Louisville's Waterfront Botanical Gardens to hold ribbon cutting, celebration Friday morning

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Waterfront Botanical Gardens will officially open to the public on Friday, Oct. 4.

Once a landfill at the corner of Frankfort Avenue and River Road near NuLu and Butchertown, the 23-acre site underwent a $60 million transformation into Louisville Botanical Gardens that was 20 years in the making.

On Friday, the site will hold its grand opening with a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of Phase 1. Later phases are expected to include construction of a visitors center, a restaurant, a conservatory and several other gardens, including a children's garden and Japanese Garden.

On Tuesday, a bronze sculpture commissioned for the pollinator garden was unveiled. The little girl chasing a butterfly has a fountain to attracts bees, hummingbirds and dragon flies. It will also attract the Monarch butterflies that migrate though Kentucky from Canada to Mexico.

"It was about two-year project," said Rowland Jones, the artists behind the sculpture. "It's all coming together. We're just getting the water turned on right now, so we are really excited about it."

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The Graeser Family Education Center, the first building built at the venue, will be dedicated during the ribbon cutting, which is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Parking will be limited, and officials recommend carpooling or using TARC.

The Butchertown Greenway entrance next to Beargrass Creek (between River Road and Story Avenue will be open).

Tickets for an event scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday -- beer and music in the gardens -- is already sold out. Click here for a link to a list of other upcoming events.