2022 was apparently a very good year for Bourbon Country’s Louisville as the Bourbon City racked up a ton of national travel destination awards.
A press release from the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau revealed the following long list of 2022 award wins. And perhaps most important, The Lou has a slew of spots on our 2022 America’s Best Bourbon Bars list;) We’ll drink to that!
OVERALL CITY ACCOLADES
∙ “The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022” – Travel + Leisure
∙ “The 22 Best Places to Travel in the US in 2022” – Forbes
∙ “50 US Cities Worth Exploring in 2022” – Travel Pulse
∙ “These Are the Very Best Vacation Spots in the US” – BuzzFeed
∙ “The South’s Best Cities 2022” – Southern Living
∙ “Best Weekend Getaways in the USA” – Jet Setting Fools
∙ “Top 25 Best Places to Live in the Southeast” – Livability
∙ “A guide to the USA’s Best Urban Escapes” – Wanderlust
∙ “Best Places to Visit in May” – The Points Guy
∙ “10 Best Places to Travel in May” – AFAR
∙ “The Best Places to Travel in May” – TravelZoo
∙ “21 Best U.S. Cities for Fall Travel” – Travel + Leisure
∙ “Top 12 US Cities to Visit This Fall” – World Atlas
∙ “10 Small Towns to Spend Halloween in This Spooky Season” – The Travel
∙ “The 12 Most Hauntingly Beautiful Cities in the US” – Fodor’s
∙ “13 Best Places To Go in the Winter” – Travel + Leisure
∙ “22 Best Winter Vacations in the US for 2022” – Jetsetting Fools
∙ “2022’s Best Winter Holiday Destinations” – WalletHub
∙ “These Are the Top 20 Cities in The U.S. To Bring In 2023” – Wallet Hub
∙ “7 Destinations that elevate Black culture year-round” – The Points Guy
∙ “Kentucky’s Most Family-Friendly City” – Travel Pulse
∙ “2022’s Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities” – LawnStarter
∙ A score of 100 on HRC’s 2022 Municipal Equality Index – Human Rights Campaign
∙ “Best Southern Food Cities” – Restaurant Clicks
∙ “Top 10 Best Foodie Cities for Renters” – Apartment Advisor
∙ “10 Best U.S. Cities to Visit If You Love Old Houses” – Best Life
∙ “50 Best Cities for Biking in the US” – Explore
∙ “2022’s Best Cities for Soccer Fans” – Wallet Hub
∙ “10 Destinations for Horse Lovers in The United States” – Everything Horse
∙ “10 Most Affordable US Cities to Stretch Your Travel Dollar” – World Atlas
∙ “10 Popular Cities in The US That Are Surprisingly Cheap” – The Travel
∙ “Top Destinations to Consider in 2023” – Groups Today
∙ “50 Best Places to Travel in 2023” – Travel Lemming
See below for a list of more Louisville-based accolades received in 2022, including those for hotels, restaurants, and festivals.
EAT
∙ “Airport Bars Worth a Layover” (Book & Bourbon) – Imbibe
∙ “Yelp’s top 100 US restaurants 2022” (Bully BBQ, Cask, and Cultured) – Yelp
∙ “The Best Fried Chicken in America” (Chik’n & Mi) – Eater
∙ “America’s best regional desserts: 15 sweet treats to try” (Derby-Pie®) – CNN Travel
∙ “The Best Sandwich in Every State” (Hot Brown) – Reader’s Digest
∙ “The Best Burger in Every State 2022” (Mussel & Burger Bar) – Reader’s Digest
∙ “7 Iconic BBQ Sports in the Southeast” (Mark’s Feed Store) – StyleBlueprint
∙ “The Best Wing Spot In Every State” (Mark’s Feed Store) – Esquire
∙ “25 Outstanding Restaurants Worth the Drive” (North of Bourbon) – Garden & Gun
∙ “13 Beautiful + Instagrammable Bars in the South” (Old Seelbach Bar) – Style Blueprint
∙ “The Best Coffee Shops in Every State” (Please & Thank You) – Food & Wine
∙ “The Best Coffee Roasters in America” (Quills) – Food & Wine
∙ “Where to Order the Most Extreme Hot Dogs Across the Country” (Red Top) – Cheapism
∙ “The Best Chicken Sandwich in Kentucky” (Royals Hot Chicken) – Eat This! Not That!
