Sometimes you spend hours, days, even months planning an adventure...
...And other times it just lands right in your lap.
We are headed to a motorhome event in Indiana, the drive is getting long and it’s time to stop for the night. We find a nice KOA in Bowling Green, Kentucky just off the highway and check in at the office. They tell us they make Corvettes just 4 miles up the street.
The next morning we jump in the car and head to The General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant, also known as “Home Of The Chevrolet Corvette”. Apparently this is the only place in the world where they make Corvettes, they build over 100 a day and we get a front row view. We plunk down our $7 admission fee and join Group One for the 8:30AM plant tour. I am a little surprised that there are so many corvette enthusiasts here on an early Thursday morning but about 15 of us head out into the plant with our guide. Two other groups will follow about 10 minutes apart. The plant and the assembly are fascinating and we walk along the plant floor watching everything from engine building to body panel installation and drivetrain assembly. After the last assembly station the corvettes are inspected, dyno tested, water intrusion tested and driven out of the plant.
But That’s Only Half The Adventure! Right across the street is the National Corvette Museum. What a coincidence! Not only is the museum open, but this is their huge annual NCM Bash Weekend and there are hundreds of corvettes and corvette enthusiasts already gathering for the festivities. The entire front parking lot is reserved for Corvettes only, so the Mini Cooper had to skulk its way off to park next door. We walk up and plunk down our $10 admission fee and join the party. The museum is great and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. Even as a non-corvette guy I still got caught up in the excitement. The biggest draw at the National Corvette Museum was quite tragic and unintentional. It is called the Sinkhole Exhibit. In February 2014 a sinkhole caused a portion of the floor of the Skydome exhibit hall to collapse swallowing 8 special corvettes into a 30 foot deep hole including the 1 millionth and the 1.5 millionth corvette. One of the eight cars suffered minor damage and has been repaired, two others are under restoration and the 5 remaining are unrepairable and on display in their “crushed” condition. The Skydome floor is still under repair but well on its way to completion. The museum empties out into the largest Corvette themed gift shop I have ever seen, everything from bar stools and t shirts to mugs and model replicas.
But Wait! There’s More! About a quarter mile away on the other side of the highway is the brand new NCM Motorsports Park. A road course track facility where dozens of corvettes were giving their drivers an adrenaline rush. Eat your heart out Disney Test Track! This is the real thing!
...And other times it just lands right in your lap.
We are headed to a motorhome event in Indiana, the drive is getting long and it’s time to stop for the night. We find a nice KOA in Bowling Green, Kentucky just off the highway and check in at the office. They tell us they make Corvettes just 4 miles up the street.
The next morning we jump in the car and head to The General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant, also known as “Home Of The Chevrolet Corvette”. Apparently this is the only place in the world where they make Corvettes, they build over 100 a day and we get a front row view. We plunk down our $7 admission fee and join Group One for the 8:30AM plant tour. I am a little surprised that there are so many corvette enthusiasts here on an early Thursday morning but about 15 of us head out into the plant with our guide. Two other groups will follow about 10 minutes apart. The plant and the assembly are fascinating and we walk along the plant floor watching everything from engine building to body panel installation and drivetrain assembly. After the last assembly station the corvettes are inspected, dyno tested, water intrusion tested and driven out of the plant.
But That’s Only Half The Adventure! Right across the street is the National Corvette Museum. What a coincidence! Not only is the museum open, but this is their huge annual NCM Bash Weekend and there are hundreds of corvettes and corvette enthusiasts already gathering for the festivities. The entire front parking lot is reserved for Corvettes only, so the Mini Cooper had to skulk its way off to park next door. We walk up and plunk down our $10 admission fee and join the party. The museum is great and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. Even as a non-corvette guy I still got caught up in the excitement. The biggest draw at the National Corvette Museum was quite tragic and unintentional. It is called the Sinkhole Exhibit. In February 2014 a sinkhole caused a portion of the floor of the Skydome exhibit hall to collapse swallowing 8 special corvettes into a 30 foot deep hole including the 1 millionth and the 1.5 millionth corvette. One of the eight cars suffered minor damage and has been repaired, two others are under restoration and the 5 remaining are unrepairable and on display in their “crushed” condition. The Skydome floor is still under repair but well on its way to completion. The museum empties out into the largest Corvette themed gift shop I have ever seen, everything from bar stools and t shirts to mugs and model replicas.
But Wait! There’s More! About a quarter mile away on the other side of the highway is the brand new NCM Motorsports Park. A road course track facility where dozens of corvettes were giving their drivers an adrenaline rush. Eat your heart out Disney Test Track! This is the real thing!
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