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I 75 Side Trips through Kentucky and Tennessee

by John Hayden 6 Comments

When you are traveling kids, life is so much easier if you make a few side trips.  Let’s face it, your kids are going to be pumped about the trip and they’ve got energy to burn.  When live near Cincinnati, so almost every Florida trip requires a drive down I-75.  I’m going to do a run down of some of our favorite stops.  Obviously, we can’t stop at all of these every trip but there are plenty of places to choose from when trying to kill a little time.  Stops are listed in the order in which you would encounter heading south on 75.

I-75 Side Trips through Kentucky and Tennessee

1) Kentucky Horse Park– This is no quick stop, so if you don’t have at least three hours you want to kill, you will want to save this for another day.  Tickets during the summer are $20 for adults and $9 for kids.  This gains you admission to two museums and the grounds of the horse park where you can visit the graves of famous horses such as Man-O-War and War Admiral.

2) Renfro Valley– We rarely take a road trip down 75 that doesn’t include a stop in Renfro Valley.  It is located right off of the highway and is a great place for kids to run around for a few minutes.  There is a small town complete with old school house, a church, shops and restaurants.  Most of the town is closed on weekdays but you can still look around and stretch your legs.  If you go on the weekends, the little town is packed with people getting ready to attend one of the live concerts they put on.  Right next door to Renfro Valley is the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame which is worth a visit if you have a little time.

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The Louisville Slugger Museum

I-75 Side Trips

3) The First KFC–  When people think of Kentucky one of the first things they think of is Colonel Sanders and Kentucky Fried Chicken.  In Corbin, Kentucky just off I-75 sits the location of the Colonel Sanders first restaurant. Today part of it is a modern KFC and the other part is a museum to the Colonel himself, giving you a glance of what the restaurant would have been like if you would have visited it in the 1940s.  Well worth a pit stop, especially if you’re ready to eat.

4) Cumberland Falls– Also in Corbin, although a bit of a drive from the highway, is the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.  Often referred to as the Niagara Falls of the south, Cumberland Falls is extremely beautiful and it’s free to visit.  You can spend a lot of time here if you enjoy hiking but its also good for quick stroll and photo op.  If you happen to be traveling nearby during a full moon, you can see a moon bow (a rainbow caused by moonlight).  This is the one of only two places in the world where this phenomenon occurs.

I-75 Side Trips

5) Museum of Appalachia– Just south of the Kentucky border in Clinton, Tennessee is the Museum of Appalachia.  For years I would see there signs on billboards but never stopped in.  Once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  You will need at least a couple hours to make the trip worthwhile because there is so much to take in.  The museum was founded by one man who was dedicated to preserving the history of the Appalachian region.

Many of the people that you learn about in the museum won’t be found in any history book rather most are regular people who embodied life in the region.

6) World’s Fair Park– The park is a slight detour on your route to Florida but if its summer time and you have kids, you should stop.  The site of the 1982 World’s Fair hosts a large playground and water fountains that kids love to run through.  Our kids could have stayed their for hours.  Nearby is the famous Sunsphere that was built specifically for the World’s Fair (if you’re a Simpsons fan, you’ll remember the family visited the Sphere which a fictional hat shop).  When we stopped the elevator ride to the top was free and offered great views of the area.

I-75 Side Trips

7) Blood Stained Crypt of Nina Cragmiles- Located just a few minutes off of 75 in Cleveland, Tennessee lies a unique mausoleum located in the middle of town.  This is the final resting spot of Nina Cragmiles who died as a young girl in a carriage ride.  The legend is that blood covers the tomb in various places despite attempts to clean it.  Indeed, if you walk around it, you will see several areas that look like blood streaks.  If your kids are into ghost stories, they will love this stop.  It’s free to see and only takes a few minutes to walk around.

