Visit a Free Museum This August

Beat the August heat by heading indoors to see great art and learn more about the past. The Carnegie Center for Art and History will keep you cooler while you look around at the exhibits and galleries. This museum is completely free to visit, so you can come here to escape the heat all month long.

At the Carnegie Center

This is a museum that's actually a branch of the public library, which is why it's completely free and open to all members of the public. The Center is named for industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who funded thousands of schools and libraries around the U.S. and the world.

The Carnegie Center has multiple special exhibits on display right now. Take a look at the “Boundary Breakers,” the BPW Hoosiers Softball Team. See more history with “Remembered: The Life of Lucy Higgs Nichols” and “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage,” an exhibit dedicated to the underground railroad. The main galleries are open as well, so you can get a look at the permanent pieces on display.

Masks are required for all visitors to the Center, which is open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. The Carnegie Center is at 201 E. Spring Street in New Albany, right across the water. The Center is actually directly across the river from Portland by way of the I-64 bridge. Portland is one of Louisville’s historic neighborhoods that’s full of trendy art of its own.

Stop to See Portland

Portland was settled on the banks of the Ohio as its own small city, next door neighbors with Louisville. The oldest known wood framed structure in all of Louisville, a home built in 1812, is still standing in Portland. Today, thousands of people call this large neighborhood home. Portland has gone through many changes in the last 200 years. And while some of the historic architecture is still standing here, Portland today is a trendy, happening neighborhood that has become a mecca for artists.

The Portland Museum is here, along with several art galleries and some historic home museums. Portland has become popular with local artists. You'll see this artistic influence all over the neighborhood. Portland is also full of restaurants, shops, parks and of course, great historic homes.

Portland is full of pretty, multi-bedroom homes in great two-story designs that are stuffed with original features like hardwood floors, chair rails, fireplaces and built-in shelves and storage nooks. Many homes here have already been renovated so they're ready for new owners, while others are still waiting for some love. See if you end up loving the homes in Portland this August.