Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing

Louisville Metro Parks owns two historic plantation homes, Riverside and Locust Grove. Of the two, Locust Grove is understandably the sexier of the two, since it’s older, closer to the city, and has ties to Lewis & Clark. But Riverside is bigger (300 acres), has great views of the Ohio, and it also has the benefit of being a point on the Louisville Loop bike trail, 20 miles from downtown. Plus the slave-​built mansion dates to the 1820s. We really enjoyed our hour-​long, volunteer-​led tour of the home and grounds.
I can imagine that Riverside is hugely popular for weddings, especially since there is now a historic chapel on the property, moved this year from Dixie Highway. Even the absurd name says «perfect for weddings».
Q: «Would you like to come to my wedding at Riverside, the Farnsley-​Moremen Landing?»
A: «I’ll have my man prepare my waistcoat, breeches, and ascot tout de suite.»

The short: this farmhouse is a gem of a historical site right on the river’s side of the Louisville Loop biking and walking trail.
The long: thank goodness for Living Social for introducing me to new fun places in my own backyard! I got a deal for here recently and finally made it around to visiting with one of my friends. Both of us are Louisville natives but had no idea about the historical farm just a short distance from downtown. I’m kind of a history geek, and everything from the story of how Bourbon is made to commerce on the Ohio River is right up my alley.
Tours start on the half-​hour, and at 2:30 we saw a short video about the history of the Farnsley and Moreman families who previously owned the property. Next up was a tour with one of the guides, who told us more about the property while showing us some of the original and period replica items still in the house. Fun fact: the entire house was constructed with items from the property, except for the window glass, which was shipped down from Pittsburgh in barrels filled with molasses as packing material.
The best part about the whole visit was the scenic views of the Ohio River and the tranquility of the whole area. I could just picture steam ships puffing up to dock at the River’s edge and bartering for timber for their engines before moving on. History still grows in the gardens with plants and trees from nearly 200 years ago sprouting in the ground.
I will definitely be back this way to see more of the Louisville Loop and hope that if you ride the loop, your visit will include a stop at the Farnsley-​Moreman house too!