Science and Baseball Bats in Louisville, Kentucky (By Jess)

Last week, I spent a week in Louisville, Kentucky as part of the VEX IQ International Robotics Finals, which was a very exciting seven days indeed! We had a spare day in the city before the competition, so we decided to visit the Kentucky Science Center and the Louisville Slugger Museum, where the famous baseball bats are manufactured.

The Kentucky Science Center

[caption id="attachment_1226" align="aligncenter" width="940"] I visited the Louisville Science Museum in the morning[/caption]

We rushed into the Science Center first to escape the pouring rain, and quickly saw something which shocked us:

[caption id="attachment_1227" align="aligncenter" width="768"] We spotted a very unusual (and worrying) sign outside the museum[/caption]

There was lots to see and do inside the museum, and we starting by walking upstairs into an exhibition on the human body. This was a large room, full with information about the different functions of organs and organ systems. There were displays about the digestive, respiratory and circulation systems, and we enjoyed finding out our heart rate by holding on to a bar. There were lots of interactive exhibits, such as one where we had to team up with each other and press buttons to destroy viruses, and another where we had to mimic the human heartbeat. I knew most of the facts in the room but I am sure that my brother Robert wouldn't, and would have learnt a lot. Sadly, many of the exhibits were out of order and some were quite old.

[caption id="attachment_1231" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Standing inside a bubble, building a bridge and finding out about muscles![/caption]

There were lots of other exhibits taking place in the museum, which we all liked. One of my favourites was pulling a rope which created a bubble - this was extremely exciting, especially as I managed to get it up to my shoulders before my backpack popped it! We also created a bridge out of blocks, which took countless tries to finish. We were surprisingly proud to finally manage it...

Before we left, we decided to watch the 3D Film "Journey To Space" in the museum's cinema. The film was around 45 minutes long and was fascinating, talking about life in space and the challenges of reaching Mars. Although I am not a major fan of space exploration, the film was certainly interesting, and allowed me to think about the engineering challenges that a trip to space presents. The rest of the museum was aimed at younger children, so it was nice to have something aimed at the older members of the family.

The Louisville Slugger Museum

[caption id="attachment_1236" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The tallest baseball bat in the world outside the Louisville Slugger Museum[/caption]

After a pizza lunch just opposite the Science Center, it was a short two minute walk to the Louisville Slugger Museum, where the famous Louisville Baseball Bats are made. It was dangerously close to closing time so we had no chance to walk around the museum, but we had a walking tour around the factory instead.

None of us knew anything about baseball, but our tour guide was wonderfully useful at answering any questions we had. We walked through the factory, stopped at certain machines and watched videos. We were told that the factory produces 1.8 million baseball bats a year, and that they first arrive at the factory as billets (cylinders) of wood. When the factory was started, every bat was hand carved - taking up to half an hour to shape each one! Nowadays, there are machines which have countless of bat models saved, and each one can be made in 30 seconds. It only takes a click of a button to switch designs!

We got to see bats being dipped to get distinctive colours, and were shown how each bat gets the Louisville Slugger logo pressed onto it. My highlight of the tour was being given full-sized bats to hold, which was enthralling. At the end of the tour, we were given an opportunity to ask questions, and were all given a free mini bat to take home with us. The tour was quite short at only 30 minutes long, but our guide was really friendly and knowledgeable so we learnt a lot and had a great time.

Overall, we had a really exciting day visiting the Kentucky Science Center and the Louisville Slugger Museum. Our highlight of the day was definitely going on the walking tour of the Slugger Museum factory, and we wish that we had more time to visit the rest of the museum and go to the batting cages. I thought that the Science Center was quite old and not advanced enough, but I'm sure that younger children would really enjoy playing with the exhibits.

Despite the fab museums we visited in Louisville, my favourite part of the trip was eating at all the American chains, such as Applebee's; the portion sizes were gigantic!

To see the exhibits and the movie at the Science Center, adults are $20.00 and children (aged 2-12) are $15.00. Full pricing information can be found here.

To visit the Louisville Slugger Museum, adults are $12.00, seniors (aged 60+) are $11, kids (aged 6-12) are $7.00 and kids five and under are free.

