Feel overwhelmed? Stressed? Here are 7 things to do in Louisville to improve your mood

Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal
·5 min read

The world has felt pretty dark lately, and you might be in need of a pick-me-up.

This summer a series of pocketbook-draining, horrific and unbelievably heartbreaking headlines have pummeled through our country. It can be hard to pull your eyes away from the Fourth of July shooting in suburban Chicago, worries about inflation, the hearings about the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection and the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade.

The past few weeks have been difficult for many, and while we can't take a true vacation from reality, we can make a point of tuning out the noise for an hour or so.

Whether you're feeling mad, sad or overwhelmed, our city has quite a few places around town that just might help improve your mood — or at very least, distract you for a little while.

Here are a few local places where you can go to lift your spirits.

Visit a Louisville cat café

Lucky Cat Café and Lounge, 2230 Dundee Road, luckycatcafe502@gmail.com; Purrfect Day Cat Cafe,1741 Bardstown Road, 502-916-5051

Kittens play inside the lounge at the Purrfect Day Cat Cafe on Bardstown Road in the Bonnycastle neighborhood.
Kittens play inside the lounge at the Purrfect Day Cat Cafe on Bardstown Road in the Bonnycastle neighborhood.

It's kitten season, and Louisville has two cat cafes with spunky, fluffy baby cats ready to cuddle and play. If you're in the mood for a little fur therapy, you can make a reservation at Lucky Cat Café and Lounge or Purrfect Day Cat Café. These are great destinations for animal lovers. Enjoy snacks or beverages at either café while you let your mind wander as kittens purr in your lap or pounce on your feet. Both Purrfect Day and Lucky Cat offer adoptions, too, in case you're hoping to bring a little joy home with you.

COST: Sessions at Lucky Cat Café start at $7. Prices vary based on location and cost of snacks and drinks.

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Take Payne Street Pottery classes

Payne Street Pottery, 531 N Hite Ave., 502-345-6419

Tonya Johnson, center, teaches a pottery class. Johnson is a career artist, who owns Payne Street Pottery.
Tonya Johnson, center, teaches a pottery class. Johnson is a career artist, who owns Payne Street Pottery.

Even if you've never thrown at a potter's wheel before, you can take whatever frustration might be welling inside of you and push it into the clay. This is a single, 2-hour introduction to pottery, which starts with a demonstration designed for the complete beginner. Then everyone works at his or her own potter's wheel, while the instructor moves around the room for individual, hands-on instruction.

COST: A one-time "try it" class is $45, plus firing fee

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Check out a Louisville Silent Disco 

Louisville Silent Disco, locations and events vary, visit louisvillesilentdisco.com

Louisville Silent Disco is a company that travels to different venues renting out headphones, which allow guests to choose from a small selection of music to dance to.
Louisville Silent Disco is a company that travels to different venues renting out headphones, which allow guests to choose from a small selection of music to dance to.

Louisville Silent Disco events are perfect for tuning out the world and dancing the night away to the song of your choice. This company, which travels to various bars like a karaoke DJ would, offers guests a chance to wear headphones and switch between three different channels of music. From the outside looking it, it can seem a bit silly watching people dance and sing to music that you can't hear, and the owner, Andrew Glibbery, even admits that on his website. But he also says that being part of that dancing and singing is a unique experience, and the first time he tried it, it felt like everyone was in on the same inside joke.

COST: Typically, $5 for headphones

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Take yoga classes on the riverfront 

Yoga at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater at Waterfront Park, 1301 River Road

A couple walk near the Big Four Bridge at Waterfront Park Tuesday afternoon. Gov. Andy Beshear said he wants to budget $10 million over two years to expand Waterfront Park into Louisville's West End. Nov. 30, 2021
A couple walk near the Big Four Bridge at Waterfront Park Tuesday afternoon. Gov. Andy Beshear said he wants to budget $10 million over two years to expand Waterfront Park into Louisville's West End. Nov. 30, 2021

Quell the voices in your head using the practice of yoga with a serene backdrop of the Ohio River at Waterfront Park. Each week, weather permitting, downtown Louisville's nature oasis offers outdoor yoga classes from 7-8 p.m. at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater. The class welcomes beginners, so if you've never tried yoga before, this is an affordable, noncommitment way to see how yoga can reduce stress as well as strengthen your body and your mind. Class details and updates are available online at facebook.com/waterfrontyogalouisville.

