Stay downtown and Lyft your way around .. if you don't know Lyft, you should. An ap you put on your phone, that is basically a much better version of a cab (cleaner cars, much quicker pick up times, all around better experience). The cost from downtown to the football stadium via Lyft should be around $10.
There are great options provided above ... and I guess it all depends on your age ...
-- 4th Street Live area is very touristy, and great if you're in your low-mid 20's.
-- Downtown area by the river and Yum Center has excellent bar/eateries .... BBC (Bluegrass Brewing Company) local craft beer. Manny and Merles calls itself a Honky Tonnk Hacienda. The green chili pork tacos are amazing. Impellizari's, local pizza place has a great downtown location on Main too. Bearno's By The BRidge is another local pizza place (both types of Za are pretty daggone good). OSheas bar is solid. Troll Pub is solid. Side Bar is solid. And there are several more in this area too.
-- Highlands area is pretty eclectic and you can find pretty much anything you want here (This is basically the Bardstown Road corridor). The Baxter Avenue part of the Highlands has several Irish type pubs (and another OSheas), and the aforementioned Wick's Pizza place, which is another one of our local pizza places has it's main location here.
-- St. Matthews area is another place full of bars/eateries, and is a little further east of the Highlands ... if you stay downtown, you're prolly talking $15ish bucks Lyft ride. Gerstles for live music, Diamonds for pool, Saints for atmosphere, Molly Malone's for irish pub fare, another BBC, ... Drakes for beer/dj type music late ... there's a Tin Roof here too, but that's a UK bar, so I never go. HAHA.
Depending on the length of your stay, there are several museums to check out, if that's your thing. Louisville Slugger is downtown on Main, and the Muhammad Ali Center is also downtown. Several other museums too. Churchill Downs and their museum is out closer to the football stadium, but cool places to visit.
A really cool hotel, but maybe a little pricey, downtown on Main close to the Slugger Museum is 21C. A hotel that features funky interactive art ... If you don't stay there, and are downtown, walk in, and check it out. Proof on Main is their restaurant and bar and a decent place to check out.
Enjoy your trip. I just rewatched our football game from last year yesterday. If only our boy Quick could've finished off that late pass .... Oh well ...