Saturday, November 7, 2026, starts with a music class for babies and preschoolers at the Newburg library and a farmers market in the Highlands. Two art spaces never charge at the door, and the night ends with a 3K through the Louisville Zoo. If you're willing to spend a little, there's a treetop course in Jefferson Memorial Forest and a stained glass workshop downtown.
JCPS Insider checked every listing below on October 31 and rechecked it November 1, 2026, on the organizer's own page: the Louisville Free Public Library, Douglass Loop Farmers Market, the Speed Art Museum, 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, Waterfront Botanical Gardens, Louisville Parks and Recreation, the Louisville Zoo, Kentucky Science Center, the Muhammad Ali Center, Barnes & Noble's Shops at Paddock store and Lowe's. Times are Eastern.
What's on for little kids Saturday morning?
UpBeat Louisville brings its Music Together class to the Newburg branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, 4800 Exeter Avenue, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Saturday. The LFPL listing is for ages 0 to 5 and promises 45 minutes of songs, fingerplays and movement, with egg shakers and other rhythm instruments. Grownups are encouraged to join in. The listing doesn't show a fee or ask for registration, and the program is funded by PNC Grow Up Great. The branch number is 502 479 6160.
If your crew sleeps in, the Barnes & Noble at the Shops at Paddock, 4330 Summit Plaza Drive in the East End, holds its B&N Saturday Storytime at 1 p.m. The store posts that time on its event listing, which doesn't list a book, an age range or an end time. Call the store at 502 665 8087 before you go if you want to know what's being read.
Where can you spend a morning without spending money?
Douglass Loop Farmers Market. The Douglass Loop Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and its 2026 season goes through December 19. It sets up in the wooded loop in front of Briney Hall at Douglass Boulevard Christian Church, 2005 Douglass Boulevard. Walking around costs nothing. Vendors this year include Barr Farms, Rootbound Farm, Valley Spirit Farm and Kentucky River Wood Craft. The market's FAQ page says several vendors take debit and credit cards and there's an ATM at the bank next door. Market managers ask shoppers to stay out of the circle during setup, since sales start at 10 a.m. sharp. Questions go to 502 794 8237.
The Speed's Art Park. The Elizabeth P. and Frederick K. Cressman Art Park at the Speed Art Museum, 2035 South Third Street, is free, ungated and open from dawn until dusk, the Speed's visit page says. The galleries inside are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and they aren't cheap: $25 for adults 18 to 59 and $21 for children 4 to 17. Children under 12 have to stay with an adult. If you do buy tickets, a docent leads a Collection Highlights Drop In Tour at 1 p.m. Saturday that the Speed's events calendar lists as free with admission. The Speed is on the University of Louisville campus, and its garage charges by the hour. Call 502 634 2700.
Wait one day and the galleries cost what you choose. The Speed's visit page says Sunday is pay what you can, with free general admission and the option to donate, so Sunday, November 8, from noon to 5 p.m., is the cheap way in.
21c Museum Hotel. The galleries at 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, 700 West Main Street on Museum Row, are "open round the clock and free of charge," the hotel says. It's a short walk from Kentucky Science Center if you're already downtown. The hotel number is 502 217 6300.
What's worth a few dollars Saturday?
Waterfront Botanical Gardens. The gardens at 1435 Frankfort Avenue are open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the plan your visit page lists a suggested admission of $10, with members free. Parking is free in the lot outside the Graeser Family Education Center. Two rules to know before you load up: no pets, and the Beargrass Creek Pathway gate closes an hour before the main gate on Frankfort Avenue. Call 502 276 5404.
The Louisville Zoo on winter pricing. Zoo admission dropped on November 1. The Louisville Zoo's prices page lists a fall and winter range of $11 to $17 for adults 12 to 59 and $8 to $14 for children 3 to 11, and kids 2 and under get in free. Prices change daily with demand, and the zoo says buying ahead gets the lowest price. Parking in the zoo lot is $7 a car. The zoo, at 1100 Trevilian Way, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through March 19, 2027, with guests out by 5 p.m., according to an October 30 zoo announcement. The number is 502 459 2181.
Treetop course and stained glass for older kids
A treetop course in Jefferson Memorial Forest. Louisville Parks and Recreation runs its Elevated Tree Course Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Environmental Education Center, 12400 Holsclaw Hill Road in Fairdale. The platforms sit 12 feet off the ground in the pines of the Horine section, and the course ends on a 170 foot slow zipline. It costs $20 a person and is for ages 7 and up. Riders have to be at least 42 inches tall and 45 pounds, and no more than 265 pounds or 75 inches tall. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or legal guardian along.
Space is the catch. The listing says it's limited to three "families" of four people, and you have to register ahead. The registration page stops taking sign ups the day before the program, so don't wait until Friday. Register online or at 502 368 5404. Questions about the size rules go to the forest's program department at 502 366 5432.
A stained glass kaleidoscope downtown. Kentucky Science Center's MakerPlace workshop on Saturday has kids designing and assembling a stained glass kaleidoscope to take home, with sessions from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It's for ages 8 and up, and the center requires one adult for every two children. The price is $35 for nonmembers and $20 for members, and that includes general admission to the center, which is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 727 West Main Street. The center's visit page lists the lot behind the building, 801 West Washington Street, at $15 a day. Call 502 561 6100.
The Muhammad Ali Center opens late. The center, 144 North Sixth Street, opens at noon Saturday and closes at 5 p.m. because of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards, its hours page says. Last entry is normally 4:15 p.m. The ticket page lists adults at $20, children 6 to 17 at $10 and children under 6 free, and Jefferson County residents get $5 off with proof of where they live.
Night 3K at the zoo
The Throo the Boo 3K takes runners and walkers through the zoo along the old Boo at the Zoo route Saturday night. The first waves, starting at 6 p.m., are for competitive runners and faster joggers, with no strollers or small children. The 7:20 p.m. wave is open to all paces, including small children and strollers, so families with little ones should plan on that one.
Registration is $45 through 11:59 p.m. Friday, November 6, and $50 on race day. Kids 4 and under need their own $5 registration, even if they ride in a stroller or wagon, and get a bib and a finisher medal. Adult registration includes a shirt, a medal, the party after the race and a free ticket to come back and visit the zoo during the day. Packet pickup is Friday from your car, and if you miss it, the zoo has extra pickup hours Saturday starting at 4 p.m. Costumes are welcome but should be family friendly, not scary, and the zoo warns that masks can make it hard to see on the lighted evening paths.
What should you sign up for now?
Lowe's next free kids build is Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in stores, and kids make a Holiday Engine train. The Lowe's registration page asks you to pick a store and time slot and sign in to a Lowe's account, and says the confirmation email is your ticket at check in.
For the Kentucky Veterans Parade in NuLu, the free Louisville Orchestra concert in Jeffersontown and Saturday library playdates at other branches, see JCPS Insider's Louisville family events this weekend. For the La Grange Día de los Muertos festival and other free stops a short drive away, see weekend freebies worth the drive.