Tom Sawyer State Park · Louisville, KY
Address: 3000 Freys Hill Rd. Louisville, KY 40241
For today’s post we are moving a little away from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area and visiting a Louisville park. I was home for the weekend and decided to pay a visit to E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. Anyone that is from Louisville is more than familiar with Tom Sawyer so keep reading to find out what this Louisville native thinks of it.
Favorite aspect of the park
Hidden waterfall
My favorite aspect of this park are all of the little hidden gems. Tom Sawyer State Park used to be the home of the old Central State hospital. There are lots of old paths and building foundations scattered around the park property from when the hospital was still active. You can spend hours wandering around the lesser used paths looking for old buildings and random equipment scattered in the woods. Aside from the remains of the Central State hospital, there is also a cool waterfall which is pictured above. I only discovered this the last time I went to the park with my dad. It’s tucked away in a far corner of the park that I didn’t know about and I’ve been coming here since I was in elementary school. One of my other favorite hidden gems of the park is a cave covered in graffiti and an abandoned barn and greenhouses. When I was in high school my friends and I would always explore in there and use it as the backdrop for our photo projects. Unfortunately, it is now off limits to the public, but it was fun to wander around at the time.
Least favorite aspect of the park
One of the old walking paths from central state hospital
I’m kind of thinking that I need to change this section of my reviews because most of the time, there really isn’t that I genuinely dislike about the parks. If I had to pick one thing, I wish that there was more information about the trails in the park. Like I mentioned above, I have been going to this park since elementary school and just within the past month discovered more. It would be nice to have a trail map of the park so that I could take full advantage of it.
Something that stood out to me
BMX track
What stands out most to me about this park is the variety of activities that it offers. It has all of the classic park activities like soccer, basketball, a pool, tennis and playgrounds but it also has some more unique activities for its visitors. These include a BMX course, archery, orienteering, astronomy, community gardening, and model airplane flying. According to the Kentucky parks website, “The BMX track is considered one of the best in the country and hosts the National BMX Grand Championships.” How cool is that? I mean there aren’t many neighborhood parks that you can also ride your BMX bike at. I love that Tom Sawyer provides so many recreational opportunities other than just the basic ones that you expect from a park.
Final thoughts
Fitness trail
This park is a tried and true. It isn’t the most visually stunning park that I’ve visited but with its variety of activities, fascinating history and abundance of wildlife, you can always find something to enjoy. This park is great for everything from going to your school lacrosse or soccer game to swimming in their Olympic sized pool to going on a hike an keeping an eye our for wild turkeys and deer.
Photos in order: outdoor exercise equipment, pool, birdhouse, soccer fields, walking path, trail markers, model airplane runway, deer, deer, more deer, main visitors center, archery range, flowers, new community center.