June 7, 2019: Louisville, Kentucky
After visiting the National Corvette Musuem in Bowling Green, Kentucky, we decided to drive a little further and get closer to Milford, Ohio for the night. A good stopping point was Louisville, Kentucky. There is so much to do in Kentucky, so we opted to stop at the Louisville Slugger Musuem and Factory.
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The drive from Tennessee to Kentucky is gorgeous. I just love the rolling hills with tons of trees and then it opens into large farms. So much green!
The entire trip we have avoided the storms, tornados, floods, etc. There is a new storm front coming in headed through Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, etc. So...we finally hit some rain. Nothing major and at least it was still in the 70's so we can handle it : )
Since we were getting in fairly late, we spend the night in the Cabela's parking lot and then headed to the museum the next day.
Heading into downtown Louisville, KY to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
The bat outside of the Louisville Slugger Museum is 120 feet tall!
This is in the ceiling in the center of the room, it is all bats - very cool design idea!
We took a tour of the factory and got to see how the bats are made, cured, and finished with emblems, paint, etc. It was really cool! We could not take any pictures.
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When we came out of the factory tour, we watched a volunteer hand lathe a bat which was the old method. They now have machines which make this much quicker.
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Louisville produces 3,000 bats per day and 1.8 million bats per year! WOW !!!!!
Look close at the contract...Joe Dimaggio received $1.00 for Louisville Slugger to be able to use his name and signature for 20 years! That was back in 1933. Wow...
Craig is a Cincinnati Reds fan, so this was a cool exhibit for him! As a kid he lived in Cincinnati and down the street from Lee May and Ted Kluszweski
Craig helping Babe Ruth locate his home run ball : )
This is a collection of game used bats. One from each team so you can pick the bat you want and swing it. Craig picked a bat used by Johnny Bench who played for the Cincinnati Reds.
There is a section of bats signed by famous people. You can see The Who, Alice Cooper, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Kiss, Bob Dylan, Nelson, and....notice the red bat...it is in braille for Stevie Wonder!
There is a section with six bats you can touch and feel. These are all bats from famous players, are unique, and old...The bat Craig is holding is the top one for Pete Browning and was the first bat ever made by Bud Hillerich and Louisville Slugger in 1884!
The Louisville Slugger Musuem and Factory was a great stop and fun visit!