What It Is
The actual factory where more than 3,000 professional baseball bats are made every day and a museum showcasing some of the sport’s finest players and memorabilia.
Where It Is
Louisville, Kentucky
When We Went
July 2019
What We Did
Took a guided tour of the factory, explored the museum, and had a custom bat made to commemorate our trip.
How Much We Spent
$46 for all four of us to tour the factory. Current costs (as of May 2024) for tickets are $15 for kids ages 6-12 and $23 for adults.
How Much Time We Spent There
About an hour and a half. We arrived a little before our 30-minute, 3:50 p.m. tour, and left just before closing, at 5:00.
What We Liked
Being casual baseball fans, we had no idea how much thought and planning went into each bat or that players could order specific woods, lengths, weights, handle sizes, and barrel sizes. We loved the tour (and the smell of the freshly shaved wood!) and the insight we gained on the whole bat-making process, which Louisville Slugger has been doing since 1884.
We were also impressed with the museum. It wasn’t huge, but it contained a significant number of memorabilia and bats used by well-known players. My boys even got to hold—with gloved hands—bats used by Babe Ruth and Willie Stargell.
As a bonus, everyone who takes the tour leaves with a free mini-bat. Because we enjoyed the experience so much, we also left with a custom-engraved, regulation-sized bat that we ordered and they made while we waited.
The ginormous, 120-foot-long, outdoor bat, which is taller than the five-story building it “leans” on, is pretty cool, too.
What We Didn't Like
We were fascinated by the factory, but tour rules prevented us from taking pictures. We love documenting the places we visit and really wanted to take pictures of the stacks and stacks of uncarved wood.
Was it worth it?
Yes. I definitely recommend this experience, even at the current ticket rates and especially if you’re a baseball fan. I didn’t expect to be as excited about this experience as I was. We all thoroughly enjoyed learning about how bats are made, where the wood comes from, etc., and were thrilled with our free and bought souvenirs.
For more information, visit https://www.sluggermuseum.com/.
Did You Know? Baseball players order an average of 120 bats EACH for a single season? Additionally, Louisville Slugger offers more than 8,000 different bats, but players typically choose from the 300 most popular models.
Was It Worth It?
Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
Posted December 31, 2025, by Janet Wolfe