It sounds like an unlikely combination, but when we first decided to visit the Wright Paterson Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH, we knew we needed to add in a few more activities. When we expanded the map, we realized we could add in a few other American greats and make it a long weekend. Here’s our itinerary for hitting Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio in three days.
Day 1: Indiana
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
When we realized we would be in Indiana on the weekend of the Indianapolis 500 we just knew we needed to work in a trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Friday before the big race is Carb Day and I highly recommend it!
Carb Day was a two hour experience watching the drivers and pit crews fine tune their skills in preparation for the big race a couple days later. You are able to get a close up look at the race cars without the masses to fight through on race day and in many ways are rewarded with a better experience then watching the race itself. Read all about our Carb Day experience.
After Carb Day – or if you visit another day – you can choose one of the many museum tours that take you back in time with over 100 years of racing history.
Day 2: Kentucky
Just 2 hours south of Indianapolis is Louisville, KY. Louisville is a somewhat industrial city along the Ohio River, but there is plenty to do and see.
Louisville Slugger Museum
Right in downtown Louisville, is the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory Tour. With a nod to the baseball greats and an amazing tour through their bat factory, the Louisville Slugger Museum should not be missed. Our kids loved to see how the bats were made and enjoyed testing out a few of them too. Here’s our list of the Top 6 reasons you should visit the Louisville Slugger Museum.
The museum is located in an area called Museum Row and there are several art museums in the area. We stopped at Flame Run, a glass blowing studio, and watched the artist help a student create a glass ornament. If we had more time, I definitely would have loved to participate in the experience. Bat alas, we had another race to catch.
Churchill Downs
Our next stop was only 10 minutes down the road – the world-famous Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. It was great to go on a regular day because it wasn’t at all crowded and we could sit right at the finish line. The boys loved watching the horse races and may have even learned a bit about waging a bet.
The park’s museum offers some great history on the horse racing, breeding, the derby itself and all the winners of the past.
Day 3: Ohio
From the Wright Brothers to our modern day air force, Dayton, OH is the birthplace of aviation and remains a hub for aviation innovation. Just two hours northwest on Louisville, Dayton was our next stop.
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
Just down the road from the National Air Force Museum are several sites dedicated to the Wright Brothers and the birthplace of aviation. The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park consists of five sites that tell the stories of Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Visit Wilbur and Orville’s print shop, now the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center to learn more about the Wright Brothers and Paul Laurence Dunbar. The go on to the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center to learn more about how the Wright Brothers developed their first plane. You can also visit the Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site to learn more about Dunbar’s travel and poetry, the Carillon Historical Park which houses the original 1905 Wright Flyer III. Kids can become a Junior Ranger, earn a patch and even get their own wings.
National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB
The National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB is the world’s greatest shrine to aviation from the beginnings of flight to modern day. Since it is a military museum there is an example of almost every plane that has flown in the USAF throughout its history. There are exhibits from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Cold War era as well as fantastic space exhibits on rocketry and exploration.
If you are fan of aviation like we are this is must do! Our boys loved seeing all the planes that our Air Force flies and seeing the adversaries’ planes as well. Read all about our day at the National Air Force Museum.
Three Days wasn’t enough to see everything that Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio have to offer, but we loved our chance to see fast cars, fast bats, fast horses and fast planes all on a long weekend!
Have you visited any of these sites? What was your favorite?
