Small Towns Near Louisville, Kentucky
The best small towns near Louisville are Bardstown, for bourbon and My Old Kentucky Home; Madison, Indiana, for Clifty Falls and a 133-block historic district; and Harrodsburg, for Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Bardstown and Madison are easy day trips, and Harrodsburg makes a good overnight.
The list runs nearest first, from Corydon, Indiana, at about 20 miles to Maysville at about 110. Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Louisville, so the drive will be longer. You’ll find bourbon towns, early state history, horse country, Ohio River towns and a craft-college town.
| Town | Distance | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Corydon, Indiana | About 20 miles | state history, caves |
| La Grange, Kentucky | About 25 miles | trains, local history, an afternoon |
| Shelbyville, Kentucky | About 30 miles | horses, bourbon, a day trip |
| Bardstown, Kentucky | About 35 miles | bourbon, history, a weekend |
| Madison, Indiana | About 40 miles | waterfalls, historic architecture, a weekend |
| Midway, Kentucky | About 60 miles | a festival, railroad history |
| Harrodsburg, Kentucky | About 60 miles | Shaker history, pioneer history, an overnight |
| Berea, Kentucky | About 90 miles | crafts, college town, a weekend |
| Maysville, Kentucky | About 110 miles | river history, murals, Rosemary Clooney fans |
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Louisville, as the crow flies.
Corydon, Indiana
About 20 miles as the crow flies · Best for: state history, caves
Corydon, a town of 3,153 across the Ohio River, was Indiana’s first state capital, from 1816 to 1825. The limestone capitol building still stands downtown.
Don’t miss: the Corydon Capitol State Historic Site and Indiana Caverns, where the guided tour includes an underground boat ride
★ Good to know The capitol site is open Wednesday through Sunday, and walk-up tour tickets depend on availability, so call ahead.
La Grange, Kentucky
About 25 miles as the crow flies · Best for: trains, local history, an afternoon
La Grange, population 10,067, is the Oldham County seat, named for Lafayette’s French estate. CSX freight trains run right down the middle of Main Street, which draws train watchers.
Don’t miss: the trains on Main Street and the Oldham County History Center, with exhibits on the Underground Railroad and film director D.W. Griffith, who was from La Grange
★ Good to know The history center is open Wednesday through Saturday.
Shelbyville, Kentucky
About 30 miles as the crow flies · Best for: horses, bourbon, a day trip
Shelbyville, a city of 17,282, dates to 1792 and calls itself the Saddlebred Capital of the World. It sits between Louisville and Frankfort in Shelby County, and Bulleit built a distillery here in 2018.
Don’t miss: Jeptha Creed Distillery, which grows ingredients on its own farm and offers tours
★ Good to know Book distillery tours ahead, especially on weekends.
Bardstown, Kentucky
About 35 miles as the crow flies · Best for: bourbon, history, a weekend
Bardstown, founded in 1780, is one of Kentucky’s oldest cities, with about 13,600 people. Its promoters trademarked the phrase Bourbon Capital of the World, and several distilleries operate nearby.
Don’t miss: My Old Kentucky Home State Park, with hourly tours of the 1818 Federal Hill mansion, and the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
★ Good to know The park opened in 1923 as Kentucky’s first state-owned park, and it has a golf course too.
Madison, Indiana
About 40 miles as the crow flies · Best for: waterfalls, historic architecture, a weekend
Madison is an Ohio River city of 12,357 and the Jefferson County seat. It was platted in 1810, and by 1850 it was Indiana’s third-largest city. Its 133-block downtown is a National Historic Landmark district, much of it from the river-trade years before the Civil War.
Don’t miss: Clifty Falls State Park on the west edge of town, and a walk through the historic district
★ Good to know Brough’s Tunnel at Clifty Falls is closed indefinitely after a rockslide, and the falls run best in winter and spring.
Midway, Kentucky
About 60 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a festival, railroad history
Midway, population 1,718, was Kentucky’s first railroad town, laid out in 1835 halfway between Lexington and Frankfort. Midway University was founded here in 1847 as the Kentucky Female Orphan School.
Don’t miss: the Midway Fall Festival downtown, with sorghum and pottery demonstrations, arts and crafts, and live music
★ Good to know The festival has run for more than 50 years and is held on a weekend in September.
Harrodsburg, Kentucky
About 60 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Shaker history, pioneer history, an overnight
Harrodsburg, a city of 9,064, was founded by James Harrod in 1774. Franklin D. Roosevelt called it the oldest permanent American settlement west of the Appalachians. The Shakers ran the third-largest Shaker community in the country here from 1805 to 1910.
Don’t miss: Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, with 3,000 acres of farm, trails and restored buildings, plus an inn and a restaurant
★ Good to know Shaker Village is closed Mondays, and you can stay the night in its restored Shaker buildings.
Berea, Kentucky
About 90 miles as the crow flies · Best for: crafts, college town, a weekend
Berea, population 15,539, is known as the Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky. Abolitionists founded Berea College here in 1855, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, and it hasn’t charged tuition since 1892.
Don’t miss: Historic Boone Tavern Hotel, established in 1909 and tied to the college, and the student-run Visitor Center & Shoppe next door
Maysville, Kentucky
About 110 miles as the crow flies · Best for: river history, murals, Rosemary Clooney fans
Maysville, a city of 8,873, was incorporated in 1787 on the Ohio River. Rosemary Clooney’s first film premiered at its 1929 Russell Theatre in 1953, and the city’s historic Old Washington district was once the county seat.
Don’t miss: the floodwall murals by Robert Dafford, ten scenes of local history painted from 1998 to 2007, and a walk through Old Washington
★ Good to know The Russell Theatre is fundraising for restoration, so check its event schedule before planning around a show.
What’s the closest small town to Louisville?
On this list, Corydon, Indiana, about 20 miles as the crow flies. La Grange, Kentucky, is next at about 25 miles.
What’s the best small-town weekend trip from Louisville?
Bardstown is the classic pick, with My Old Kentucky Home and several bourbon distilleries. Harrodsburg works too if you stay overnight at Shaker Village.
Which small towns near Louisville are best for bourbon?
Bardstown, which trademarked Bourbon Capital of the World, and Shelbyville, home to Jeptha Creed Distillery.
Is there a small town near Louisville with waterfalls?
Madison, Indiana, about 40 miles away, sits next to Clifty Falls State Park. The falls are fullest in winter and spring.