This 588-room hotel is close to Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby Museum, and the Louisville Zoo — and it’s also only a seven-minute drive downtown. In May 2013, the brand new Bluegrass Boardwalk amusement park (operating where Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom once stood) will open right across the street, offering free soft drinks and free sunscreen.

All rooms here offer flat-screen TVs with in-room movies and free Wi-Fi, and the hotel’s amenities include an indoor-outdoor pool and a 24-hour fitness center. The hotel’s Blue Horse Bar/Cafe/Terrace serves three meals a day (sometimes including a buffet) featuring Kentucky-grown products. The Grab n’ Go deli is a convenient coffee bar/snack shop. Parking here is free, and the hotel has a complimentary shuttle service to the airport as well as to any destination within a three-mile radius of the hotel.