Visiting Louisville, and Pleased

Visiting the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory along with attending a home game of the Louisville Bats has been on my to do list for several years. Purchasing a pair of tickets the day they went on sale for my wife Lynne and I for Monday April 11, our plans were set.

Heading into to Louisville that morning, with our windshield wipers on full speed, we started having doubts that the early evening game would be played. When arriving in the city we headed straight for the Louisville Slugger Museum and were very pleased to find plenty of covered parking at the site. From the parking garage, we were able to walk right into the museum elevator without getting soaked.

The first thing we did was purchase our tickets for the factory tour, which was worth every penny. We had a very knowledgeable tour guide lead us through the factory.  From this guide, coupled with television monitors through out the factory, we were very entertained, learning much.

After the tour we continued through the museum. Along with viewing a film, and taking some swings with an Ernie Banks model bat in the batting cage, we were able to see the Norman Rockwell collection that is currently being exhibited.

Throughout our visit, more than several employees greeted us with smiles, making sure our visit was pleasant. It was indeed.

We received driving directions to Slugger Stadium from the gentleman at the information desk, and we were headed out for part two of our day’s activities. With the rain still coming down we pulled up to beautiful Louisville Slugger Field, and quickly learned from an employee who was scheduled to usher, that the game had been canceled.

Unfortunately I never did get this ushers name, because even though we were disappointed about the rain out, this person made our brief stay a memorable one. He shared my passion of touring ballparks; thus far he has visited twelve major league stadiums.

On his own time, he took us into the ballpark and allowed me to take some photos of the Bat’s home field. From there he showed us where the gift shop was, which they unlocked for us to browse, and he also led us to the proper person regarding ticket refunds. This was the kind of person that you can only hope to find, when you are traveling and need some extra help.

We were unable to attend the make up game the following evening, or even another game the rest of the season due to being from out of state. We were not sure if we could get a refund, but to our surprise a gentleman took care us. He told us that we should receive a direct refund in a few days, if not, he gave us his business card and asked that we contact him directly to take care of the matter. No need, are account was refunded in a couple of days.

We are thankful for the great Kentucky hospitality we received that day. Service with a smile still exists. I do recommend both places as a must see, on every baseball’s fan’s to do list. Considering the rain out, we look forward to returning to Louisville at some point in the future. Our hopes are the sun will be shining, and the Bats will be swinging.