 

More by us about science:

Churchill’s Scientists: An Exhibition at The Science Museum (By Jess)

Enjoying an educational day out in Winchester

We are so happy to have been shortlisted for the Bibs (Brilliance in Blogging Awards) for 2015, but we really need your help to get through to the final 5. Please could you visit this link and then scroll down to travel and then us (Family Travel Times)? We'd be so grateful. You don't have to vote in all categories, though there are lots of great blogs in there!

Five reasons to visit Hampton Court (by Robert, aged 9)

[caption id="attachment_1215" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The Palace, picture provided by Historic Royal Palaces[/caption]

My class and I were lucky enough to go on a school trip to Hampton Court, which is one of the 50 palaces that Henry VIII lived in during the Tudor times (although it was built by Thomas Wolsey, who was Henry's chief minister). It was later a home for Henry's daughter, Elizabeth and Charles II. It is also celebrating its 500th anniversary this year!

These were the highlights of my trip:
1) The Kitchen Tours
The kitchen tours were a really fun way to learn about Tudor food plus you got to touch everything you saw. But when you go, maybe don't touch the fire!
We had a brilliant tour guide who was extremely funny and told us loads of facts. For example: did you know that instead of making 600 individual bowls of soup, the cooks built a giant hole around a metre deep and around 80 cm in width? It looked so cool.
And, did you know that a low class servant would get 4 kg of meat, two loaves of bread and four pints of beer for one meal twice a day? At feasts everything was made from sugar - the plates, cutlery and glasses, even the chessboard. After you took an opponent's piece, you got to eat it as it was made of marzipan. Also if you had a battle ship that you loved. you could tell Henry, and his cooks would make a two metre long model of your ship out of sugar and marzipan.

The kitchen tours were one of my favourite parts of the day, but I would try and get a tour guide too, or otherwise  an audio guide for the kitchens as there weren't many boards or posters with facts on.

[caption id="attachment_1216" align="aligncenter" width="683"] The Great Hall at Hampton Court, picture courtesy of Historic Royal Palaces[/caption]

2) Ghost hunting
If you go to Hampton Court, be sure to look out for ghosts. Over the years there have been many ghost sightings, including three of Henry VIII's wives, and the class who went on the trip a year before us told us that they felt the presence of one. Watch the Hampton Court video to find out more about these ghostly visitors!



The ghosts that are supposed to be there include Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard and Sybil Penn, a royal nurse who is often described as the "Grey Lady" and who looked after Elizabeth I when she fell ill from smallpox. Sybil died from the illness, but she didn't start haunting Hampton Court until her nearby grave was disturbed in the 19th century.

Sadly we didn't see any ghouls and the man who did the kitchen tours thought it was a bunch of utter nonsense! However, I think you should definitely look for some if you go to this iconic palace.

3) Henry's Apartments
In Henry's apartment there were loads of ways to find facts, by reading, doing and watching. I really liked the room where there was a screen in each corner as there was a person on each screen and they were all having a conversation. There were Tudor games to play, paintings to look at and a throne in each room. The audio guide was great as it asked you lots of questions and gave the point of view of different Tudor characters.

4) The maze

The Hampton Court maze is probably the most famous one in the world! It was planted in the 17th century when William and Mary were on the throne and more than 300,000 visit it each year. It is really good fun, but it is not very easy to get out of...

5) The Chapel and Young Henry Exhibition

For me the young Henry exhibition was not as good and not very informative, so only go to that near the end. However, I did really enjoy being in the chapel. You got to see what a proper Tudor church looked like. It was amazing.

Overall, Hampton Court was a great day, I found out so much and there were lots of places to have a little bit of fun. There was also grass as far as the eye could see.

A visit to Hampton Court to see the Palace, maze and gardens (plus audio guide, children's trail and more) costs £19.30 per adults (£18.20 if booked online) and £9.70 for children under 16 (£9.10 if booked online). A family ticket is £48.20, or £44.90. That's for up to two adults and three children.

It's located in Richmond in Surrey, which is just outside London

Funnily enough, back in 1661: Charles II was crowned King on this very day! He spent his honeymoon with his wife, Katherine of Braganza, at Hampton Court.

