The Slugger Museum and Factory in Louisville charts the history of the official bat of major league baseball, and is home to its production. The Slugger is used by the majority of the game's best hitters such as Ken Griffey, Jr, Tony Gwynn and Derek Jeter, and is famous throughout the game. The Museum looks at the changes in the sport over the years and the production of the bat as players today request lighter bats, and ones made from maple instead of the more traditional northern ash.
The company that started producing the bats was established by Frederick Schiller in 1856. An immigrant from Germany, Schiller set up a wood-turning shop that made balusters and bedposts. Both his sons later joined the company, and it was Bud, a keen baseball player, who took the business in a different direction when he started making bats for himself and his teammates. Controversy surrounds the origins of the first bat produced here, and debate still rages over whether it was actually Bud or his father. The bat was originally known as the Falls City Slugger but this was changed to the Louisville Slugger in 1894.
There are 30 minute guided tours of the factory where you can usually see the bat in production. At the end of the tour visitors received a miniature souvenir bat. Personalized bats can be ordered from the factory, and customized group tours, based on your favorite teams, can be arranged. The Museum hosts birthday parties and has tour packages incorporating other attractions around Louisville.
