Where to stay and play on a family vacation in Louisville

Lou-uh-vull, Lou-ee-ville, Lou-vull — however you pronounce it, your family is overdue for a visit.

Yes, this town is synonymous with heritage distilleries and betting on the ponies at Churchill Downs, but beneath the surface, Kentucky’s Derby City is packed with soberer pursuits.

Below, a perfect long weekend in Louisville, with kids in tow.

Day 1

After a two-hour flight from NYC, you’ll need to rent a car.

“Louisville is expansive, and a car allows people to enjoy family fun throughout the area,” said Dr. Stephanie White, “chief fun finder” of LouisvilleFamilyFun.net and mother of teens.

Next, drive to the Galt House (from $140 per night). It’s where Catie Nelson, director of events at Waterfront Park, and Melea Runyon, destination services manager at Louisville Tourism, recommend.

The moms plug its swimming pool, on-site dining and walkable location to the Kentucky Science Center, Louisville Slugger Museum and the Belle of Louisville steamboat.

Other solid choices are Stellar Suites Boutique Hotel (from $125 per night) with complimentary bikes, or Pepin Mansion Historic Bed & Breakfast (from $149 per night) in New Albany, Ind.

For lunch, head to Hermitage Farm in Goshen, Ky., a working thoroughbred farm and home to a delightful farm-to-table restaurant, Barn8. If your kids are clamoring for a sugar rush, journey to Hip Hop Sweet Shop.

Next, hit Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay Amusement Park.

It has some 70 rides and 25 water slides.

Alternatively, race go-karts at Full Throttle Adrenaline Park or zipline through the Louisville Mega Cavern, a former quarry.

For something more mellow, explore the Parklands of Floyds Fork with its family-friendly trails.

Or, wander around Bernheim Arboretum and Forest, home to the Forest Giants wooden sculptures.

Book a walking tour with Louisville Historic Tours, which runs architecture and ghost tours through Old Louisville, one of the finest clusters of Victorian-era mansions in the country.

Dinner awaits in the funky Nulu nabe at Cuban restaurant La Bodeguita or Emmy Squared Pizza.

Day 2

Start the day at the Louisville Zoo. Jackie Glass, a science teacher at Kentucky Country Day School, and her two children enjoy a morning visit so they can see some of the animals as they rise, followed by a break at the zoo’s splash park.

Keep the fun rolling with a trip to Falls of the Ohio State Park, less than 15 minutes away from downtown Louisville in Clarksville, Ind.

Devin Payne, southeast regional director of Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites called it one of her family’s favorite spots. “Enjoy hiking, fishing, birdwatching and discovering ancient fossil beds,” she said.

Add a tour of New Albany’s Culbertson Mansion for a glimpse into the lives of Midwestern magnates during the Gilded age.

Or, take a jaunt to the Ohio River Greenway and Big Four Pedestrian Bridge. The Payne crew bikes from New Albany to Jeffersonville and then into Louisville.

“With multiple stops along the way, it’s a great day out with the kids,” she said. “We usually go to Parlour Pizza at Big Four Station, and the trail passes multiple playgrounds to stop at as well.”

Venture back to the Nulu neighborhood for ice cream at Louisville Cream, or Bamboo Donuts in Thornhill. If your kids’ sole food group isn’t sugar, try Grassa Gramma or Feast BBQ.

Day 3

Louisville has a golden museum lineup, from the Muhammad Ali Center to Speed Art Museum, which provides an interactive, hands-on art gallery that will make young ’uns swoon.

The Kentucky Science Center offers hands-on exhibits while the Louisville Slugger Museum gives visitors a chance to see how baseball bats are made. The Kentucky Derby Museum gives you an enjoyable history of the famed event.

If your schedule allows, try to catch a Louisville Bats game — they also have an amazing playground.