If you haven’t visited Louisville, KY lately, you might not recognize it. The entire downtown is nearing the completion of a $1 billion revitalization. On virtually every corner there’s something new popping up—new Bourbon distilleries, new Southern-inspired culinary destinations and new places to explore.

But at the heart of it all is the completely renovated and expanded Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC).

After 22 months of construction and remodeling, the new KICC is set to reopen in August of 2018. Inside, KICC will feature over 200,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, a 40,000 square foot ballroom and 52 meeting rooms. It will also feature a state-of-the-art, 175 seat conference theater, advanced WIFI capabilities and LEED Silver Certification. 

But one of KICC’s biggest features is its experience-focused design. From inside guests can see a city full of one-of-a-kind attractions that await them after conference hours—all within easy walking distance.

For example, in the city famous for Bourbon, KICC is surrounded by four micro-distilleries; the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Angel’s Envy, the Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse and Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. Just a few minutes away in the Butchertown neighborhood, Louisville is making American brandy cool again at the award-winning Copper & Kings distillery. And the distilleries don’t stop there. In 2018, downtown will welcome Old Forester and Michter’s Whiskey Distilleries as well as Rabbit Hole to the hip Nulu neighborhood just down the street. 

Still not enough Bourbon? There are 35 stops on the Urban Bourbon Trail—a city-wide cocktail and culinary adventure. Each well-stocked with between 50 to 150 Bourbons and staffed by trained bourbon aficionados.  

Speaking of food, from fried chicken to the Hot Brown to boundary pushing twists on Southern cuisine, you’ll find 130 restaurants within walking distance of KICC. Most of which have helped make Louisville one of the “10 Best New Food Cities” in America according to National Geographic Travel.

Also within walking distance of KICC is Museum Row, which features unique attractions for visitors to explore, like the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, the Muhammad Ali Center, Frazier History Museum and art galleries featuring new works by emerging local artists as well as touring retrospectives of established painters and sculptors.

To accommodate KICC guests, Louisville’s hotel scene has undergone some serious room service. From bargain to boutique, by the end of 2018, Louisville will have more than 5,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of KICC. The newest is the four-diamond Omni Hotel, located adjacent to KICC it will feature 612 rooms, 70,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa, two full-service restaurants, a rooftop pool-side café and a swanky lobby lounge. 

Be one of the first to see how Louisville, a city within a day’s drive of over half the U.S. population, has transformed into one of the most unique cities in the nation. To stay up-to-date on all the latest in Louisville, visit TransformationLouisville.com.