Source: Courier-Journal
July 6, 2021
By Maggie Menderski
All right Louisville, let’s get moving.
It’s summertime, and that’s the perfect opportunity to shake up your nightly neighborhood stroll and explore a little more of our region. Our area is lush with flat, easily walkable places to diversify how you reach your daily step goal.
Whether you’re looking for a serene walk through a park or something a little more funky, here are a couple different paths to check out this summer.
Baringer Spring Multiuse Path in Cherokee Park
745 Cochran Hill Road, Louisville
This unique spot in Louisville’s iconic Cherokee Park features ephemerals in the spring and native wildflowers growing near the path in the summer. While you stroll, you can enjoy the shade from sycamore and coffee trees. Take a moment to snap a few photos of stunning limestone formations in the ephemeral creek bed, which can be seen from a rustic cedar bridge along the way. The Baringer Spring Path can be accessed from the Scenic Loop in Cherokee Park from near the Eastern Parkway entrance.
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Chickasaw Park
1200 Southwestern Parkway, Louisville
At Chickasaw Park you can walk the same path as Louisville’s favorite son, Muhammad Ali. Ali, then Cassius Clay, would train at this Olmsted park, and he was often seen wearing old army boots and running to and from his home at 3302 Grand Ave. Neighbors even saw the boxing legend on this path wearing his Olympic garb and gold medal after he returned home to Louisville from the Rome Olympics in 1960. The Chickasaw Park path can be accessed near the entrance to the park.
Lake Nevin Loop at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
2075 Clermont Road, Clermont
There are several stunning trails at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, but the Lake Nevin Loop is a manageable, mostly flat 1 1/2 mile path covered in gravel. On this walk you’ll see the nearby lake’s stunning banks, a new emergency spillway turned pollinator meadow and you’ll even meet one of Bernheim’s popular giant sculptures, Little Elina. The path also includes views of some of the forest’s most popular collections like magnolias and dogwoods. Bernheim asks for a donation of $10 per car on the property.
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NoCo Arts and Culture District
628 Michigan Ave., Jeffersonville, Indiana
For a more urban approach, The NoCo Arts and Cultural District is a whimsical walkable area in downtown Jeffersonville, Indiana. This vibrant creativity hub is home to artists, makers, historians and inventors, and collectively they’ve transformed the small district into one big piece of art. On this stroll you’ll see a building that’s been transformed into mosaic, a painted water tank and other striking displays of local ingenuity.
Mansion Row
1432 S. Third St, New Albany, Indiana
Take a step back in time with this quaint historic district in downtown New Albany. Mansion Row encompasses around six blocks, and as you walk, you can take in the sights of four dozen of the town’s most impressive mansions. On your way to New Albany, stop by the SoIn Tourism office at 305 Southern Indiana Ave. in Jeffersonville and pick up a brochure that’ll walk you through the historic as you get in your steps.