The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory Tour in Louisville, Kentucky was a grand slam for our little sluggers! It was fun and educational to learn about this family-owned business and see everything that goes into making the perfect baseball bat. In today’s post, we’ll share with you our experience and answer questions you might have about this adventure.
What’s in the Louisville Slugger Museum?
The Louisville Slugger Museum is a giant room, hallway, and another large room filled with baseball memorabilia, interesting exhibits, and plenty of cool photo ops. Some of the displays and exhibits we saw on our visit to the museum included:
- Lifelike statues of baseball legends like Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, Jackie Robinson, and Ken Griffey Jr., which make for fun photo ops.
- A display allowing visitors to hold bats used by baseball legends.
- Exhibits celebrating women in baseball and Black ballplayers.
- Famous bats including The Bambino’s top-notched bat, Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hit streak bat, and Hank Aaron’s 700th home run bat.
- An exhibit that shoots out baseballs at MLB speeds so you can see and feel the heat behind those pitches.
- The signature wall containing thousands of branded autographs of baseball players who signed contracts with Louisville Slugger.
- LEGO displays of baseball stadiums.
What do you see on the Louisville Slugger Factory Tour?
The Louisville Slugger Factory Tour was so much more than we expected! On the tour, you’re really walking through the facility where the bats are made. You get to witness each step of the process and see the machines and the employees hard at work.
It was fascinating to learn about the Hillerich and Bradsby Company’s family-owned business and how they’ve perfected the art of bat-making. The tour begins with a short movie explaining the forest the family owns in Pennsylvania where much of the wood used in their bats is grown. Then tour guides lead the group through the different areas of the factory and explain each step of the process. There were also short video clips played throughout the tour to help highlight interesting information.
The highlights of the tour for our family were:
- Watching the giant machines take a billet and shave it into a bat right in front of our eyes in only 30 seconds!
- Receiving a free mini-bat souvenir at the end of the tour.
How long does it take to go through the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory Tour?
You can spend as long as you’d like looking at the museum displays, but I would think that most families would spend no more than an hour in that area. Our factory tour took about 30 minutes with around 5 minutes spent on each part of the tour.
What else can I do at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory?
There are a few more areas you won’t want to miss:
- In front of the museum, you can stand in front of the world’s largest baseball bat. It’s 120 feet tall and weighs 68,000 pounds! The bat is a replica of Babe Ruth’s Louisville Slugger.
- Inside the museum, at the back of the building, you can sit or climb on the ginormous “Play Ball” baseball glove. It is made of Kentucky limestone and weighs 17 tons!
- Also in the back of the building, you’ll find batting cages where you can practice cracking balls off of different Louisville Sluggers, including replica bats of legendary ballplayers.
- You can also buy unique souvenirs and bats in the Museum Store or look for a steal on similar items in the Factory Outlet right next door. Adventure Dad was happy with his discounted bat purchased in the outlet.
- Personalize your own Louisville Slugger! You can do this in the Museum Store or online.
Where is the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory?
The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory is part of what is called Museum Row on Main in downtown Louisville. The entrance is located at 800 W. Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky.
What is the cost to visit the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory?
Current (2021) pricing is:
- $16 for adults ages 13-59
- $15 for adults ages 60 and older
- $9 for kids ages 6-12
- FREE for kids ages 5 and younger
When can I visit the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory?
Current (2021) hours are:
- Monday through Saturday 9am-5pm ET
- Sunday 10am-4pm ET
We love hanging out in Louisville, and we really feel like Louisville Slugger has hit it out of the park with all the things to do, see, and learn in the museum and on the factory tour! Have you visited? If so, we’d love to hear the highlight of your trip!
