The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: What tourists come to Louisville for

   Louisville has plenty to offer visitors, but can the city's tourism sector keep up with demand? We chat about that and more with Louisville Tourism CEO Cleo Battle on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Battle is on the show this week for an interview with LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy. The two talk about Louisville coming off a fourth consecutive year of record tourism revenue, generating a $4.4 billion economic impact in Jefferson County. "Thursday through Sunday in this city, we are jamming every month of the year," he said. But he notes that Louisville needs additional hotel rooms to keep pace with growing conventions and remain competitive with peer cities. This was something that Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett wrote about in a recent cover story. Through Louisville Tourism, 610 meetings and events are booked each year. Those events are growing, he said, but in order for them to stay in Louisville, the city needs to grow with them. "That's our challenge," he said. "We have the smallest amount of hotel rooms in our competitive set. We have the smallest number of direct flights in our competitive set. We have to compete and so we need to grow. In addition to the convention side of the business, Battle and Van Hoy talked about big events that bring guests to town, including music festivals like Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life as well as Louisville's plans to host the USA Gymnastics Olympic Trials in 2028. "I don't know that it's sunk in for people that the Olympic flags are going to fly above Louisville and represent Louisville and Kentucky," he said. "There is just not a price you can put on that type of exposure and advertising and marketing that we're going to get from that." Battle also shares what Louisville Tourism is doing to market the city, why Chicago remains Louisville's top visitor market and what trends he's watching across the tourism industry. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can listen in the player above. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above.

   August 28, 2026·27min
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   Number 2: Restaurant news roundup

   We serve up a packed restaurant roundup on the Access Louisville podcast this week, including some familiar names and new concepts entering the market. Reporter Michael L Jones starts us off with an update on Captain's Quarters' plans for a new event venue. The Boathouse, as the space will be called, will consist of a 1,700 square foot main hall and a 600-square-foot patio. The space will accommodate up to 100 guests for seated dinners and 140 guests for cocktail-style receptions. Additionally, we chat about the news that KingFish, one of Louisville's longtime and very recognizable restaurant brands, is up for sale. Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett notes that the business, as well as the riverfront real estate from its two locations (in Louisville and in Jeffersonville, Indiana), are on the market. We also chat about a new pan-Asian concept headed to the former Anoosh Bistro space, called Wasabi; the upcoming auction of the former Bakersfield space in the Highlands; and the opening of Magnolia Bakery in NuLu. Beyond restaurants, the discussion turns to real estate, including the collapse of the Meidinger Tower deal and what it could mean for Fourth Street Live. We also discuss the listing of the former Old National Bank office space on Main Street and talk about a long-awaited affordable housing development coming to the Merriwether neighborhood. Late in the show, Stinnett reflects on the passing of Charles Griffin Sr., a longtime downtown business owner who died recently at age 84. And we chat about the upside to Publix signing a lease in the Highlands. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First.

   August 21, 2026·32min
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   Number 3: Two big bets on Louisville

   We discuss a pair of major investments in Louisville on this week's Access Louisville podcast. GE Appliances announced a $1 billion investment at Appliance Park, including plans to move dryer production from Mexico to Louisville. Meanwhile Amazon is opening a new same-day delivery facility near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, which will help support its expanded rapid-delivery network. We also dive into the latest developments at Brown-Forman on this week's show. LBF Digital Editor Zak Owens tells us about criticism from members of the Brown family over the company's strategy, including the growth of flavored Jack Daniel's products. And we break down comments from outgoing CEO Lawson Whiting during the company's latest earnings call. Plus, we talk about Yum Brands' decision to complete the sale of Pizza Hut as the Louisville-based company sharpens its focus on other opportunities. Later in the show, Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett shares the story behind a mysterious door along Lexington Road that leads to a historic lagering tunnel, which is slated to become a unique event venue known as The Vault. We also discuss new progress on the Belvedere redevelopment after the project received a $5 million grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation. We revisit the ongoing saga of Akiko's karaoke bar, whose property is headed to auction, and what the sale might say about the changing landscape of Louisville's Highlands neighborhood. At the very end of the show we highlight LDG Development's court victory over the City of Prospect, a ruling that clears the way for a long-delayed affordable housing development. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can listen in the player above. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

   September 04, 2026·26min
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   Number 4: What's Hiding Beneath the Belvedere?

   We discuss the latest look at Louisville’s Belvedere overhaul on this week's Access Louisville podcast. New renderings show a greener, more flexible public space designed to host everything from concerts to farmers markets. But, as Reporter Michael L. Jones explains, much of the project's budget will actually go toward repairing the aging parking garage beneath it. We also look at the latest addition to the Galt House’s ongoing makeover: a collection of luxury suites themed around Louisville traditions including U of L athletics and horse racing. Plus, we toss around a few other Louisville icons we think could inspire future suites. Later in the show, we chat about the recently opened Grand Lyric Theater in the Russell neighborhood, a venue that honors West Louisville's entertainment history while aiming to spark new economic development along the Muhammad Ali corridor. We also discuss Texas Roadhouse's purchase of the iconic Wright Tower on Dutchmans Lane and what the growing restaurant company might have planned for the 16-story building. Late in the show, Jones highlights his cover story on Dr. Mushtaque Juneja, the Louisville anesthesiologist whose had a remarkable career in medicine and real estate. Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy previews this fall's music festivals and I talk about Ford's ongoing overhaul of Louisville Assembly Plant. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can listen in the player above. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above.

   August 14, 2026·27min
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   Number 5: Louisville's convention problem

   We look at Louisville's hotel development boom on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett breaks down why tourism leaders and convention organizers say Louisville needs more hotel rooms — something he'd looked into for a recent cover story. While weekend tourism remains strong, the larger opportunity is attracting and growing conventions during the week. We discuss nearly a dozen proposed hotel projects around Downtown Louisville and one in Southern Indiana and what they could mean for the local economy. We also talk about the proposed Clockworks development in Clarksville, Indiana, where developers plan to anchor a $500 million mixed-use project with a 175-room Marriott hotel. Later in the show, we discuss the surprising news that no Louisville hospital made the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of Kentucky's top hospitals. Stinnett explains which health systems topped the list and offers some perspective on how those rankings are determined. We also cover Baptist Health Floyd's planned emergency department expansion in New Albany and a new bioscience research facility planned as part of the University of Louisville's Innovation Park development near the Belknap Campus. Late in the show we mention the future of the former Theatair X property. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can listen in the player above. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above.

   August 07, 2026·23min
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