Tempo.Co
“Most Unique Hotel in Every State” (21c Louisville) – Thrillist