LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  On Monday, children played on a pile of dirt that Waterfront Park is transforming into an experiential learning area. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Phase 4 expansion will extend the park west of 10th Street

  • The first component includes an experiential learning area for children

  • The learning area was designed in partnership with the Kentucky Science Center

  • The 22-acre expansion project will cost $50 million

The play area is part of the park’s Phase 4 Westward Expansion, connecting downtown and west Louisville neighborhoods. 

Park executive director Deborah Bilitski says it will be no ordinary playground. “It is an extraordinary and unique experience for children that incorporates authentic river and industrial artifacts with stem-based educational features, unlike anything else we have in the region,” said Bilitski. 

The learning area was designed in partnership with the Kentucky Science Center. The phase also includes an event building, landscaping, and a new parking area. The news amenities will be within a short walk for the 12,000 people living in west Louisville neighborhoods. 

Gov. Andy Beshear says it’s a step that shows Kentucky is not just a great place to work, but also to live and a place where there are opportunities available for everyone. 

“People of west Louisville don’t just deserve good. They deserve the best and when you see what’s being built here, the thought that’s been put into making that extra learning experience, it’s going to create incredible memories and times for the families of this community,” said Beshear. The park board has raised 26 of the $50 million it will take to complete the project, with $10 million being provided by Kentucky’s General Assembly. 

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer says the expansion will help destroy the 9th Street divide between the West End and downtown. He says it will also support West End revitalization efforts. “We just received a grant and we announced about a month ago from the federal government, where we’ll be revitalizing, reimagining 9th Street,” said Fischer. “So instead of this big broad boulevard that it is, it will be an intimate passageway for people to walk, drive slower, retail on the side, lots more green space, so it will become a unifier for the city.”

Later components of the westward expansion include the addition of an observation pier large enough to accommodate events, an outdoor exercise area, and a picnic area. 

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