Costs & Visiting Louisville

Registration Costs

Attendees will be invited to register online after they receive their assigned project(s). Registration will entail paying any relevant costs, signing up for optional activities, and submitting a brief bio to be added to a master document for all conference-goers.

Sliding Scale Registration

When registration opens, you will be asked to select a registration fee based on what you can afford to contribute. If you are receiving institutional funding or have additional resources, we encourage you to select one of the higher fees.  

Note: UofL attendees, people who are caregivers, and Project Facilitators should select $0 when it is time to register and pay.

$0
$20
$50
$150

Note: Until January 23, 2024, we had been advertising a different fee structure. We hope that the new sliding scale will allow you to choose a fee that makes sense for your personal financial situation. Please feel free to email us at watson@louisville.edu if you have any questions.

Details for In-Person Attendees

Lodging

  • The Watson Conference room block is at the Galt House Hotel (140 North Fourth Street, Louisville, KY, 40202). A room with one king-sized bed or two queen-sized beds is $179 per night, not including taxes (appx. 17.66%) and fees.
  • Use this link to get the conference rate on your room or call the reservations line at (800) 843-4258. (Make sure to tell the operator that you are part of the Watson Conference to get the $179 rate.) For an ADA room, please contact Sarah Rash ( or 502-584-5600) to make your reservation. (Our accessibility guide describes the features of these rooms.)
  • The room block cannot be guaranteed after February 23, 2024. You can cancel your room at no cost up to 48 hours before your arrival.
  • Given the high cost of rooms, we created a room-sharing spreadsheet to facilitate finding roommates. This is available in our password-protected Participant Portal.

Getting to the University of Louisville each day

  • At the start and end of each day, there will be a free shuttle from the Galt House Hotel to the university and back. Please consult the Conference Schedule for the shuttle times.
  • If you are driving to Louisville, the hotel parking costs $30 per day overnight.
  • If you plan to park at the University of Louisville, you'll need to park in the Floyd Street Garage, but Thursday and Friday parking is different from Saturday parking:
    • On Thursday and Friday, park in the visitor parking section of the garage. It will cost $10 per day (credit card only). The address is 2100 South Floyd Street, Louisville, KY, 40292. It's right near a Starbucks.
    • On Saturday, because of a science fair at the high school across the street, you'll park in the UofL employee section of the Floyd Street Garage. It will cost $5 per day (cash only). The address is 2126 South Floyd Street, Louisville, KY, 40292.
      • Note: UofL folks who have permits need to avoid Floyd Street on Saturday; all permit parking will be closed for science fair parking. Park in any other permitted area; red lots are fair game.

Map

Feel free to consult this annotated map of conference locations.

Meals

Breakfasts and lunches will be served at the conference (March 7-9). There will also be an alcohol-free reception with hors d'oeuvres after 5 pm on Thursday, March 7. Consult the menus.

Accessibility

Please consult our accessibility guide and reach out ( if you have questions.

Weather

The weather in Louisville is rather cold in March, with temperatures between 39°F and 55°F. On average, the recorded minimum temperature is 41°F. Over the course of the month, Louisville will likely experience about 3 to 8 days of rain and a few days of snow. We would recommend packing warm clothes and a travel umbrella or a raincoat.

Restaurants and Attractions

Please consult our guide to Louisville restaurants, bars, and selected activities that will appeal to a diversity of attendees.

COVID-19 Safety

  • Masks are encouraged but not required. We will have N95/KN95 masks available at the conference. 
  • We are happy to assign your group to a large room where people can social-distance; please note this room-size request when describing your access needs in the application form.
  • Before you arrive, we recommend masking when indoors for several days prior; it takes 3-4 days for someone to develop symptoms. In additon, we recommend masking in unventilated or crowded areas, like the jet bridge of a plane, and, of course, staying up to date with vaccines and boosters.
  • Consider acquiring some antigen test kits: you can order 8 free kits from USPS. (If you have old test kits, note that a number of expiration dates have been extended.)
  • Resources: COVID-19 hospitalization levels (select Kentucky and Jefferson County); viral activity levels in wastewater (select Kentucky); the People's CDC weekly "weather reports"