My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

[stlbats]

Was coming back from Indianapolis today and was able to stop by the Louisville Slugger Museum. My son and I had a very interested day there. Took the tour of the bat making areas and checked out the museum. This week they were making the Braves ST bats. I saw several players bats laying around and some orders for other players. I saw an order for Bryce Harper sitting there. Very interesting about how they make the different models and such. I saw an Adam Dunn White Sox bat that was already made.

The museum part was awesome. They had game used bats of Mantle, Ripken, and David Ortiz that you could handle if you wanted. (with white gloves on) They also had the sweetest Ruth gamer I have ever seen on display. Also on display I remember seeing gamers of Nick Swisher, George Brett, Hank Aaron, and also game issued WS bats of the Rangers and Giants teams. I forgot my camera, but got a few pics on my iPhone of some museum items. (no cameras in production areas) Not sure how good they will be.

Tried to look you up Brian (BMH), but the nice older man that gave us the tour said that you worked yesterday, but not today (Sunday). The older fellow could not have been nicer to us and even gave my son a mini Cardinals bat when he told him the Cards was his favorite team. Very classy.

Sorry for the rant, just trying to post everything I remembered seeing. Will try to post some pics if they are any good when I load them to my computer.

Jason
stlbats@bellsouth.net

[platinum1]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

Are tours available all the time?
Does anyone know the hours and days?
Thanks

Edgar

[tigerdale]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

sounds like a great time, I hope to get there this summer.

[stlbats]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

They are open 7 days a week. Mon-Sat 9am-5pm and Sun. 12-5. Tours only take about 25 minutes and go pretty much all day. Its says the last tour begins 1 hour prior to closing. I posted a link below to their website.

Thanks
Jason

http://www.sluggermuseum.org/visitorguide.aspx

[BMH]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. We are doing our best to provide a quality tour to the public while maintaining full production. We've been running two shifts and Saturdays trying to stay ahead of teams reporting for ST. I've been putting in some hours on both shifts and Saturdays, just ask any of my workers, I have control issues

I almost came in today just to do some some riding on the Riverwalk but I got to install a power steering pump on my son's g/f's car instead...I'm still trying to figure out how I got roped into that one.

[stlbats]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

It is a very nice tour and facility and we had a great time. My 10 yr old son was very excited. The older guy that I spoke of in an earlier post also made the tour worth while. He was very knowledgable for sure. We both had a great time in the batting cages where you can choose to hit with several different current players and a few legends bats. I remember: Ted Williams, Jeter, David Wright and Evan Longoria models. The huge LVS bat outside is awesome too.

A few things I remember the older tour guide saying was that the teams purchase all of the players bats throughout the year and a maple M9 cost them $87 per bat, which was a little surprising to me.

Jason
stlbats@bellsouth.net

[platinum1]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

Alright I'm in
Im going to head down on Friday from Chicago.
It's a 4 1/2 drive and it should get me away from this cold.
Should be there on Saturday

[jppopma]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

I'm planning to visit in June when on vacation between Cincinnati and The Smokies. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

BMH, I'll try to drop you a line to stop and say while I'm in town. Hopefully the busy season will slowed a little by then.

John

[Jayworld]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

Well worth the visit. Take the guided tour of the bat making - very cool, then spend a couple of hours in the rest of the museum. They have bats galore on display and a wall that shows hundreds of barrel signatures throughout the years for the bats. Plus, a couple of batting cages that you can take cuts in, and a really cool store.

Be sure to buy a bat for yourself (they offer signature bats as well). All the bats offered online are available in-person, and you can get one with a stamp of your favorite team, and script signature or plain block name on the barrel. You can get a pink bat as well, I think. Overall an incredible experience.

We went back in October 2007. Here's a picture of me whiffing one in the cages....

[platinum1]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

ROAD TRIP!!!!
On my way to Louisville.
Should be a great time

[jppopma]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

I'll be stopping in Louisville later this month. Can anyone who has visited the museum recently offer up and other suggestions? Thanks and I hope the kids have a great time there.

[tigerdale]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

I'm hoping for an August trip to the LS museum!! Any advice on where to stay?? Also, is it still true to try & take the tour during the week (M-F) as they are making major leaguers bats then as opposed to the weekends??

[jppopma]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

Hi Dale, I went there a few weeks ago and it was nice. Like others, it was a little frustrating that the tour guides do not know many "details" about the bats. I was wanting to see and learn more about the slope testing and label placement on the newer bats; got a generic answer of the guys making the pro bats have 40 years experience and have a good eye for that stuff. They were making pro bats for Adam Dunn that day, but I can't say for sure if they were or if it was for show (some of the billets in the display seemed to have some high and varying grain counts). I can understand that though, because the tour is for the masses and we can't expect tour guides to learn all of the ins and outs of gamers. The kids were impressed and that is what it was all about for me.

If you plan to have a bat personalized, I'd suggest that you order if before going on the tour. We were there on a slow weekday and it was still over an hour before they got to it. Additionally, they use laser engraving for the personalization --if I were buying one for me, I'd love to have the name branded right into the bat!

I wanted to try to look up BMH with the extra wait time, but was vetoed by the wife who insisted that we find some lunch. I was sorta bummed cuz I had a few other specialized questions I wanted to ask. Maybe next time.

As for places to stay, we went to the cheaper route and stayed at a Holiday Inn in Clarksville, IN just north of the river. Huge place, some of it appeared dated, but the rooms were nice. More importantly, there was a nice (and cheap) water park right next to it. Happy wife, happy kids....all was good.

[stlbats]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

When I was at the LVS museum, the tour guide was an older fellow who was very knowledgeable about the bats and processes. He discussed the grain slopping/ink dot process and what will pass and what will not. He also talked about the grains and which grain patterns are more desirable. I was very impressed and the guy was great with the kids as well. I wish I could remember his name.

Jason

stlbats@bellsouth.net

[BMH]

Re: My Louisville Slugger Museum Visit Today

It really depends on which tour guide you get for the best information. It is summer time so you have the seasonal hires giving tours now. If you do go always ask if "Don" is working. I believe he is our best tour guide. Great stories about the history of the game plus he does know a lot about the actual manufacture of the bats. Monday-Friday is still the best times to go. This is the start of the slow down for Pro production.

The closest hotel to LS is 21C. While it's a nice hotel it is expensive but only two blocks away. There are several other hotels in the area with a variety of prices and southern Indiana is also a good choice since it is so close.

If the family is looking for more than just LS there is the Science Museum which is a block away and a lot of fun for the kids. Across the street from us is the Frazier Historical Museum. If your into weapons of the past thousand years it's a pretty good place to visit.

Food wise there are several places on Main street. My favorite is Luigi's Italian. A little pricey (usually around $9) for lunch but great Italian food. There is also a Subway attached to the Science Center.

It wouldn't do you much good to look for me at work, I am still not back to work. My emails have been restricted to "nonstressful" mail as my brother put it. So I don't know too much of what is going on there anymore. I occasionally go in to make new models or adjustments to our cnc lathe. Three weeks ago I found out my job was posted; so I guess I'm no longer the Pro Bat Production Supervisor. Our FMLA pays 100% for six months so I'm in no hurry to get back