The answer to the question: ‘what do you get when you cross an art museum with a design hotel?’

X marks the spot – by which we mean Turkish-American artist Serkan Özkaya’s golden replica of Michelangelo’s David that stands, twice the size, outside this art museum-slash-design hotel in downtown Louisville. Drawing you in from these artful beginnings, each of the 91 rooms come with original pieces on the wall – and red penguins that sometimes make a surprise visit.

Previously a warehouse, 21c Louisville has architectural features such as exposed bricks and beams that have been preserved by Deborah Berke Partners (headed up by the Dean of Yale Architecture School) in a nod to local history. Downstairs, Proof on Main is the restaurant where locals and visitors alike gather for some southern conviviality, enjoying everything from a glass of rare bourbon to a culinary journey through the Ohio River Valley.