August 7, 2015
Recently my daughter and I enjoyed a weekend in Louisville, Ky. Louisville is a pretty city with friendly Louisvillians and a wide choice of things to see and do for entertainment. But, the first thing you should know is that Louisville is not pronounced “”Louisville”. The proper pronunciation is LOO-A-VUL.
Looavul is probably best known for the Churchill Downs/ Kentucky Derby and the Bourbon Trail which consists of 10 distilleries. We visited neither.
We chose instead to see the Kentucky Slugger Museum and Factory for our 1st Looavul adventure.
In 1884, J. F. Hellerich’s woodworking shop made the first Louisville Slugger . Originally it would take 30 minutes for a bat to be crafted. With today’s automation it only takes about 3 minutes. The impressive 120 foot bat that leans outside of the Museum and Factory was placed there in 1995. It’s made of carbon steel and hand painted. Weighing 68,000 pounds, it is hollow and is the exact-scale replica of Babe Ruth’s bat.
We learned everything we needed to know how a bat is crafted from the tree to the final finish. Very enjoyable tour.
By the way, if you don’t need a bat, perhaps you need an Official Louisville Slugger Rocker or Louisville Slugger bike? Don’t forget to also check out the museum ‘s display regarding Topps baseball ( and more) collectible cards. Then say hello to a few of the great baseball legends who are available for photos.
That’s me and Bath Ruth after he slammed one of the building.
The beautiful and historic Cave Hill cemetery also welcome tourists. We took a brief drive through Cave Hill to pay respects to Coronal Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants.
Then onward for a tram tour through Mega Caverns. It was a chilly and unusually interesting limestone cave that was mined from 1930 – 1970’s with a dual purpose to be used as a fall out shelter, if needed, during the days of the Cold War. The cave is about 100 acres in size and is now classified as the largest building in Kenucky. The underground is privately owned. It is used for business, storage, recycling, tourism with a zip line, ropes course, mountain bike park, and an annual holiday light display.
Uniquely, there is a company in Louisville called Cuddle Clones. Their web sight is most intriguing, explaining how they can make a stuffed replica or figurine of your pet. Cuddle Clones has made look-a-likes for dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds and a horse, just to name a few. Plus the owner donates a portion of each sale to pet causes all over the world. Please check out her web sight: http://www.cuddleclones.com/about-cuddle-clones.html
You have to love the ingenuity!
Lastly, we enjoyed a stroll through ” Old Louisville” – a beautiful neighborhood known for its historical and stately Victorian homes. There are several walking and driving tours to help guide the way. The first house pictured is the Conrad-Caldwell House that was built in 1893. Tours are available.
The wonderful carving is of the local lamp lighter from days gone by.
Hope you enjoyed this brief tour of Looavul !
Thanks for traveling with us!
Jeannie's Travel Addiction 