8) Rock City/Ruby Falls– If you are adult of a certain age, you no doubt remember the signs that used to litter the highway for these attractions.  We spent an entire morning just doing Rock City so if you want to hit Ruby Falls as well, plan your day accordingly.  The kids loved walking through Rock City and taking in all of the views including the spot where it is said that you can see seven states.  Rock City involves a lot of walking and is not for anyone who is scared of heights (especially the famous lover’s leap).  Ruby Falls is nearby and gives you the chance to take a cave tour to see an amazing underground waterfall.

I-75 Side Trips

1-75 Side Trips While Traveling Through Kentucky & Tennessee

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The Louisville Slugger Museum is a Hit!

by Angela Richter Leave a Comment

We love to go places as a family and we love to go places where we can learn.  Recently we headed south for a trip to the Louisville Slugger Museum!  I have heard wonderful things about their factory tour and they say it is a big family hit!  I couldn’t agree more!  We had such a nice time!

The Louisville Slugger Museum was a big hit for our family! Your family gets to tour the factory where the great Louisville Sluggers are made! There is also a great museum to see with great baseball items from the Major Leagues and at the end you get to take home your very own bat!

FamilyFun magazine has tabbed Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory as one of the Best Factory Tours for Kids in the November 2014 issue!

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, one of the city’s most popular attractions, is also housed at the corporate headquarters. The first thing you see is the building and it is just beautiful!  The location is well-marked by the World’s Biggest Baseball Bat that casually leans against the side of the building. Guests are invited to learn about the Official Bat of Major League Baseball–Louisville Slugger. Today, over 4-million people have enjoyed the museum and factory tour experience at this location.

Can you believe the size of this bat?  It is 6 stories tall! It is just amazing to see up close and you can’t miss the museum as you are driving down the road, that is for sure!

When you enter you get a factory tour where you get to see first hand how the bats are made!  We learned so much about exactly how the bats are made and how important they are to the players, many Major Leaguers even have their bats customized.   You can’t take pictures in the working area but they allow many opportunities when you come out of the factory part.  All guests receive a free souvenir mini-bat at the end of each tour.

 

You can also see their original and inspiring 13-minute film, “The Heart of the Game.” Enjoy insights and anecdotes on hitting that you’ll only learn here from some of the great players of all-time, including Tony Gwynn, Jim Thome, and Derek Jeter.

My kids enjoying a rest with their new bats, they really enjoyed the tour!  Smaller children may have a harder time, especially during the tour time which can seem long to a child dying to run free!

Baseball bats even on the ceiling!!  This was so awesome to see!

On our visit, the special feature was from Topps! Baseball meets Batman in the latest special exhibition at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.  The attraction has teamed up with Topps, the legendary card maker, to create the first-ever retrospective of Topps trading cards. This show runs through October 4th.  Topps changed the face of trading cards forever in 1952 with the release of their now iconic baseball card set that year. The most coveted card from that set features Mickey Mantle, and one of those Mantle cards is on display with the exhibit. The exhibit joins an already impressive line-up at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.

My husband and I really loved going back to retro times!  We saw so many things that reminded us of our childhood!

Along with iconic baseball cards, Topps has also produced collectible cards for other sports and pop culture giants such as Star Wars, the Beatles, and Pokémon.

Props, costumes, and artifacts from movies, television, music, comics, and cartoons are displayed alongside their Topps cards, including these pieces:

– Luke Skywalker’s Light Saber

– Indiana Jones’ Whip

– Adam West’s Batman Costume

– Christopher Reeve’s Superman Costume

– Nichelle Nichols’ Lt. Uhura Costume

– Elvis Presley’s Scarf

– Ringo Starr’s 1964 Drumsticks

– Jobu Statue from Major League

If you are in the Kentucky area soon, this is a must-see for your family!

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory is located at 800 West Main Street in Louisville and is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors (60+), $7 children (6-12), and free for children 5 and under.

For more information, log on to sluggermuseum.com or call 502-588-7228.

I was given tickets for my family to attend the museum, all opinions are 100 percent mine!

Louisville Slugger Museum

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Hi there! We are John and Angela, a brother and sister blog team that shares family travel tips across the USA! Everything from traveling with the kids to taking a weekend getaway with our spouses! We also share travel hacks and tips and more!

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