Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum
The “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports” refers to one race – the Kentucky Derby – the first of three races in the coveted thoroughbred-horse racing Triple Crown. The home of the Kentucky Derby is Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. First opened in 1874, Churchill Downs has hosted the Kentucky Derby ever since the first race in May 1875. Churchill Downs is the oldest and best-known racetrack in America. Lexington, Kentucky was the site of the first race course back in the late 1700s started by concerned citizens over the impromptu racing of horses on city streets. Louisville faced similar racing enthusiasts taking over busy downtown streets and off-street racetracks were created. Thus began the long association between Kentucky and horse racing.
In the mid-1800s, twenty-six-year old Col. M. Lewis Clark conceived the idea of a racetrack that would showcase the best in the Kentucky thoroughbred industry. He leased 80 acres of land from his uncles John and Henry Churchill, and built a clubhouse, grandstand, and stables. This became Churchill Downs. Today, Churchill Downs is the preeminent pari-mutuel horse racing facility and the tradition continues. Clark’s inaugural stakes races, the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Clark Handicap have been run continuously at Churchill Downs since 1875. In the spring of 1895, a new grandstand was opened with the twin spires that have become the symbol of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. In the last 100 plus years, the facility has undergone many renovations and improvements, including the addition of the Kentucky Derby Museum.
The Kentucky Derby Museum, located on the grounds of Churchill Downs is a museum dedicated to a single race – the annual Kentucky Derby. This popular tourist attraction features the award-winning film, “The Greatest Race” in high-definition video on a 360-degree screen. Amidst the thundering hooves, it’s like being in the middle of the action. The Kentucky Derby Museum offers guided tours of Churchill Downs for an extra charge. First, the one and a half-hour Insiders’ Tour of Jockeys’ Quarters, Millionaires’ Row, the Press Box and more for up to 20 people. (Not available during the Spring Meet.) And the one-hour Backside Tour of Churchill Downs’ stable and infield areas is available March through November for up to 12 people. (Not available Derby week.)
There are visual and interactive exhibits at the Kentucky Derby Museum: African Americans and thoroughbred horse racing, an interactive exhibit that explains pari-mutuel wagering, and a “time-machine” exhibit with footage of past Derbys. One of the most innovative exhibits lets guests simulate a ride in a Derby. The Kentucky Derby Museum offers a gift shop with unique, one-of-a-kind merchandise, such as jewelry, artwork, historical books, and memorabilia on thoroughbred horse racing. The Derby Café serves lunch on weekdays.
Churchill Downs is open for racing year round, but may be closed to the public on specific days or for special events. The Kentucky Derby Museum is open daily and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Oaks Day, Derby Day, and Breeders' Cup Day (when it is held in Louisville).
Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory began with German immigrant J. Frederick Hillerich. Hillerich's Louisville-based woodworking business “turned” wood into items such as balusters, bedposts, and butter churns. When his son Bud, an amateur baseball player, apprenticed at the shop, he began to make baseball bats for himself and his teammates. It is believed that Bud Hillerich showed the bats to some professional ballplayers. (The Eclipse, an American Association team, was in Louisville at the time.) It wasn't long before the quality bats were the talk of the league and other teams began to request these custom bats. The elder Hillerich wanted nothing to do with them. Bud then took on the manufacture of the bats and improved the process and the business. First called the Falls City Slugger, the name “Louisville Slugger” was trademarked in 1894. In 1905, Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates was signed on to endorse the bat and his signature was engraved on the bat.
The company, now Hillerich & Son, added salesman Frank Bradsby and it became Hillerich & Bradsby Co. By World War II, J. Frederick and Bradsby had both died, but the company, run by Bud, served the country’s war efforts by making military supplies. In the 1950s, the company diversified into the timber industry to ensure a perpetual supply of lumber. At the same time, the company began manufacturing hockey sticks. Louisville Slugger introduced its own line of gloves in 1975 and aluminum bats three years later. In 1996, the company headquarters and factory were opened in its present location. It is now known as the Lousiville Slugger Museum & Factory.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory is one of Kentucky’s top attractions. Since its opening it has entertained close to two million visitors. Visitors know when they’ve pulled up to the correct place - there is a 120-ft tall baseball bat leaning on the side of the building. At the Louisville Slugger Factory, approximately one million bats are produced each year, up to 1,500 per day at peak production. The Louisville Slugger bat is the official bat of Major League Baseball. The bats are made of northern white ash and the increasingly popular maple.
At the museum visitors can view the amazing 68,000-pound Big Bat or the 17-ton Glove Sculpture. A tour of the museum begins with a film “The Heart of the Game". Next the Oval Room is the main gallery which showcases bats used by some of the greats of the game; Ruth, Aaron, Mantle, Cobb, Williams, and more. The Factory Tour is the highlight – visitors can see the each step in the production process. Each visitor receives a miniature Louisville Slugger. Personalized bats may be ordered during the tour. Other features at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory include the Ball Field and Bud’s Batting Cage where guests can swing replica bats of some of the top players. The gift shop offers baseball, golf, and hockey-related items.
The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory is open year round. There is no guarantee that bats will be in production – some months production is five days, others six or seven days. There is no production, and there is no production on holidays. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, and New Year’s Eve and Day.
Mammoth Cave National Park
Named for its enormous size, Mammoth Cave National Park, located in the hills of south central Kentucky, contains the longest cave system in the world. Over 365 miles of the cave system have been explored and according to the experts, there is “no end in sight”. In 1941, Mammoth Cave National Park was established to protect the cave and the surrounding area including the hill country and the Green River Valley.
Geologists have determined that the cave was formed as a result of the waters that covered the central U.S. in ancient times. The water left over 600 feet of soluble limestone deposits. Sandstone then covered the limestone and was followed by a shale cap deposited by a river. When the waters receded off the continent and the ancient river disappeared, erosion took over. Cracks and holes opened the area and over a long period of time, rainwater began to hollow out the cave, dissolving the limestone deposits and opening up intricate passages in an effort to connect with the nearby river. As the water table dropped, it left many levels of tunnels and passages. Streams and rivers are still carving out the lower passageways.
Mammoth Cave National Park offers many tours of Mammoth Cave. There are self-guided and guided tours of different sections and of varying duration. Some are more challenging than others, with steep climbs, rough terrain, and narrow or short passageways. Others are more leisurely. All of the tours offer a look into the complex and fragile ecosystem of the cave. From the seeping water, stalactites, stalagmites, and white gypsum crystal have formed and are featured in some spectacular “rooms”. Plants, mammals, reptiles, and fish all live and thrive in this cool, dark, underground world. Some species of cavefish grow no eyes – possibly due to a lack of nutrients in the cave environment – but sight is an unnecessary sense for fish in the absolute darkness of the cave. The endangered, eyeless cave shrimp makes its home in Mammoth Cave.
Beyond the cave, Mammoth Cave National Park offers many recreational opportunities in the hills and waters of the park. The Green River and Nolin River run through the park and offer boating, canoeing, fishing (no license required, but there are creel limits), and camping. Over two million visitors a year travel to the middle of Kentucky to see the state’s top natural attraction, Mammoth Cave, and to enjoy the beauty and outdoor opportunities of the park.
Mammoth Cave National Park is open daily and is closed on Christmas. Tours fill up quickly, so it is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance. The National Park Service offers advance ticket purchasing.