∙ “15 Black-Owned Restaurants To Check Out In The South” (Six Forks Burger Co.) – Atlanta Daily World
∙ “America’s Very Best Cities for Coffee Lovers” – Mandoe Media
PLAY
∙ “9 totally amazing, one-of-a-kind fall festivals in the US (Bourbon & Beyond) – TripAdvisor
∙ “2022 Festival Preview: The Best Country and Americana Festivals to See This Fall” (Bourbon & Beyond) – Wide Open Country
∙ “Top Drag Brunches Across the U.S. 2022” (CC’s Kitchen, The Hub, Le Moo) – Yelp
∙ “10 best LGBT+ bars across the United States” (Chill Bar) – Budget Travel
∙ “America’s 12 Scariest Corn Mazes” (Field of Screams) – Fodor’s
∙ “Music Festivals You Should Check Out In 2022” (Forecastle) – The Hype Magazine
∙ “Can’t-Miss Music Festivals of Summer 2022” (Forecastle) – Her Campus
∙ “American’s Largest City Parks” (Jefferson Memorial Forest) – 24/7 Wall St.
∙ “7 Biggest Horse Races in the US” (Kentucky Derby) – Casino News
∙ “The Best VIP Sporting Experiences To Enjoy In 2023” (Kentucky Derby) – Luxury Lifestyle Magazine
∙ “The Best Amusement Park in Kentucky” (Kentucky Kingdom) – Wealth of Geeks
∙ “25 over-the-top Christmas displays from across America” (Lights Under Louisville) – Stacker
∙ “10 Creepy, Kid-Friendly Ghost Tours In Top U.S. Cities” (Louisville Historic Tours) – Families Go Travel
∙ “25 Best Factory Tours in America” (Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory) – Good Housekeeping
∙ “8 of the Best Factory Tours Across America” (Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory) – Never Stop Traveling
∙ “The South’s Best Museums 2022” (Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory) – Southern Living
∙ “Best Thrill-Seeking Activities for Adrenaline Junkies” (Louisville Mega Cavern) – Men’s Journal
∙ “10 Best Riverwalks in the United States” (Waterfront Park) – USA Today 10Best
∙ “21 Best Urban Parks and Trails for City-Dwellers Seeking Green Spaces” (Waterfront Park) – Men’s Journal
∙ “25 Abandoned Places You Can Still Visit” (Waverly Hills) – U.S. News
∙ “10 Best Haunted Destinations in the US” (Waverly Hills) – USA Today 10Best
∙ “Explore these 8 ‘haunted’ places in the USA” (Waverly Hills) – Lonely Planet
∙ “11 Epic Southern Ghost Tours” (Waverly Hills) – StyleBlueprint
OVERALL CITY ACCOLADES
∙ “2022 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Magnificent Art Collections” (21c Louisville) – Historic Hotels of America
∙ “9 of The Best Art Hotels Around the World (21c Louisville) – Prestige
∙ “2022 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Unique Culinary Heritage and Culinary Traditions” (Brown Hotel) – Historic Hotels of America
∙ “Most Iconic Hotel in Every State” (Galt House) – Fifty Grande
∙ “The South’s Best New Hotels” (Grady Hotel) – Atlanta Magazine
∙ “10 Incredible Urban Camping Retreats to Book Now” (Progress Park) – Men’s Journal
∙ “America’s Most Haunted Hotels You can Stay in for Spookier Halloween” (Seelbach Hotel) – Homecrux
∙ “16 most haunted hotels in the United States” (Seelbach Hotel) – Yahoo!
∙ “The 27 Most Haunted Hotels in America” (Seelbach Hotel) – U.S. News
∙ “Our Favorite Hotels Said to Be Haunted” (Seelbach Hotel) – AAA
