Kentucky
As home to one of the most iconic sporting events in history, the Kentucky Derby, iconic sports figures like Muhammad Ali and home to the Louisville Slugger, Kentucky has cemented itself in the top destinations for sports. Combined with its southern hospitality and incredible mix of indoor and outdoor venues and it’s no wonder the Bluegrass State is chosen time and again for most any type of sporting event.
Kentucky

2013 KHSAA Class 3A Girls' Cross Country State Meet at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, November 9, 2013. Photo by Matt Goins
As home to one of the most iconic sporting events in history, the Kentucky Derby, iconic sports figures like Muhammad Ali and home to the Louisville Slugger, Kentucky has cemented itself in the top destinations for sports. Combined with its southern hospitality and incredible mix of indoor and outdoor venues and it’s no wonder the Bluegrass State is chosen time and again for most any type of sporting event.

Ashland is located on the southern banks of the Ohio River in the tri-state area of Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The city has a revitalized, walkable downtown dotted with unique art installations and locally-owned restaurants and shops.
Hotel Rooms: 1100Hotel tax rate: 12 percent
Major Facilities:
- The Ashland Tennis Center has four indoor and 11 outdoor courts
Visit Ashland, KY, visitaky.com.

Bardstown is located in Nelson County in the heart of the Bluegrass State. The small town is actually Kentucky’s second oldest city.
Hotel Rooms: Approximately 8 propertiesMajor Facilities:
- Bardstown County Club at Maywood is an 18-hole championship golf course
- The Bardstown/Nelson County Parks & Recreation Department maintains one Olympic-size pool
- The 70-acre Dean Watts Park includes 12 youth soccer fields, four youth football fields, and six baseball/softball fields
Visit Bardstown, visitbardstown.com.

Bowling Green is home to state-of-the-art sports facilities, many in a rural setting with plenty of room to spread out, along with fantastic hotels, restaurants and shops. The city also features several disc golf courses and is host to the largest amateur disc golf championships in the world.
Hotel Rooms: 3300Hotel tax rate: 13.42 percent
Major Facilities:
- The Bowling Green Ballpark is a 4500-seat minor league park
- Michael O. Buchanon Park features eight fields and a gym and will soon add another gym with six indoor tennis courts that can convert to space for basketball, volleyball, indoor football, or soccer
- Ephram White Park and Basil Griffin Park accommodate softball and baseball
The Sloan Convention Center is a 60,000-square-foot facility that’s nearby 444 hotel rooms.
Contact:Bowling Green Area CVB, visitbgky.com.

Elizabethtown is a convenient for youth travel sports as it’s situated on I-65 between Louisville and Nashville. Weekend events held here draw from over a dozen surrounding states.
Hotel Rooms: 2000Hotel tax rate: 8 percent
Major Facilities:
- Elizabethtown Sports Park is a 158-acre outdoor complex with 25 total fields, including 12 diamonds with newly-installed infield Astroturf, 12 rectangular fields of various sizes, and a Miracle Field
Elizabethtown TCB, touretown.com.

Frankfort, Kentucky’s capital city, is just a short drive from Lexington and Louisville. The city offers plenty of indoor and outdoor facilities and lots to do before or after the event.
Hotel Rooms: 864Hotel tax rate: 12 percent
Major Facilities:
- Capital View Park houses two lighted fields and three unlighted fields for soccer, four lighted softball fields, and nine miles of mountain biking trails
- Lakeview Park includes seven soccer fields, four youth softball fields, and a disc golf course
- East Frankfort Park has a disc golf course
- Kentucky State University offers a 2700-seat basketball arena, football stadium, and baseball field
Visit Frankfort, visitfrankfort.com.

Henderson County is situated in western Kentucky. The area is nestled long the Ohio River and is home to numerous parks and facilities.
Hotel Rooms: 500Major Facilities:
- Sandy Watkins Community Park offers fishing lakes, bike trails, and a boat launch
- Doc Hosbach Tennis Complex offers 12 public tennis courts
Henderson County Tourist Commission, hendersonky.org.

Hopkinsville offers diverse and accessible facilities for most sports of most sizes. From a robust skate park and rolling disc golf offerings to a 55,000-square-foot indoor recreational facility and a five-plex softball field pentagon, Hopkinsville is the place to play.
Hotel Rooms: 1100Hotel tax rate: 13 percent
Major Facilities:
- Tie Breaker Athletic Park has five softball/youth baseball fields
- Planters Bank-Jennie Stuart Health Sportsplex Hopkinsville includes three basketball courts and a turf field
- Hopkinsville Skatepark has ramps, quarter-pipes, decks and more
- Thomas Street Recreation Center includes a basketball court and pickleball courts
- Stadium of Champions hosts football, track, soccer, and more
- DeBow Recreational Complex offers space for up to seven soccer fields or football fields
Visit Hopkinsville, VisitHopkinsville.com.

The Kentucky Lake area has a large variety of geographical terrain that can accommodate a wide variety of outdoor sports such as mountain biking, water racing sports, running events, rowing, and more.
Hotel Rooms: 800Major Facilities:
- Mike Miller Park includes five soccer fields, two auxiliary soccer fields, three lighted youth baseball fields, tennis/pickleball courts, 18-hole disc golf course, stocked fishing lake, and more
Kentucky Lake CVB, kentuckylake.org.

The Lake Barkley region is in western Kentucky and offers a variety of attractions and activities. Water activities are always popular here as the area boasts more than 57 thousand acres of water.
Hotel Rooms: Approximately 6 propertiesMajor Facilities:
- Lake Barkley is an angler’s dream and a great destination for fishing for crappie, largemouth bass, white bass, catfish, sauger, and bluegill
Lake Barkley Tourist Commission, lakebarkley.org.

