LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, March 8, 2021—In March, Louisville Historic Tours, which The New York Times recommends as the first thing not to miss during a visitor’s “36 Hours in Louisville,” will return for its 16th season. Offered three times a day, seven days a week, their curated architecture and haunted history walks are designed to show off the Victorian heritage and quirky residents of Old Louisville, one of the country’s premier historic preservation districts. Like many industries in the state, tourism took a significant hit because of COVID-19, however David Dominé, who has been guiding tours since 2004, used to time to increase his web presence and attract interest. He has shown off the neighborhood to more than 50,000 visitors so far, and the upcoming season is expected to be the busiest one yet.
Dominé, who restored a six-bedroom home on the old Millionaires Row of Louisville, began writing books about the neighborhood in 2005. The tours arose from readers’ desire to see the locations and people he popularized. “It was my way of doing my part to increase awareness of the area and to promote heritage tourism while making money for different neighborhood organizations,” he says. “We get visitors from all over the world, as well as a good number of locals, and it’s wonderful to see how they react to the impressive collection of homes and mansions and the variety of architectural styles. People love Old Louisville.” Dominé’s efforts have earned glowing national and international write-ups and many are predicting that Old Louisville will be the next “it-spot” in the country, a fascinating attraction known for its historic houses and colorful history, much like Savannah, GA, and Charleston, SC.
Anyone looking to discover this captivating neighborhood or see up close and personal the sites made famous in Dominé’s books can purchase tickets for one of three daily walking tours on TripAdvisor, where they consistently rank as one of the most recommended and best reviewed activities in the city. Ticket prices range from $15-$25. Guided walks at 11AM and 1PM focus on the Victorian architecture and lore, while 7:30PM tours highlight local haunted history. Evening tour-goers halt in front of the château-inspired townhome where Dominé lived and began writing his books. Other popular sights include Conrad’s Castle on St. James Court, the Pink Palace, the Witches’ Tree, and a Fourth Street mansion that is the subject of Dominé’s latest project, a true-crime book about the infamous Jamie Carroll murder, which made the news in 2010. Entitled A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City, it will be released this fall by Pegasus Books.
For more information, email info@louisvillehistorictours.com/, call 502-718-2764, or visit https://louisvillehistorictours.com/
About Old Louisville:
Old Louisville is a transitional neighborhood located immediately south of the downtown area. With more than a thousand 19-century structures spread out over some 40 square blocks, Old Louisville counts as one of the largest preservation districts in the nation. Impressive examples of Italianate, Gothic, Châteauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Beaux Arts architecture make it one of the most striking Victorian neighborhoods as well. In addition to being known as “America’s Most Exuberant Neighborhood,” it has also gained a reputation as “America’s Most Haunted Neighborhood” due to the large number of ghostly legends and paranormal hotspots. “We get local and out-of-town visitors alike, and I love showing off my old stomping grounds,” says Dominé, whose books came about as an effort to promote heritage tourism and bring attention to an all-too-often overlooked historic preservation district. “More and more, tourists are discovering this fascinating neighborhood and comparing it to better-know locales such as Savannah, New Orleans, and Charleston. If you love architecture and old houses, you need to come check us out.”