Kentucky Exposition Center

937 Phillips Ln, Louisville, KY 40209, USA

Address:	937 Phillips Ln, Louisville, KY 40209, USA
Phone:	+1 502-367-5000
Site:	kyexpo.org
Rating:	4.2

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 7

Troy Windhorst

A great exposition facility that can accommodate nearly any type of convention, performance, rodeo, flea market... the list goes on and on. The facilitys original focus was the state fair. Though the state fair is still probably the biggest event, especially for those 11 days in August, the focus has shifted to the convention and exposition business. For the state fair, is provides more indoor, air-conditioned square footage than any other state fair in the country (as of this writing). Its a huge place providing a lot of Class A expo space (bright lights, high ceilings, and few columns). There also a lot of older spaces at the facility which provides areas where an expo can get a little dirty if it needs to. There are three stadiums here as well. This place can handle it all. The places was built in the 50s with major renovations and expansions in nearly each decade. It has kept up with the times, but navigating can be a little convoluted as the layout was obviously not a single vision when originally designed. They have done a decent job, though. *THE BAD* Parking can be a nightmare. Different traffic flows and patterns have been used over the years. None have really worked that well. If you are going to an all-day event, its usually not an issue. If you are going to an event that starts at a certain time (show, concert, etc.)... go VERY early... get there HOURS early! It is common for traffic to quickly back up onto interstate ramps and move less than a snails pace. Getting out can be almost as bad, though maybe a little faster. Parking lots are scattered all over. Most of the time, I usually end up in a lot that is nowhere near the part of the facility where I want to go. Sometimes, I have dished out the parking fee and ended up in a muddy, grassy, auxiliary lot... never happy about that. The parking is not always this bad, but be warned... it can easily be. Check their website to see if you are visiting on a day with multiple events... this may help to decide when to arrive. In summary, other than the parking, I really do consider this place to be a world class exposition facility.

Jim Culberson

RV parking is expensive and in the wintertime, when we are there, finding a source of fresh water to fill our tank from is almost impossible to locate. The biggest issue with the RV lot though is the absolutely filthy restrooms. For what we pay per night those restrooms should be pretty darn clean, but theyre so nasty it is only under dire circumstances Ill set foot in the mens room. My wife went to use the womens restroom last year when we were there and stopped when she saw two ladies head in to clean the restroom. They were in there only moment when she heard one of the women say "Youve got to be kidding me, no way!" and then run from the restroom while vomiting. Yes, the restrooms are that bad. Weve gone up to the expo center every February for ten years and every year the bathrooms are a total disaster. Pipes spewing water, broken toilets plugged with poo, shower stalls with discarded underwear in them and filthy floors. There is no excuse to let restrooms get that filthy. I took pictures last year and would post them here if I could. The restrooms in the halls arent much better.

Stephen Shacklette

My wife and I have always gone to the fair, as we did for this years 2017 event. The changes the fair has made regarding closing the front parking lot for rides really caused a lot of problems. Parking was a nightmare. In addition, when we did finally find a parking lot with spaces open that had a concrete surface to unload my mobility scooter, the attendant told us that we could not use that area. The attendant stated that although there were already people parked in that area with disability placards, the fairgrounds told him to not let anyone else park there, although he still had 225 open spaces. This resulted in us having to park in a grass area. Try operating a mobility scooter across rough terrain. After discussing the major problems we encountered with parking and the numerous changes they had made for this years event, we will no longer attend the Kentucky State Fair, but instead patronize other nearby states fair events.

Joe R.

During the National Guns Day, I Had a Vendor badge and the gentleman running the show mistakenly took me as a patron I was rudely escorted out without gathering all my property. I will never and I personally recommend to ALL patrons to please watch yourself by visiting this place as I personally watched "vendors" sell many modern and non antique firearms without filling out a 4473 form, therfore breaking the law and allowing anyone to purchase weapons. PEOPLE THIS IS HOW FELONS GET POSSESSION OF WEAPONS I HOPE THIS POST IS SEEN BY THE PROPER PEOPLE AND A PROPER INVESTIGATION CAN BE DONE AS ALL GOOD AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO OBEY THE LAWS AND STAYED WITHIN THE LAW STILL RETAIN THEIR RIGHT TO THE SECOND AMMENDMENT. Cameras were not allowed inside the sale and I took this picture of a guy selling 100 round drum magazines and fully automated weapons were sold to people with an FFL

Drake Hatfield

I can only begin to describe the nightmare that is the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center. Good luck attending any event here and having a good experience. From the ticked off security guards, to the terrible parking situation (close lots with plenty of spaces getting closed to early in the day, etc)... To the terrible vendors for food... The worst? If you want a wired internet connection for an event, theyll charge you a MINIMUM of $3600. Minimum. You did not misread that. Three thousand six hundred dollars for a single day of internet at slower speed than your home or office. The best? The coffee! Thankfully the coffee vendor is carrying Argo coffee (Good Folks brand), so you can get a decent latte while having a bad experience.

Joseph Roberts

Parking was convenient to the main gate. There is a good array of rides and the atmosphere is family friendly. The price is a bit high to not include a better price of soft drinks. We brought back our Kentucky Kingdom reuseable cups today to only be told that only cups sold this year could be used to get the drink discount. Seems to me that a nice $10 dollar cup that still looks new would be honored just as it was last year. This is a new rule that I dont agree with. Probably 5% of people actually go to the trouble of saving their cup from year to year. This years cup is even a little smaller than in previous years. I think Holiday World and Kings Island arent quite as skimpy!

Tracy Scarpulla

Horrible experience with the convention center. NRA speeches didnt start until 1.5 hours after it was supposed to start because security obviously didnt prepare properly for the number of people. It was announced they werent starting because so many people were still in line outside. Now we have been in the parking lot for over an hour trying to get out but everyone is at a standstill due to an accident at the exit. They wont open the back gate. One exit for thousands of people? Are they kidding me? Horrendous awful experience at any convention center.