Editing Louisville, Kentucky (section)

==Parks and recreation==
{{See also|List of parks in the Louisville metropolitan area|List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area}}
[[File:WaterfrontPkDwnt.jpg|thumb|[[Louisville Waterfront Park]] exhibits rolling hills, spacious lawns and walking paths in the [[Downtown Louisville|downtown]] area.]]
[[File:MetroLoopLBT.jpg|thumb|[[Louisville Loop]] bike and pedestrian trail]]

Louisville Metro has 122 city [[park]]s covering more than {{convert|13000|acre|km2}}. Several of these parks were designed by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]], who also designed New York City's [[Central Park]] as well as parks, parkways, college campuses and public facilities in many U.S. locations. The [[Louisville Waterfront Park]] is prominently located on the banks of the [[Ohio River]] near downtown and features large open areas, which often hold free [[concert]]s and other [[festival]]s. The [[Big Four Bridge]], a former railroad bridge spanning {{convert|547|ft|m}} but is now a pedestrian bridge connecting Waterfront Park with Jeffersonville, Indiana's waterfront park, fully opened in May 2014 with the completion of Jeffersonville's ramp.<ref>{{cite news|title=Big Four Bridge walkway about to be a step closer|newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]]|date=May 16, 2007|author=Shafer, Sheldon}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Lord, Joseph |title=Indiana Side of Big Four Bridge Is Opening This Afternoon |url=http://wfpl.org/post/indiana-side-big-four-bridge-opening-afternoon |publisher=[[WFPL]] |date=May 20, 2014 |access-date=June 22, 2014 |archive-date=July 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717202926/http://wfpl.org/post/indiana-side-big-four-bridge-opening-afternoon |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Cherokee Park]], one of the most visited parks in the nation,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/citypark_facts/ccpe_Most_Visited_Parks_08.pdf |title=America's Most Visited City Parks |date=October 1, 2008 |access-date=March 31, 2009 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5fgh5pn16?url=http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/citypark_facts/ccpe_Most_Visited_Parks_08.pdf |archive-date=March 31, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> features a {{convert|2.6|mi|km|1|adj=on}} mixed-use loop and many well-known landscaping and architectural features including the [[Hogan's Fountain Pavilion]]. Other notable parks in the system include [[Iroquois Park]], [[Shawnee Park]], [[Seneca Park (Louisville, Kentucky)|Seneca Park]] and [[Central Park, Louisville|Central Park]].

Further from the downtown area is the [[Jefferson Memorial Forest]], which at {{convert|6676|acre|km2}} is one of the largest municipal [[urban forest]]s in the US.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.louisvilleky.gov/News/WideNewsItem.htm?PostingGuid={C2B603F2-674F-4071-BAB9-C94AE3F9CA75}|title=New Property Connects Sections of Jefferson Memorial Forest |date=November 17, 2009 |website=LouisvilleKy.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630201433/http://www.louisvilleky.gov/News/WideNewsItem.htm?PostingGuid={C2B603F2-674F-4071-BAB9-C94AE3F9CA75} |archive-date=June 30, 2014 |access-date=May 9, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/Locations/Pages/Jefferson-Memorial-Forest.aspx|title=Jefferson Memorial Forest – Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet|website=eec.ky.gov|access-date=May 9, 2024|archive-date=September 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926161015/https://eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/Locations/Pages/Jefferson-Memorial-Forest.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> The forest is designated as a [[National Audubon Society]] [[wildlife refuge]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aubespin |first1=Mervin |title=County forest named wildlife refuge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-jefferson-memorial-f/146943386/ |access-date=May 9, 2024 |work=[[The Courier-Journal]] |date=October 5, 1975 |page=A19 |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510022042/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-jefferson-memorial-f/146943386/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and offers nearly {{convert|60|mi|km}} of hiking and equestrian trails.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wildernesslouisville.org/natural-areas/jefferson-memorial-forest/|title=Visit Jefferson Memorial Forest|website=Wilderness Louisville|date=May 24, 2021 |access-date=May 9, 2024|archive-date=March 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314024117/https://www.wildernesslouisville.org/natural-areas/jefferson-memorial-forest/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area]], owned and operated by the [[Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources]], is another large park in nearby [[Brandenburg, Kentucky]]. The park's namesake, Otter Creek, winds along the eastern side of the park. A scenic bend in the [[Ohio River]], which divides Kentucky from [[Indiana]], can be seen from northern overlooks within the park.

Other outdoor points of interest in the Louisville area include [[Cave Hill Cemetery]] (the burial location of [[Col. Harland Sanders]]), [[Zachary Taylor National Cemetery]] (the burial location of [[President of the United States|President]] [[Zachary Taylor]]), the [[Louisville Zoo]] and the [[Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area]].

In development is the [[City of Parks]], a project to create a {{convert|110|mi|adj=on}} continuous paved pedestrian and biking trail called the [[Louisville Loop]] around Louisville Metro while also adding a large amount of park land. Current plans call for making approximately {{convert|4000|acre|km2}} of the [[Floyds Fork]] flood plain in eastern [[Jefferson County, Kentucky|Jefferson County]] into a new park system called [[The Parklands of Floyds Fork]], expanding area in the Jefferson Memorial Forest, and adding riverfront land and wharfs along the Riverwalk and the Levee Trail, both completed segments of the Louisville Loop.