Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing on Moorman Road, finished the first $2.5 million phase of its Visitors Center expansion this spring. Phase 1 was built around a bigger room for people to gather in, along with the restrooms, prep kitchen, and outdoor court that support it. The new exhibits, the river gallery, and the larger museum store are all part of the second phase, which hasn't been funded yet.
The new space opened in early March 2026, after outdoor season had already started. That makes this November and December its first real cold-weather run. Riverside has scheduled its first-ever Winter Market for Saturday, December 5, held "INSIDE our expanded Visitors Center." That indoor detail is why the event can happen at all.
What the first $2.5 million actually bought
Louisville Metro budgeted $1.5 million for Phase 1, and Riverside's nonprofit board raised the other $1 million. When construction started in February 2025, the city's groundbreaking announcement said the James Graham Brown Foundation had given $750,000 toward the work. Metro also said the expanded room could hold close to 250 people.
Riverside's expansion project page splits the plan into two phases. Here is what has been built and what is still planned:
| Built in Phase 1, open since March 2026 | Planned for Phase 2, still unfunded |
|---|---|
| Multipurpose room doubled in size, with an addition that opens toward the river | Expanded museum exhibit space |
| Catering prep space that doubles as a classroom | New classroom and archaeology lab spaces |
| Additional restrooms for the larger capacity | River view gallery with a balcony |
| Dressing room with backlit mirrors | Climate-controlled storage for artifacts and documents |
| Window seat framing a view of the historic Farnsley-Moremen House | Expanded welcome and reception areas |
| Outdoor Event Court with accessible paths, lighting, and paving | A more visible museum store |
| New acoustic panels in the multipurpose room |
Every item in the left column helps the site host people: more seats, more restrooms, a prep kitchen, better sound, and a dressing room. That last one is a feature for weddings and performances, not for exhibits. Riverside is now working to raise another $3.5 million to finish Phase 2.
The Visitors Center itself dates to 1993. It was dedicated when the site opened to the public that October, so the building has been the front door to the 1837 house for more than three decades. Metro marked the finished Phase 1 with a free community celebration on March 7, 2026.
The fall and holiday dates, in order
A bigger room is only useful if events fill it. Riverside's event calendar lists four dates between now and the end of the year. They split between the expanded Visitors Center and the site's historic chapel:
- Sunday, November 8, 1:30 to 3 p.m. Storefront Congregation plays a bluegrass-leaning acoustic set in the historic chapel. Reservations are required, and the suggested donation is $10 per person.
- Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A free public archaeology lab runs at the Visitors Center for adults and children ages 6 and up.
- Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first Winter Market moves into the expanded Visitors Center, with local vendors selling holiday crafts, gift items, and pre-packaged specialty foods.
- Sunday, December 13, 2:30 to 4 p.m. The Memphis Red Hots Christmas show returns to the chapel. Reservations are required, and the suggested donation is $10 per person.
The two Sunday concerts follow a familiar pattern for Riverside: a small chapel, a reservation list, and a suggested donation. The two Saturday events are the ones that use the new building. The archaeology lab is especially interesting given the table above. A dedicated archaeology lab is a Phase 2 item that hasn't been funded, so the November program runs out of the space Phase 1 already delivered.
Riverside's calendar showed no January 2027 events when it was last updated. Check the calendar again after the holidays.
December 5 is the cheapest day to see the house
On a normal visit, the 1837 Farnsley-Moremen House is open by appointment only. Tours are booked online or by phone. Riverside's Visit Us page lists these prices:
- Adults: $10
- Seniors: $9
- Children ages 6 to 12: $5
- Family rate for two adults and up to three children: $30
During the Winter Market, the house tour is free. A family of two adults and three kids would pay the $30 family rate on an ordinary weekday. On December 5, they can shop the vendor tables and then walk through the house at no cost.
The market also falls on a Saturday, which matches the Visitors Center's regular schedule of Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The grounds are listed as open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, all year, and the page doesn't mention any winter closure. That page was posted in June, so confirm hours and prices with Riverside before a weekday visit this winter.
Why indoor space matters most in December
Riverside sits on the Ohio River at 7410 Moorman Road, and much of a visit there happens outdoors on the grounds. A holiday market with tables of handmade goods and packaged food needs heat, restrooms, and room for people to stand around. Before March, the Visitors Center's multipurpose room was half its current size. Now that the room is doubled and the restrooms have been added, a December crowd has somewhere to go.
That makes the Winter Market the first public, cold-weather test of the Phase 1 design. The prep kitchen, the acoustic panels, and the larger capacity were all built for this kind of day.
What Phase 2 would add to a visit
The remaining $3.5 million is aimed at the parts of Riverside a casual visitor would notice on an ordinary afternoon. That includes more exhibit space, a gallery with a balcony over the river, a bigger welcome area, and a more visible museum store. Climate-controlled storage for artifacts and documents is also on the Phase 2 list, along with the classroom and archaeology lab space the November program currently works without.
Until that money is raised, Riverside on a quiet Tuesday looks much like it did before: the house by appointment, the grounds open, and the Visitors Center as the front desk. On event days it is a noticeably bigger place. Riverside's expansion page carries a donation link for anyone who wants to put money toward Phase 2.
Waverly Park took the same approach
Louisville Parks and Recreation did something similar at Waverly Park this fall. Instead of building a new trail, the city reworked the park's existing 2.5-mile Clinic Loop into its first designated adaptive mountain biking trail. The city announced the trail's completion on September 25, 2026.
Crews widened the trail, reduced the out-slope sections, and removed roots and bumps. The Clinic Loop was chosen because it has the least elevation change of any mountain biking trail in the park system. A new entry trail now starts behind the pavilion near the playground, and new signs list trail width, out-slope, and grade for adaptive riders. Volunteers from Catalyst and the Kentucky Mountain Bike Association did much of the work, alongside the parks system's Natural Areas team.
Both projects took something Valley Station-area residents already had and made it work for more people. At Riverside, the payoff shows up in December, when the expanded room hosts its first winter market.
The team at ZHomes Real Estate works and lives in South Louisville, and we keep track of what is opening and changing around the neighborhoods we serve. If you're heading to Riverside on December 5 and want to talk about your home's value or what's coming up nearby, get in touch with us in English or Spanish.
