Upon entering the building, you'll likely see a parade of fresh-off-the-assembly-line Corvettes awaiting "factory pick-up" from their proud new owners. Watching someone take possession of their brand new car is a red carpet affair for everyone in the room! Make sure you catch one of these babies heading out the door!
Also in the lobby is a late-model Corvette in which you can sit, take photos, and otherwise let the kids enjoy.
Once you purchase tickets, you begin your adventure with a short film, and the background of Louis Chevrolet and his company that would go on to produce the Corvette.
As you work your way through the perfectly preserved cars in their gorgeous displays, you'll eventually come to an awesome play area to keep little hands busy and little minds engaged. Kids will enjoy hanging out in the drive-in, serving up meals in the 50's style cafe, and learning all about car maintenance as they use a variety of tools to work on a life-sized model car on a lift!
Changing tires, checking under the hood, and experimenting with tools will put a smile on everyone's face. My kids could have sat here for hours working on cars, but luckily they were just as fascinated with the exhibits; so after a while, on we continued.
Next, you'll come to a few rooms on Chevrolet racing history. From Le Mans to NASCAR, and a little bit of everything in-between, you'll see racing suits, trophies, posters, paraphernalia, and, of course, RACE CARS!
The last permanent exhibits cover Corvettes through the years, complete with unique body types and histories, and then an exhibit on the materials and construction of these iconic automobiles.
There is a section available for traveling exhibits, and many of them are very kid-friendly. Be sure to check this area out. You never know what you might find!
If you watch the news, you've possibly heard that a giant sinkhole opened under the museum and swallowed 8 of the 28 rare cars on display in the Skydome in February of 2014. We visited while they were still retrieving cars from the sinkhole, and were able to capture some rare photographs of the damaged floor and the mangled vehicles.
In the past year, the floor was filled with limestone and refinished to its original condition. Most of the cars have also been painstakingly restored to as original condition as possible. I have included some of our photographs so you can see what happened. If you visit now, everything should be safe, secure, and completely as it was.
In addition to the museum, you will find a huge gift shop selling everything from toy cars to limited edition collectors' merchandise. Great gift ideas for kids, all the way to Corvette Connoisseurs...
There is also a 50's style cafe serving burgers, sandwiches, and great ice cream and milk shakes. The staff here seemed like they had better things to do than serve us, and we were the only people in the place as closing time was approaching; but the food was good for a quick bite to eat after spending most of the day immensely enjoying the museum.
*As a side note, if your family is into letterboxing, come prepared. There are several gems to be discovered throughout the museum.
Overall, whether you are a Corvette Enthusiast, a car lover, or just a kid along for the ride, there is great deal of enjoyment to be had here at the Corvette Museum. If you're in the Bowling Green area, take your family for a spin!
