Things to do in Louisville this week

September and October bring a rich calendar of community events across Kentuckiana. The Bourbon & Beyond Festival takes place Thursday, September 24 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, with tickets and details available through Ticketmaster. The following day, Friday, September 25, the Pal Wow Family Fun Festival opens in Palmyra at Buffalo Trace Park for a two-day celebration of community entertainment and activities. If you're interested in architecture and design, the Louisville St. Jude Dream Home Tour offers free open house viewings of a 2026 Dream Home on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season.

As the calendar turns to October, the St. James Court Art Show returns Saturday, October 3 in the St. James-Belgravia Historic District, featuring 700 artisans in a free outdoor show that celebrates Louisville's creative community. The Belknap Fall Festival on Friday, October 9 brings over 100 artists and vendors to Douglass Loop at 1930 Harvard Dr, with live music and food trucks. Music lovers should mark their calendars for the Garvin Gate Blues Festival beginning Friday, October 16 in Louisville, a multi-day celebration of blues music and local culture.

This week's recipe is Triple Chocolate Vegan Banana Bread—a rich, indulgent take on a classic breakfast staple that's entirely plant-based. The recipe yields eight generous servings, with each slice delivering 501 calories, 11 grams of protein, and 18 grams of fat, at about $1.46 per serving. With a prep time of forty-five minutes, it's accessible enough for a weekend baking project.

The magic lies in the three-chocolate ganache drizzle that finishes the loaf. You'll combine high-quality seventy-five percent and ninety-nine percent cocoa chocolates with coconut oil and reduced coconut milk, whisking until glossy and dark before drizzling over the cooling bread. The banana bread base itself uses whole wheat flour, pastry flour, mesquite flour, and cocoa powder, along with ripe bananas, coconut oil, and a blend of chocolate chips and cocoa nibs. Whether you're exploring plant-based baking or simply looking to expand your breakfast collection, this recipe delivers the comfort of chocolate with the nutrition of real fruit and wholesome grains.

Kentuckiana's literary history runs deeper than many realize. The Seelbach Hotel, a Louisville landmark, allegedly inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's fictional hotel in 'The Great Gatsby' after he stayed there and witnessed bourbon-running tunnels during Prohibition. The hotel's Prohibition-era architecture and stories have become part of local lore, connecting our region to one of American literature's greatest novels and reminding us that Louisville played a quiet role in shaping American culture during a transformative period.