Hey all! It has been nearly forever since my last update but you know…life! We took a short family vacation last week to Louisville, Kentucky and it was awesome! I wanted to tell you all about it!
Last week we took a short, 3 day mini-vacation to Louisville, Kentucky, which is about a 4+ hour drive south of where we live. We knew we only had something small in budget this year for a vacation and with 5 kids (and one of them only 5 months old!) we didn’t want to drive far either. We have family that lived in Louisville for years so we were semi-familiar with it. Plus, they have the Louisville Slugger Museum…and hello…we are a HUGE baseball family!
Our First Stop
Our first stop was about halfway into our trip. We stopped on the way down in Cincinnati, Ohio…Sharonville to be more accurate…and explored Sharon Woods. Recommended by a friend, this place didn’t disappoint. We knew we wanted a place the kids could explore and stretch their legs. This place was it! It had amazing trails, open enough and clean enough even Vayda (who is 3) could walk without issue. There were many clearings in the woods where you could see falls and a big gorge!
The kids got to climb on rocks and even got to walk through the water and near the falls. Amazingly enough only one of us took a tumble…and to no one’s surprise it was Chase (lol!). It was the perfect break in our trip! Here are some pictures!
Onward
After Sharon Woods, we headed further south to Louisville. We checked into our hotel, grabbed some dinner and then swam in the hotel pool for the rest of the evening! The kids loved seeing the city skyline. They had a blast exploring the hotel, the pool, scoped out where breakfast would be and got the biggest kick out of the glass-sided elevator!
Fun Filled Friday
On Friday morning we got up around and ready to explore the Louisville Slugger Museum. After breakfast (which the kids thought was amazing by the way…we probably could have just stayed at the hotel all weekend and they would have been happy!) we headed down town. The museum was easy to spot with the giant bat out front! (Hello photo op!) We quickly went inside and got tickets. We took the factory tour and it was really cool! They showed how they originally used a lathe to mill the bats. They they showed us how they make the resale bats and then how they make each MLB player’s bat. Each player has their own specifications!
After the factory tour, we went through the museum. There were a few interactive exhibits where the kids could test their pitching speed, feel the speed of a MLB pitch and then a place where you could hold and swing a bat that a MLB player used!
This year is the 25th anniversary of The Sandlot movie and they had an exhibit on that as well. It was neat! They had the Wheaties box periscope, a pair of Squints glasses and more. We are big fans of the movie so it was really cool to share with the kids!
After the museum, we grabbed lunch and attempted naps at the hotel. (Notice I used the word attempted).
In the afternoon we were mindful of a chance of rain but decided we would try the zoo. Well, we found it but the sky was angry. Before we could even get parked it let loose and stormed. I am talking heavy rain, wind and golf ball size hail! It was eventful! Needless to say, the zoo trip was postponed! We headed back to the hotel but on the way took the kids to The Cheesecake Factory for the first time. They loved it!
Afterwards, the weather cleared up and we decided to take our chances and explore the Big Four Bridge. This is an old railway bridge they converted into a walking bridge. There was a nice park and splash pad at the base and it was such a great view! It was the perfect end to the day!
Saturday-Our Last Day
Saturday morning we got up and around and decided we would try to head to the zoo again. We checked out of the hotel, grabbed some breakfast and got to the zoo right before opening time. The weather was cooler because of the rain that had come through and since it was so early, it wasn’t busy at all. All of the animals were out and active! It was our best zoo experience yet!
We got to see so many animals! We got to experience gorillas, elephants, polar and grizzly bears up close and got great views of the lion, tiger and jaguar they had. One neat thing they had going throughout the zoo was Lego sculptures of animals. They were nothing short of amazing!
Homeward Bound
After the zoo we grabbed lunch and headed home! We had such a great time! The time was short and it was action packed but I am glad the kids got to experience all that they did. Next year we are already talking about our next adventure…but Erik and I both agree it may be a bit more like our first vacation (read all about that trip here)…a bit more relaxing!
I truly believe that its the time and memories made with your children that is more important than how big your vacation is, how far you go or how much you spend. You can make memories anywhere!
