Good morning Kentucky!
Today's agenda in Lousivlle:
- Louisville Slugger Museum (world's largest bat)
- Exploring Museum Row (including the Muhammad Ali Center) and the misc. statues (including Rodin's "Thinker") around the area
- Louisvlle Trolley Tour, featuring 30 sites, including: The Belle of Louisville, Museum Row, Louisville Slugger Museum, Old Louisville (U.S.'s largest Victorian neighborhood with more than 1,300 Victorian-style homes), Central Park and St. James Court, Whisky Row and the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Churchill Downs, 4th Street Live! Entertainment District, University of Louisville, KFC Yum! Downtown Arena, 21C Museum Hotel (voted a Top 10 Hotel in the World)
- Louisville Mega Cavern underground zipline
The boys had a blast at the Louisville Slugger Museum - especially considering the Royals are the reigning World Series Champions! And there was memorabilia from Ken Griffey, Jr., who was just named to the Hall of Fame (ok, maybe that excited me more since I've seen him play?!?) everywhere.
The girls were a bit bored, but they did enjoy the museum (not so much the bat factory).
It's fascinating how they create so many bats in a single day - for so many celebrity athletes past and present.
The kids each got a mini bat to take home as a souvenir - and they each filled their hands with the "end caps" from the bats. The factory typically throws these away and said we could take as many as we wanted. Of course, they - ah, hem, Tyler, took a ton...we can always use them for an art project!?!
The area near the Slugger Museum - and nearby downtown - is full of giant sculptures. The kids had a blast exploring them.Ashlee especially found "The Thinker," a giant golden naked man, interesting, wanting to know why she could "see his weiner?"
Some things you can't explain.
According to the trolley tour we went on later in the day, the area we were in was called "Museum Row." Large images of famous people who are from Louisville adorned the old brick buildings (like Jennifer Lawrence) with the area flanked by the baseball bat museum and the Muhummad Ali Museum.
It was especially interesting to visit the Ali Museum since he passed away this year at 84. Sadly, we had to skip an inside visit since the kids don't really know much about him yet.
It was hot in Louisville. Like super duper can't-stand-it hot so we escaped inside a little shop dedicated to the city. It just so happened to have the history of Col. Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken.Guess I forgot he was from Kentucky?!?
Outside was a giant shake/smoothie!
Is your mouth watering, yet?!?
By the time we boarded the trolley, the kids were ready to go! They weren't too excited to ride around town "in a car" for half the day, but they did think it was fun to ride in the trolley. And be out of the sun. In air conditioning.
We told them we could walk around to all of these sites instead ... for some reason, they didn't take us up on the offer?If you're ever visiting Louisville, this is the way to go. We were able to see all of the "sites" so we could determine what we wanted to see.
We wish we had gone on it before we visited the Slugger Museum and some of the statues as they were "repeats" on the trip, but we saw enough new things to make it exciting, fresh and new.
The highlight - other than Churchill Downs (the one location the trolley stops so you can get out and take photos) - was the Victorian homes. They are absolutely breathtaking. The owners keep most of them in tip top shape. It's like you step back in time for a few blocks.
After the tour, we visited the 4th Street! Entertainment District, which was down the street from the trolley stop. This is nearly identical to Power & Light in KC - in fact, it wouldn't surprise me if they were owned by the same people based on appearances.
Since Kentucky is known for its bourbon - and the kids prevented us from touring any bourbon distilleries- we visited a Jack Daniels retail store where we picked our personalized, engraved bottles for the dads. It was the perfect gift for them!
We waited all day to do our "adventure" activity: underground zip lining!!Tyler and Ashlee have never zipped, but we told them they would be doing it on this trip. Inside a cavern. Under the city of Louisville. In the dark.
That's not scary for your first time?!?!
They were super excited but got more scared as we walked inside, and they found themselves heading deeper and deeper into the 17 miles of cavern corridors. The man-made cavern is made of limestone. You have to be 7 to go so we may have fudged on Ashlee's age a tiny bit (Evie was 7 for only a matter of days).
The kids absolutely LOVED the 6 lines and 2 bridges at Mega Zips. Our guides made the kids feel at ease, helping them get hooked onto and off each line. We had lights on our helmets that helped guide the way - in the dark and muddy caverns. We flew over lakes and rocks and really cool things (I wish I would have brought my camera but I was afraid I'd lose it).The kids rated it the best thing they did in the city. Jillian and I would have to agree!
Now they can add "zipped the world's only fully underground course" off their to-do lists.
After zipping, we stopped for some dinner at Frisch's - only because they had a cute statue out front - and then hit the road for our nearly 3 hour drive to Nashville, Tennessee!
Tomorrow is another adventure, in another town, in another state!
Moms' turn! 2 of 4 kids are asleep as we roll back into the CST!
Only 2 states today
Only 2 states today
