The best road trip stops on the Louisville to Cincinnati drive are the La Grange Railroad Museum, General Butler State Resort Park and Big Bone Lick Historic Site. The distance from Louisville to Cincinnati by car is 100 miles, with a driving time of 1h36m.
Planning a Louisville to Cincinnati road trip itinerary
The drive from Louisville to Cincinnati takes you from Kentucky’s biggest city over the border into southern Ohio.
5 great Louisville experiences to book
- 🏛️ See handsome mansions and learn Louisville history – on an Old Louisville walking tour.
- 🏇 Visit the Kentucky Derby Museum – with a guided Churchill Downs track visit.
- 🍗 Taste fried chicken, BBQ and more – on a guided NuLu food tour.
- 🥃 Take a Kentucky bourbon tour – with tastings at three distilleries.
- 👻 Hear spooky tales of old Louisville – on a hugely popular ghost tour.
Good Louisville experiences include Old Louisville ghost tours, the Kentucky Derby Museum and a tasting tour of multiple bourbon distilleries. The food and history tours are also worth checking out.
For Louisville attractions, try the Frazier Kentucky History Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory Tour, Muhammad Ali Center and Kentucky Science Center.
Cincinnati has a surprising wealth of historic attractions, such as the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Harriet Beecher Stowe House and William Howard Taft National Historic Site. For something a little quirky, try the American Sign Museum.
Top Cincinnati activities include underground tours – some with beer tasting – and food tours by streetcar. You can also try baseball history tours, indoor skydiving and guided ghost walks.
Five great things to do in Cincinnati
- 🕳️ Take an underground tour – and discover the secrets beneath the city streets.
- 👻 Hear dark tales – on an after-dark ghost tour.
- 🚋 Enjoy a streetcar food tour – with tastings at several restaurants and Findlay Market.
- 🍺 Learn how Cincinnati was built on beer – during a historic walking tour.
- 🏰 Discover Cincinnati’s hidden brewery caverns – with beer-tasting included.
Louisville to Cincinnati distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Louisville to Cincinnati is 100 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 36 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-71.
The best stops to add to a Louisville to Cincinnati road trip itinerary are the La Grange Railroad Museum, General Butler State Resort Park and Big Bone Lick Historic Site.
La Grange Railroad Museum
If trains are your thing, then the La Grange Railroad Museum should keep you happily occupied for an hour or two. The museum hosts vintage rolling stock and all manner of railroad memorabilia, but the real delight comes from the model railroad.
Someone has clearly had a great deal of fun putting this together…
General Butler State Resort Park
The centrepiece of the General Butler State Resort Park in Carrolton is the red brick, Federal-style Butler-Turpin Historic House, which was built in 1859. Tours of the house are available, but on a sunny day you’re better off outdoors.
Head to the Overlook for splendid views over the confluence of the Kentucky and Ohio River, or hire a kayak from the boat dock.
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site offers short hiking trails and picnic tables, but the bison herd tends to be the big attraction here.
Bison haven’t lived in Kentucky since the 1800s, but the herd at Big Bone Lick harks back to the Ice Age. It’s a link to the historic site’s other key difference – several fossils have been found in paleontological digs here. The Diomara Pit recreates what has been found and the Visitor Center tells the story.
More Kentucky and Ohio road trips
- Getting to Lexington: The best stops on the Louisville to Lexington drive.
- Getting to Cleveland: The best stops on the Toledo to Cleveland drive and Pittsburgh to Cleveland drive.
- Road trips from Louisville: The best stops on the Louisville to Indianapolis drive and Louisville to Nashville drive.
- Getting to Cincinnati: The best stops on the Columbus to Cincinnati drive and Pittsburgh to Cincinnati drive.
- Road trips from Cincinnati: Take on the Cincinnati to Chicago drive.