COST: $5

Play outdoor games at this restaurant

Union Restaurant and Gameyard at 115 W Chestnut St., Jeffersonville, Indiana, 812-590-1285

The Union Restaurant and Yard Game on West Chestnut Street in Jeffersonville -- near the Big Four Bridge entrance -- is in the finishing stages for an early September opening. There will be a large area outdoors for seating, fire pits and games with a small stage for live music as well. Aug. 20, 2020
The Union Restaurant and Yard Game on West Chestnut Street in Jeffersonville -- near the Big Four Bridge entrance -- is in the finishing stages for an early September opening. There will be a large area outdoors for seating, fire pits and games with a small stage for live music as well. Aug. 20, 2020

Union Restaurant and Gameyard in downtown Jeffersonville is home to a large collection of yard games. Grab a few friends and spend an afternoon sipping on cocktails or snacking on appetizers while embracing your competitive side. Its "giant beer pong" court features trashcans and volleyballs instead of solo cups and pingpong balls used in the classic college party game, and you don't actually need to be drinking alcohol to enjoy it. The yard also has cornhole boards, "futpool" (which is a cross between pool and soccer), traditional ping pong and bowling with footballs.

COST: Free to play for customers (with the cost of beverages or food)

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Visit a dog-friendly bar

PG&J's Dog Park Bar, 800 Baxter Ave., 502-805-7450

PJ&J's Dog Park Bar in the Original Highlands is an off-leash dog park that doubles as a local watering hole.
PJ&J's Dog Park Bar in the Original Highlands is an off-leash dog park that doubles as a local watering hole.

When you're feeling down and the dumps, why would you go somewhere where you can't take your dog? At PG&J's Dog Park Bar, the owners invite your dog to run off leash while you enjoy a drink from its selection of draft beer, mocktails, cocktails, coffee and teas. Don't have a dog of your own? That's fine, too. PG&J's welcomes everyone in for a "wagging good time" as long as you enjoy being around dogs.

COST: $10 per dog for a one-day pass. Free admission for humans, who come without a dog. Plus the cost of beverages.

Free Kentucky Shakespeare in the park

Shakespeare Festival in Central Park at the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater, 1340 S. Fourth St., 502-574-9900. 

An aerial shot of a Kentucky Shakespeare performance.
An aerial shot of a Kentucky Shakespeare performance.

Kentucky Shakespeare has two comedies on the lineup this summer. Various showings of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and "Twelfth Night" begin at 8 p.m. at the park most nights in July. "The Merry Wives of Windsor" is the story of Sir John Falstaff, who tries to fix his financial woe by seducing the wives of two wealthy merchants, who eventually take revenge by playing tricks on him. "Twelfth Night" is a romantic comedy that centers on a love triangle and confusion following a shipwreck, where twins each believe the other to have died.

Make sure to check the calendar online at kyshakespeare.com, though, if you're really looking for a laugh. Some nights the cast of "Richard III" takes that stage instead, and while the theatrics of that play might distract you — the tragedy likely won't leave you laughing at the end of the night.

COST: Free to attend, plus cost of food and drink.

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Features columnist Maggie Menderski writes about what makes Louisville, Southern Indiana and Kentucky unique, wonderful, and occasionally, a little weird. If you've got something in your family, your town or even your closet that fits that description — she wants to hear from you. Say hello at mmenderski@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4053. Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @MaggieMenderski. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 7 things to do in Louisville, KY to improve your mood