More by me:

A visit to Dr Johnson's House

A visit to the Churchill War Rooms

We are so happy to have been shortlisted for the Bibs (Brilliance in Blogging Awards) for 2015, but we really need your help to get through to the final 5. Please could you visit this link (http://www.britmums.com/2015/04/vote-for-you-favourite-bloggers-bibs2015/) and then scroll down to travel and then us (Family Travel Times)? We'd be so grateful. You don't have to vote in all categories, though there are lots of great blogs in there!

Must-dos in Paris with - or without - kids

[caption id="attachment_1195" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The views from the bateau mouche were fabulous[/caption]

The sun is out and I'm sure lots of people have Paris on their minds! Here are our family tips for visiting the City of Love!

A huge group of people are all hurrying towards the same destination. We are in the Louvre Museum in Paris, famous not only for its art, but for its starring role in The Da Vinci Code, and we are moving along at speed to see one specific painting.

[caption id="attachment_1188" align="aligncenter" width="940"] A lot of people wanted to see the Mona Lisa![/caption]

Except, of course it is not just any painting: the Mona Lisa is probably the most famous piece of art in the world. It is over 500 years old and has been housed in the Louvre since 1797. Despite the many objects on display, no one seems very interested in anything but the woman with the enigmatic smile.

When we actually find her, on a wall, behind a rope, she looks a bit smaller than I expected (only 21 by 30 inches). She’s also covered with bullet-proof glass.

Jess, Robert and I wriggle through the many people staring and taking pictures. We try to get an uninterrupted view, but it’s tricky with so many mobile phones in the way.

This museum, with its long queues and hordes of tourists, was not, as you may have guessed, the highlight of our trip to Paris, but it felt like something which had to be done. Luckily, once we had ticked it off our to-do list, we could enjoy some of the other treats on offer.

[caption id="attachment_1192" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Outside the Louvre[/caption]

Of course these included the iconic Eiffel Tower, once the tallest building in the world (it's over 300 metres high). It should be top of every first-time visitor’s list, although it is extremely popular and if you just turn up, your heart will sink at the sight of the incredibly long queues. To avoid those, make sure you buy a ticket online in advance, and when you arrive, look for the signs for "Entree Visiteurs Avec Reservation". You can find more of our tips for visiting the Eiffel Tower with, or without kids, here.

It’s ironic that the Tower, built by Gustave Eiffel for the World Exhibition in 1889, was meant to be temporary and there were complaints that this huge "object" was not a suitable fit for Parisian architecture. Fortunately, those grumbles are long gone and the Tower has become a symbol of the city, hovering into view pretty much wherever you are. If you want to take the perfect photograph, you might want to walk over to the Trocadero after your visit.

The Eiffel Tower more than lives up to the hype, and so does its home town. This so-called city of light is not only known as a place for lovers, but for artists, gourmands and shopaholics.

That doesn’t mean we fell in love with it instantly. In fact, we found Paris less friendly than London (although I’m a Londoner, so might be biased) and a bit confusing because lots of places are closed on certain days – Victor Hugo’s house and the Musee D’Orsay on Mondays, the Louvre on Tuesdays - so you have to plan ahead.

It’s also one of the priciest cities in the world. We were shocked to find that a soft drink or hot chocolate cost more than €5 and I had to bite my tongue when my daughter wanted a macaroon and I saw that it cost €6, or over £5 for one biscuit!

[caption id="attachment_1194" align="aligncenter" width="940"] La Basilique du Sacré Cœur in Montmartre - at night[/caption]

But those things apart, Paris certainly has a lot to offer. The city is actually a collection of villages (or arrondissements) and you can stroll round the artists’ area of Montmartre before taking a short cable car ride up to the beautiful Basilique do Sacre-Coeur (where you can see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night) or saunter through the beautiful Tuileries gardens.

[caption id="attachment_1190" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The beautiful Tuileries Garden can be found between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde[/caption]

Shoppers should take in the Marais district, which is also full of galleries and cafes, while families should take advantage of the fantastic parks on offer, from ones you just fall upon by chance (such as just outside Victor Hugo's house) to the spectacular, such as the Jardin D'Acclimation, which is worth a visit on its own. Robert has written his own post about this.

We also enjoyed seeing the famous Rodin sculpure of the Thinker at the Rodin Museum. We loved walking around this museum as there are so many sculptures to see outdoors. It was already closed for visitors inside when we were there.