Lebanon is centrally located to both Louisville and Lexington. The city is in the heart of bourbon country with lots of outdoor recreational opportunities.
Hotel Rooms: 200Major Facilities:
- Graham Memorial Park houses a 25-meter by 25-yard pool, two fastpitch softball fields, three Little League fields, and two tennis courts
Visit Lebanon, visitlebanonky.com.

Amateur or professional, Lexington provides something to enjoy throughout the year. This central Kentucky city is a frequent host for all kinds of sports, including equestrian events, track and field, cross country, basketball, and volleyball.
Hotel Rooms: 8700Hotel tax rate: 16.07 percent
Major Facilities:
- Rupp Arena at the Central Bank Center is a 20,500-seat indoor venue
- Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park has a championship-size show ring and permanent seating for 5512
- Sports Center Lexington houses five full-size basketball courts
- Bourbon County Sports Complex features a nationally-rated cross country course
VisitLEX, VisitLEX.com.

London is an easy location for sporting events since it is situated on I-75, which passes through six different states. The area is home to the Daniel Boone National Forest, making it an oasis for outdoor activities.
Hotel Rooms: 1249Hotel tax rate: 10.23 percent
Major Facilities:
- London Laurel Optimist Foundation Sports Complex offers a 15,000-square-foot gym and multiple soccer fields
- London-Laurel County Fairgrounds sits on 74 acres
- Whitley Branch Veterans Park includes a disc golf course
London-Laurel County Tourist Commission, visitlondonky.com.

Louisville is a city famous for sports icons like Muhammad Ali, Churchill Downs and Louisville Slugger. It is a city with a thriving sports community that has been home to countless championships.
Hotel Rooms: 21,000 in the metro areaHotel tax rate: 16.07 percent
Major Facilities:
- Kentucky Venues boasts 1.2 million square feet of space, including 19,000-seat Freedom Hall and 5,000-seat Broadbent Arena
- KFC Yum! Center is a 22,000-seat arena in the heart of downtown
- Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center opened in 2021 and is a track and field facility, offering the only banked indoor track in Kentucky
- Lynn Family Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of 15,304
The Kentucky International Convention Center provides more than 200,000 contiguous square feet of space.
Contact:Louisville Sports Commission, louisvillesports.org.

Located at the edge of the South, Northern Kentucky is an ideal location to bring a sporting event as it’s within a half-day’s drive to most of the east coast, southern and Midwest population.
Hotel Rooms: 7000Hotel tax rate: 12.36 percent
Major Facilities:
- PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation is an indoor/outdoor multipurpose venue
- BB&T Arena is a multipurpose indoor venue with nearly 10,000 seats
Northern Kentucky Convention Center is a 204,000-square-foot multipurpose facility.
Contact:Northern Kentucky CVB, meetNKY.com.

Owensboro features a large mix of sports with unique venues for each. It’s also easy to get around as most everything is within 15 minutes or less.
Hotel Rooms: 1050Hotel tax rate: 13.42 percent
Major Facilities:
- Kentucky Legend Fields at Jack C. Fisher Park features four hybrid synthetic turf fields
- Panther Creek Park has five all-purpose dirt fields and one full-size natural baseball field
- Owensboro Sportscenter includes 11,000 square feet and hosts basketball, wrestling, archery, pickleball, and rodeos
- Merchant Centre Court features six indoor tennis courts and 12 outdoor tennis courts
- Edge Ice Center is a 42,600-square-foot arena with one sheet of ice
- Thompson-Berry Soccer Complex boasts 11 fields
- Waymond Morris Football Complex has four football fields
Owensboro Convention Center offers 102,000 feet of space for sports such as basketball, volleyball, futsal, wrestling, archery, pickleball, cheerleading, dance, cornhole and more.
Contact:Owensboro-Daviess County CVB, visitowensboro.com.

Paducah is situated in western Kentucky, halfway between Nashville and St. Louis. At the heart of America’s inland waterways where the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers meet, Paducah’s natural and built venues are adaptable for a variety of sporting events.
Hotel Rooms: 2000Major Facilities:
- Paducah Ohio River Boat Launch is used for a variety of fishing tournaments
- Twin Oaks Lake is a 50-acre, two-lake tournament water skiing venue
- Drake Creek is an 18-hole golf course
- Historic Brooks Stadium is a 1800-seat ballpark
The Paducah-McCracken County Convention & Expo Center offers 100,000 square feet of flexible space under one roof. The facility has hosted sports such as basketball, volleyball, and cheer, and dance.
Contact:Paducah CVB, Paducah.travel.com.

The Pike County region in eastern Kentucky and is surrounded by the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. The area is great for events like running and fishing, as well as traditional sports like baseball, football, and soccer.
Hotel Rooms: 700Major Facilities:
- The East Kentucky Expo Center seats 7000 and can host a variety of sports, from baseball to motorsports
Pike County Tourism CVB, tourpikecounty.com.

Somerset is located in Pulaski County. When not participating in events, visitors can enjoy a date on Lake Cumberland or one of the area’s beautiful recreation areas.
Hotel Rooms: 775Hotel tax rate: 14 percent in city limits; 10 percent outside city limits
Major Facilities:
- Ward Correll Sports Complex has five fields
- Pulaski County Park and General Burnside Island State Park host many fishing tournaments
- The Center for Rural Development hosts wrestling and roller derby
Somerset-Pulaski County CVB, lctourism.com.