Saturday

4. BREAKFAST CLUB, 8:45 a.m.

Don’t ogle the flaky croissants ($3) or cones full of macaroons ($3.75) at the front counter of Blue Dog Bakery & Cafe. Continue straight to the host stand and ask for a table, or they’ll all be gone by the time Blue Dog starts serving breakfast at 9 a.m. Many dishes feature delicious bread, including the toasted baguette with Serrano ham ($8) or the egg, bacon and avocado sandwich with Cheddar, greens and mayo ($9).

5. BRIDGE CROSSING, 10 a.m.

Drive back toward downtown along waterway-hugging River Road and stop at the two-year-old Big Four Bridge at the 85-acre Louisville Waterfront Park. A new spiraling access ramp winds its way up to connect with a decommissioned train bridge, now repurposed as a mile-long stretch for pedestrians and cyclists, offering opportunities to stretch your legs while snapping photos of this bridge and others that link Kentucky and Indiana.

6. BUNG A BARREL, 11 a.m.

Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, on downtown’s Whiskey Row, opened in 2013, restoring bourbon distilling to its original location. Guided tours ($12 per person) feature a multimedia presentation on the brand’s 18th-century namesake, Evan Williams, whiskey maker and wharf master, and a presentation on the distilling process. The micro-distillery produces bourbon that is shipped to its main facility for aging, and visitors on the first tour of the day often get to hammer the bung, or wooden peg, into the fill hole of the most recent barrel. Tours stop in a retro barroom to taste bourbons, then exit through the booze-filled gift shop.

7. HOT CHICKEN, COOL SHOPS, 12:30 p.m.

Just east of the downtown district, the neighborhood of NuLu, a derivation of New Louisville, has attracted a critical mass of trendy restaurants and shops. Fuel up for foraging with spicy chicken (from $8.50) at the new Royals Hot Chicken, where the heat levels run from mild to “gonzo.” Nearby, Scout stocks stylish men’s wear, women’s accessories and housewares from candles to couches. Hit Revelry Boutique Gallery for local crafts and art, and Gifthorse for Kentucky-themed items like flasks that say “Bourbon & Bad Decisions” and kicky, Derby-appropriate bow ties. The former singer for the band Houndmouth, Katie Toupin, is the owner of Bermuda Highway, dealing new and vintage clothing. The neighborhood anchor Joe Ley Antiques stocks three stories with distinctive finds.

8. THE ART OF PLAY, 2:30 p.m.

Adjacent to the University of Louisville campus, the Speed Art Museum took advantage of its recent three-year expansion and renovation to install an interactive play space designed for all ages, create a 142-seat film theater and rework its collection to feature galleries that juxtapose works of various eras. Reopened March 12, the new Speed doubles the footprint of the old, including a glass-wrapped north building with an impressive dramatic lobby, bordered by exterior reflecting pools and sculptures. The museum houses a fine collection of Dutch and Flemish art and Kentucky works including portraiture and furniture. Don’t miss the lower-level Art Sparks, an innovative play area designed to elicit discussions on art across the generations through tracing, word games, light projections and more.

9. MAIN STREET FEAST, 5:30 p.m.

After SoHo in New York, Louisville hosts the largest concentration of cast-iron buildings in the country, many of them lining historic Main Street where travelers can stroll from restaurant to theater to bar over six blocks. Start at Proof on Main, the sophisticated but relaxed restaurant in the art-filled 21c Museum Hotel, with a Poison Arrow cocktail featuring a six-year-aged bourbon and blood orange bitters ($10) and charred octopus that comes sizzling with bagna cauda ($15). Make the subterranean Milkwood, from the chef Edward Lee, your stop for Asian-inflected Southern specialties, including smoked pork shoulder with coconut rice and curry oil ($22) with a side of collard greens and kimchi ($4).

10. CURTAIN’S UP, 7:30 p.m.

For a town its size — roughly 1.2 million in the metro area — Louisville has a rich cultural scene, including a symphony orchestra, ballet and acclaimed theater companies such as the Actors Theater of Louisville. Housed in a Greek Revival building, the company is known for staging the Humana Festival of New American Plays (March 2 to April 10), a repertory that has introduced award-winning works like “Crimes of the Heart” by Beth Henley and “The Gin Game” by D.L. Coburn as well as the popular Ten-Minute Plays series. If it’s dark, try the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts across the street for concerts, musicals and one-man shows.