LBTQ+ Walking History Tour

Queer Louisville: Kentucky LGBTQ+ History Walking Tour with Cocktail

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Queer History Tour through Louisville’s Highlands Neighborhood

Come out with us and explore the Queer stories of Louisville’s past! Get to know the gays of Glitter Ball City on this 1.5-hour walking tour through Louisville’s vibrant Highlands neighborhood.

Uncover the stories that shaped the city’s LGBTQ+ community as you stroll along Bardstown Road and historic Cherokee Triangle in the heart of the Highlands, Louisville’s gay-borhood. Along the way, we’ll stop at a beloved local bookstore and cultural cornerstone of the neighborhood that champions diverse voices and Queer literature, before finishing the experience where so many Queer stories unfold: inside one of Louisville’s best gay bars.

QUICK DETAILS

  • Distance: Roughly 1.5 miles of flat walking
  • Duration: 1.5 hours
  • Capacity: 16 per tour
  • Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
  • Accessibility: Wheelchair & stroller friendly. (Must be 21+ for the included cocktail)
  • Drink Stops: 1 cocktail at a local gay bar
  • Meet At: 1652 Lucia Ave
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  • Group enjoying a drink at Big Bar on the patio in the Highlands, Louisville on a queer history tour
  • Chill bar in The Highlands neighborhood with mural in Louisville, Kentucky
  • Carmichael's Bookstore in the Highlands, Louisville, Kentucky
  • Couple on queer history tour in the Highlands, gays of Glitterball City walking tour in Louisville Kentucky
  • Carmichael's Bookstore in the Highlands, Louisville, Kentucky
  • Pride Plates LGBTQ Queer History Food Tour in Louisville Kentucky group listening to tour guide
  • Mural on the side of Big Bar in the Highlands, Louisville, Kentucky
  • The Highlands neighborhood and mural in Louisville, Kentucky
  • Highlands neighborhood on a queer history food tour in Louisville Kentucky

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  • Wrought iron Fleur de Lis in the Original Highlands neighborhood
  • Highlands neighborhood on a queer history food tour in Louisville Kentucky
  • The Highlands Mural at Big Bar in Louisville Kentucky
  • Carmichael's Bookstore in the Highlands, Louisville, Kentucky
  • The Highlands neighborhood in Louisville Kentucky
  • Mother and daughter on a queer history tour in Louisville, Kentucky
  • Queer history tour in the Highlands, gays of Glitterball City walking tour in Louisville Kentucky
  • Couple on queer history tour in the Highlands, gays of Glitterball City walking tour in Louisville Kentucky

Explore the Highlands, the origin of “Glitter ball City”

The Highlands is one of Louisville’s oldest neighborhoods – and its most quirky. As the gay epicenter of “Glitter Ball City” (and where the original Disco ball factory is STILL located) it’s home to the annual Louisville Pride Festival, and several of Louisville’s best gay bars – in fact, your tour starts at one and ends at another one!

Where

Meet on front of the mural painted on the side of Big Bar, at 1652 Lucia Ave

When​

Saturdays, 11 AM – 12:30 PM Private tours available other days/times.

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Chill bar in The Highlands neighborhood with mural in Louisville, Kentucky

What’s This Tour All About?

From a trailblazing Black Prohibition-era drag performer to the poets, authors, rebels, and activists who carved out space in the Bluegrass State, you’ll discover how Louisville became a beacon of resilience, creativity, and celebration – and how Kentucky’s Queer story defies stereotypes.

In the hills of Appalachia and the towns of coal country, Queer and progressive artists were writing, organizing, and reshaping the cultural landscape of the Commonwealth in ways that still ripple today.

  • Stop at a local bookstore featuring local authors from the Queer community
  • The stories of Kentucky’s queer history and its home-grown artists, authors, and activists
  • Audio headset (to help you hear your expert local guide)
  • Bathroom stop midway through the tour
  • 1 Cocktail at a local gay bar (21+)
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What to Expect

Here’s what to expect during your 1.5 hour walking tour:

1 Drink

Cocktail or mocktail included with your ticket (21+)

Audio Headset​

To help you hear us from a distance.

Small Group

Capped at 16 for a more personal experience.

Walking

About 1.5 Miles. Wear comfy shoes!

FAQ’s About This Tour

Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions about this tour.

It was extremely important to us to involve members of the queer community at every level for the creation of this tour to ensure that the stories we are telling represent the queer community with respect as well as historical accuracy. From writing to running the tour, members of Kentucky’s queer community have been both deeply involved and – equally as important – fairly compensated for their time and effort.

This tour was a labor of deep love and connection for the members of our team who brought it to life. You’ll even see a picture of the tour’s co-writer, who is also a member of our leadership team, during the tour.

To ensure historical accuracy (to the best of our ability), our tour development team poured over the research archives at the fantastic Williams Nichols collection, an incredible collection of local LGBTQ+ history and one of the largest collections of its kind in the country, housed at the University of Louisville.

The tour is also guided by members of the queer community and visits queer-owned establishments (as much as local geography allows).

The creation of the tour was in partnership with Queer Kentucky as part of their inaugural Bourbon & Belonging LGBTQ bourbon week, and we’re thrilled to continue offer the tour.

We are always open to feedback about how we can improve our representation and storytelling, so please reach out with any concerns and questions!

There is 1 cockail or mocktail included with your ticket, served at the end of your tour. We typically find that groups want to stay and chitchat a little bit with our guide & each other before heading off to lunch.

Yes. While only folks who are 21 and over can enter the bar for the included cocktail or mocktail, we intentionally planned our bar stop at the end of the tour. Those under 21 are welcome to join and enjoy the rest of the tour, and we will say goodbye outside of the bar stop.

Note that the content of the tour does include some mature topics by nature of the history of the stories being told. For content purposes, we recommend those joining this tour be at least 14+.

This tour ends a 3 minute walk down the street from where it begins.

There is ample free start parking in the surrounding neighborhood. We recommend parking on quiet side streets and NOT parking on busy Bardstown Road.

This is a fantastic, fun and scenic area to walk around and get a bite to eat after your tour. We recommend walking to GraleHaus, Jack Fry’s, Stevens & Stevens, The Eagle, HaiFry, or O’Sheas for lunch! For vegetarians, head to Heart & Soy/Roots.

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