The Louisville Downtown Management District extends its First Friday downtown Trolley Hop route this Friday. The new route connects the art galleries on South Fourth Street to the existing downtown art hop, which runs 5-11 p.m. on the first Friday of the month. The trolley hop will now run from Campbell and East Market Street in the Nulu neighborhood to West Main and Tenth Streets in Museum Row, and down Fourth Street to Broadway. TARC will fold the existing Fourth Street Circulator, which runs from Main Street down Fourth to Broadway, into the First Friday free trolley route. Riders can transfer from the east-west trolley at Fourth and Main. Here's a map that reflects the changes. The expansion of the free First Friday downtown trolley service is driven by the Louisville Downtown Development Corporation’s efforts to grow the retail corridor in what it’s calling the SoFo District, on South Fourth Street between Muhammad Ali Boulevard and Broadway. Several new galleries and art-related businesses have opened recently along the route, including Block Party Handmade Boutique, Gifthorse, and Craft(s) Gallery, which celebrates its grand opening on Friday. Established galleries like Broadway’s Land of Tomorrow and the Gallery at the Brown Hotel will join the newcomers in the monthly art gallery event starting this month. Friday’s opening celebrations along the new South Fourth Street route include exhibitions by watercolorist Amy Wellborn at Block Party and clay artist Laura Ross at Craft(s), which will also celebrate its grand opening in the Guthrie Coke Building.
