One Of Louisville's Best Neighborhoods Is A Kentucky Gem With A Walkable Arts Scene And Tree-Lined Streets

Head a couple of miles east of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, and you'll find the historic Cherokee Triangle neighborhood. Nestled between Cherokee Park and the Cave Hill Cemetery & Arboretum, Cherokee Triangle has become a favorite area among Louisville's young professionals, combining ample green space with easy access to shopping, dining, and entertainment. Plus, the neighborhood's crime rate is lower than the vast majority of the city. 

Cherokee Triangle is one of Louisville's seven historic preservation districts. The neighborhood was mostly rural until around the Civil War, when the advent of the streetcar allowed for residential expansion. It once belonged to a separate city called Enterprise, but was later absorbed by Louisville. An association was formed to preserve the area's historic architecture, and many of Cherokee Triangle's original buildings still stand today.

Fans of 19th-century architecture will notice a mix of styles in Cherokee Triangle, including Queen Anne, Italianate, Tudor Revival, and Beaux-Arts, to name a few. You can walk around the area comfortably even on sunny summer days, thanks to the lush mature trees that line the streets, some of which have been growing for a century. Cherokee Triangle offers more than pretty homes and shady strolls, too. It has a thriving arts scene, a vibrant commercial corridor, and more than 400 acres of outdoor recreation.

Foodies and artists in Louisville know the artsy NuLu neighborhood with trendy shops and restaurants, but Cherokee Triangle is another hub of creative energy in the city. Every year since 1972, on the weekend before the Kentucky Derby, the neighborhood hosts the popular Cherokee Triangle Art Fair, a two-day event featuring over 200 local vendors, live music, food, and all-ages entertainment. Proceeds from the festival help to support other community events in Cherokee Triangle, such as the summer concert series in Willow Park. On Sunday nights in June and July, the Willow Park gazebo transforms into an open-air stage and hosts free concerts, with genres ranging from classic rock to dance music.

Creative entertainment is offered all year round in Cherokee Triangle. The best place to find it is along Bardstown Road, the neighborhood's main commercial thoroughfare. Among the storefronts are galleries such as garner LARGE and Edenside Gallery, which sells jewelry, pottery, and other handcrafted items from local artisans. If you're in a movie-going mood, Baxer Avenue Theatres plays foreign and independent films along with discounted first-run flicks. Next door, the Monarch Music & Arts Community is a grassroots creative hub and performance space that holds events like Community Jazz Jams and songwriter circles, along with shows by local and touring acts.

Cherokee Triangle is in fact triangle shaped, and two of the edges are lined with green spaces. East of the neighborhood is the sprawling Cherokee Park, with a 2.3-mile scenic loop that features hiking trails, bike paths, and roadways through the woodlands, hills, and meadows of Beargrass Creek valley. The loop takes visitors past historic landmarks like the Christensen Fountain, built way back in 1901. Other activities in the 409-acre park include a splash pad, an archery range, a basketball court, and a golf course, as well as seasonal activities like hayrides during Halloween.

If spooky adventures are your thing, you don't need to travel as far as the haunted "Pope Lick Monster" railroad trestle bridge. Just north of Cherokee Triangle is the Cave Hill Cemetery & Arboretum. Founded in the 1840s, the historic cemetery is the resting place of several famous figures, including KFC founder Harland Sanders and boxing legend Muhammad Ali. All told, more than 148,000 people are buried within its 300 acres, and some are said to be restless. Local legends report green orbs around the headstones, whispering voices in the Civil War section, and a woman's ghost near children's graves at sunset. Another haunting sight worth seeing is the famous twisted Witches' Tree in Old Louisville, located just over 3 miles from Cherokee Triangle. 

For those more interested in nature than spirits, the Cave Hill Cemetery also has an accredited arboretum with more than 600 species of trees and shrubs, including Big Tree Champion oaks, the largest of which is nearly 18 feet tall. The cemetery offers regular tours for visitors who want to delve deeper into this fascinating and beautiful Louisville landmark.