Walking is a particular pleasure because you keep coming upon remarkable monuments, such as the 23 metre high Obelisk, which was originally located at the entrance to Luxor Temple, in Egypt. We also walked past a memorial to Winston Churchill.

One of the most impressive is the Arc de Triomphe, even though it’s right in the middle of traffic chaos. Built by Napoleon, it’s situated in the centre of the Place de L’Etoile (which means “place of the star”). Twelve grand avenues, including the Champs Elysees, radiate off it, to form, funnily enough, a star.

However, our favourite part of our Paris trip was not on dry land. It was a sightseeing cruise along the River Seine in a boat, the famous Bateaux Mouche.

[caption id="attachment_1197" align="aligncenter" width="940"] We absolutely loved travelling on the bateau mouche and saw so much[/caption]

This 70 minute ride, which costs  €12.5 per adult, is a must-do, as it’s relaxing and informative, with fantastic views. It is wonderful to see so much, from Notre Dame to the fortress of the Conciergie, and all from an angle you could never see on land. It really is the best way to see the city.

PS We went to Paris via Eurostar and thought it was a fantastic way to travel and far more relaxing than flying!

Click here to watch our very shaky video of our trip

Read Robert's tips for the best parks in Paris

A Great Visit To Weald and Downland

Jess, who's 13, writes: During our stay at the Spread Eagle Hotel and Spa, our family visited Weald and Downland - an open air museum in Singleton, near Chichester. I was very excited to visit as we do not normally go to open air museums, yet the dismal weather looked as though it was going to ruin our day. Luckily, we had a fantastic time, and the museum exceeded my expectations!

[caption id="attachment_1172" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Me and mum outside a 17th century house at the museum[/caption]

Weald and Downland is a museum that doesn't just look at how people lived throughout history, it uses buildings and building practises to show how accommodation and life has changed. Its 40-acre site was really pretty despite the rain, and we are sure that it would have been stunningly beautiful in the sun.

The museum is mainly outside, and consists of over 50 British buildings from most time periods. These buildings would have been demolished if it were not for the museum, and have all been restorated to look how they would have been hundreds of years ago.

Our visit started by going through an exhibition on different types of stone, the geographical landscape in the area and the lives of people who worked in some of the buildings. This was certainly interesting, but I cannot remember much about it - perhaps this is because the buildings we went to next were so fascinating.

[caption id="attachment_1167" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Me and Dad inside the tiny toll house[/caption]

The first building we visited was a toll house. This house was built in Beeding in 1807 and had a large toll board outside. We got to go inside the house and look at the furnishings. I was amazed by how cold it must have been, how little space there was and how much the fire got up your nose! There was a very kind and helpful man inside, who answered all of questions, told us about the history of the house and explained what all of the different objects inside were used for. We realised that it must have been very difficult for people to tell if the people inside the house were keeping some of the toll money for themselves, as there was not a clear documenting system...

[caption id="attachment_1168" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Outside the toll house[/caption]

The second house we visited at Weald and Downland was probably my favourite building of them all - a 15th century medieval house from North Cray. Although there was no one inside to give us information, there were folders with pictures in and diagrams on one of the walls. These told us what the different rooms were used for. What was so special about this house and the entire museum was that we were able to walk pretty much anywhere; this is a major change from most museums and made us enjoy our experience a whole lot more.

[caption id="attachment_1169" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Me and mum outside three buildings including my favourite - the medieval townhouse[/caption]

Other highlights of our trip were trying the delicious biscuits made with flour created at the watermill, learning about blacksmiths at the smithy and walking up the stairs in the market hall, allowing us to look at the beautiful site from above.

[caption id="attachment_1171" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Learning about blacksmiths with a volunteer[/caption]

We decided not to eat at the museum as it was very cold and there was no heating, but there was a good option of food at reasonable prices.

Overall, Weald and Downland is a fantastic open air museum - it's unique, interesting and really allowed me to think about life in olden times. There was a lot of walking involved and it was quite muddy at times, so I recommend bringing good shoes. I really enjoyed it and think that children of most ages will too - there are animals, interactive displays and there is loads of space to run around.

More from us:

Fotheringhay, the birthplace of Richard III

An adult ticket for the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum is £11, and the price for a child (aged 4-15) is £4.50. A full list of prices can be found here.