Things to do in Louisville: Kids and Families

Whether you are planning on visiting Louisville for a weekend or relocating here for a lifetime, the city offers a great variety of fun-family oriented activities. Here is a quick sampling of places to check out.


Chuck E. Cheese - Located on S Hurstbourne just below Taylorsville Rd in J-Town. A great place for birthdays, celebrations or just good family fun.



Incredible Dave's offers bowling, giant inflatables, Euro-Bungee, an X-box lounge and much,much more. Your kids are given a tamper-proof wristband that communicates with a hand-held device so you know where they are at all times. Daves is situated on Westport Road just inside the Gene Snyder.




Hoops provides indoor gyms for basketball and volleyball. Kids of all ages and skill levels are welcome. They also offer clinics for both sports. Reserve a private court for a birthday party!



Louisville Science Center - Downtown on Main St about 1 block from the river. In addition to the exhibits and events such as Science Saturdays, the LSC features an IMAX theater. Your kids will spend hours exporing the world around them and will find it nearly impossible not to learn something. (Shhh, don't tell). The center is open 362 days a year. Tickets for kids are $10.







While you are downtown, be sure to check out Louisville Slugger Museum and get a personalized bat and then catch a Bats game at Slugger Field. Opening Day is April 11th!



The Louisville Palace is also downtown on Fourth Street and occasionally hosts shows for children. Their calendar of events only goes out about 2 months so check back often. Tickets range from $15 to $40 depending on the seats and the show.





Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom is located just off the Crittenden Dr exit (Exit 132) from I-65. The park has rides and play areas for kids of all ages AND a water park. Season tickets are available and pay for themselves after just 2 visits. Opening day is May 10th.


The Louisville Zoo is in the Highlands on Trevillian Way. Be sure to see the award-winning Gorilla Forest and wish Scotty the Elephant a Happy 1st Birthday (March 15th). The Zoo also has a splash park. Annual memberships are available.




If you are just looking to spend a relaxing day outdoors, check out one of the 123 parks that the city has to offer.





Louisville is a very family-oriented city. In fact, we were voted one of the Top 20 Best Places to raise a Family. Whether you are relocating to Louisville or just planning a quick trip, you will quickly find out that this list is just a start. Regardless of where you go, HAVE FUN!!




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If you are considering moving to the Louisville area, please contact me for more information about this great city. I am an agent with RE/MAX Alliance and I represent buyers and sellers in Louisville, Shepherdsville, Mt. Washington, Brooks, and Lebanon Junction as well as Oldham and Spencer counties. Regardless of your needs,


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Louisville Home buyers, Get off of the fence!

This is follow-up to a previous post. I’ve read and heard comments that buyers are afraid to purchase a home because they are afraid that they will miss a better deal. This is simply not a good strategy. Buying a home is not like waiting to buy a TV on Black Friday. There are too many variables beyond your control. In fact, even if you get a better price by waiting, you may get a worse deal.

Consider this scenario,

Last week, a property came onto the MLS for $160,000 that a buyer was interested in. If the buyer had made a reasonable offer (97% is reasonable in Louisville), he or she could have possibly purchased the home for $155,200. At the time, average interest rates were 5.82% according to Bankrate. Monthly Principal and Interest payments for this purchase would be $912.62. However, if the buyer had waited until this week, the 30-year average rate rose to 6.08% and the payment is now $938.50! To get back to $912.62, the buyer would have to get the house for approximately $150,900! This is far more unlikely.

So, now what? Should you wait and see what happens next week? The answer is a resounding NO. According to this week’s survey of 250 experts by mortgage-x.com, 37.9% believe rates will increase slightly and 41.4% believe they will fall slightly over the next 30 days. A virtual coin-flip. Stop denying yourself a home that you want out of fear of missing a better deal! If you find a home, purchase it and start earning equity. This is something that you can control!

If you are looking for a home in Louisville, Shepherdsville, or anywhere else in the Metro Area...

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Buy a home in Louisville, NOW!

As I mentioned on my website, now is a great time to buy a house in Louisville. However, judging from the sales numbers in January, many of you are missing out. Inventory levels are high, interest rates are still low, and sellers are willing to work with you. For home buyers, especially first-time home buyers, in Louisville, this is a dream scenario.

High inventory levels exist in every part of the Louisville area. Whether you are looking in Shepherdsville, Taylorsville, Crestwood, or anywhere in between, you can find a home with the features that you want and don’t have to make compromises. With today’s gas prices, you can save $300-$500 / year just by living 5 miles closer to work.

Interest rates have increased slightly over the last 2 weeks, but are still low. Considering that the median home in Louisville costs $162,000, the difference between a 30-year 6.00% loan and a 6.50% loan is $632 per year. Keep in mind that mortgage interest rates are not tied to the prime lending rate or Federal Funds rate. In fact, as we are seeing right now, mortgage rates tend to move opposite of these indicators. So, don’t think that because the Federal Reserve might lower rates again, that mortgage rates will go down further.

Price is not the only factor to negotiate when buying a home in Louisville. Most homes for sale in Jefferson, Bullitt, and Oldham counties are priced fairly and the average selling price is about 97% of the listing price. However, buyers are still able to save thousands because sellers are willing to help with closing costs, willing to make repairs or pay for upgrades, and / or willing to purchase a Home Warranty. These concessions are potentially worth thousands of dollars to you.

Now is the time to buy. As mentioned above, you can save over $1,000 just because of the number and location of homes for sale and current interest rates. The additional benefits of a home warranty and other enticements can be far more valuable. If you want to search for properties on the MLS, click here. When you are ready to buy….
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