Louisville has many little known secrets and gems that make our great city what it is.  One of the greatest gems of our city is the amazing parks system we have here, thanks to Frederick Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture and master designer of nearly 20 of the parks in Louisville. Today, the Olmsted Conservancy works to protect these parks and has secured over $25 million from generous corporate and individual donors to support the parks.  The result of this emphasis on our parks is an abundance of natural landscape that thousands of people enjoy every day for exercise, family retreats, and education.  On any given sunny Saturday walking through these parks, I am amazed at the bustle of activity going on from: soccer and ultimate Frisbee, to outdoor acting and art classes to biking and running clubs making use of the paved roads and trails that weave through the parks.  

Every fall, Friends of the Park gather for one of Louisville's biggest fundraisers and parties – the Boo La La Halloween Ball.  It is definitely the place to see and be seen and the event raises money to support the continued preservation of our parks.  http://www.olmstedparks.org/