21c Museum Hotel Louisville

Top choice in Louisville


This contemporary art museum–hotel features edgy design details: video screens project your distorted image and falling language on the wall as you wait for the elevator; water-blurred, see-through glass urinal walls line the men's rooms. Rooms, though not as interesting as the five contemporary art galleries that double as common areas, have high ceilings and lots of natural light.

21c has hotels in several US cities, but the Louisville property is where it all started. An enormous gold replica of Michelangelo's David stands out front to mark the spot.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Louisville attractions

1. Kentucky Science Center

0.06 MILES

Three floors of exhibits illuminate biology, physiology, physics, computing and more for families (kids love it) on historic Main St. For an extra $8 to …

2. Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

0.1 MILES

See how baseball's most famous bat is made. Hillerich & Bradsby Co have been manufacturing the Louisville Slugger here since 1884. Admission includes a…

3. Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

0.12 MILES

The first distillery to open on Whiskey Row, Evan Williams puts on quite a multimedia show. Exhibits transport you back to the 1780s when bourbon-making…

4. Muhammad Ali Center

0.15 MILES

This must-see museum tells the tale of the city's most famous native: a local boxer nicknamed the Louisville Lip or, simply, The Greatest. Highlights…

5. Frazier History Museum

0.15 MILES

This state-of-the-art museum covers 1000 years of history with grisly battle dioramas and costumed interpreters demonstrating swordplay and staging mock…

6. Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co

0.28 MILES

This small distiller located downtown along Whiskey Row has an intriguing story. First opened in the 1880s, it closed during WWI to conserve corn. It…

7. Old Forester Distilling Co

0.5 MILES

A new Whiskey Row facility that opened in 2018, Old Forester itself is a classic brand, around since the 1870s. The distillery lets you view the entire…

8. Angel's Envy

1 MILES

A micro-distillery that's one of the hippest spots around, Angel's Envy bucks local tradition by finishing its bourbon in port barrels, giving it a hint…