Every baseball fan’s visit to Louisville should begin at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, which is just a mile west of Louisville Slugger Field. Louisville Slugger is the world’s biggest bat maker, and you can take a comprehensive guided tour through the factory to watch bats being made for MLB stars and amateur players around the world alike. After the tour, be sure to take time for browsing the museum, which contains a wealth of information about the bat company’s history and interactive displays honoring some of the best players to ever swing a Slugger. Before you leave, check out the enormous gift shop, where you can get your own Louisville Slugger bat with your name engraved on the barrel.
Sports fans in general will enjoy the Muhammad Ali Center, a multi-level museum dedicated to the heavyweight champ (and Louisville native). Here, you can browse scores of artifacts from “The Greatest,” watch videos and test your hand with some interactive boxing displays. The center is just a couple blocks from the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and less than a mile from Louisville Slugger Field.
If you’ve arrived in town with ample time to spare, check out the Louisville Riverwalk, which runs along the Ohio River and directly past Louisville Slugger Field.
Make sure to get to Louisville Slugger Field well in advance of first pitch. Walking around the outside of the park gives you the chance to take in the sights, which include statues of baseball hall of famer Pee Wee Reese, a longtime Louisville resident, and football hall of famer Paul Hornung, who was born in Louisville. Chief among notable pre-game attractions is the Hall of Fame Pavilion, located at the front of the ballpark along East Main Street. This enormous space gives you the chance to walk through Louisville’s storied baseball history, reading about teams that came before the Bats and notable players from Kentucky. Gates to the park itself open an hour before first pitch, but you can access the Hall of Fame Pavilion before this time.
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