This post was most recently updated on May 17th, 2023
The National Corvette Museum is a must-see for any Corvette enthusiast. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the museum is home to over 80 Corvettes, including some of the most iconic models ever made. If you drool over Corvettes, this will be your Corvette lovers’ heaven! With its unique yellow Skydome and sprawling campus, you can’t miss it if you’re driving along I-65. If you’re like we were, our curiosity, more than anything, lured us in. We recently visited while we were in Bowling Green, KY to see Mammoth Caves National Park. We decided this would be a great side trip for our family.
So, what’s at the National Corvette Museum? Here is a look at some of the exhibits you can see at this Corvette lovers’ heaven…
The Corvette Timeline
This exhibit traces the history of the Corvette from its humble beginnings in 1953 to the modern-day C8. You’ll see everything from the first Corvette, the 1953 “Solid Gold Chevy,” to the latest models, like the 2023 Corvette Z06.
The timeline includes a Nostalgia Gallery, with a strollable Main Street and true-to-life exhibits of businesses as they would look when the first Corvettes rolled off the production line. Personally, this was my favorite exhibit at the National Corvette Museum. I love all things vintage, so even though I’m not necessarily a “car buff”, I was very interested in this area.
The Corvette Gallery
This exhibit features a rotating selection of Corvettes, from rare prototypes to one-of-a-kind show cars. You’ll also find a number of Corvette-related artifacts, like racing trophies and promotional materials.
Our grandchildren really enjoyed seeing the Batmobile Corvette , as well as several very stylish and colorful Corvette models.
The Corvette Motorsports Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame exhibit in the Skydome honors the men and women who have made significant contributions to Corvette racing. You’ll see cars, trophies, and other memorabilia from some of the most famous Corvette races in history. The Hall of Fame also confers official recognition of the most influential individuals in the history of the Corvette and honors their achievements.
Also in the Skydome, is a viewing window in the floor — where you can see what’s left of the massive sinkhole that “devoured” 8 valuable Corvettes in 2014.
The Virtual Cave Tour and Sinkhole Exhibit
The Virtual Cave Tour includes a 360-degree interactive tour of the 30-ft deep sinkhole that opened up below the Skydome floor on February 12, 2014. Here you’ll learn what happened on that fateful day. (Don’t worry! No people were injured!) Exhibits outline the restoration process that took place for three of the Corvettes that were “swallowed”, as well as how the Hall of Fame Skydome floor was shored up and reinforced. There’s a bunch of karst geological facts presented as well.
Corvette lovers will probably cringe when they think of any of the exhibit cars falling to their demise. The restoration process was truly amazing for the three Corvettes that were able to be restored. Even if you’re not impressed with this Corvette lovers’ heaven, the cave exhibit is fascinating. Who isn’t interested in the shock of learning your floor has just been swallowed up? My granddaughters (ages 7 and 10) said this was their favorite exhibit at the National Corvette Museum. And I was happy to hear that if there were a sudden earthquake, I was probably in the safest place in Bowling Green!
The Corvette Driving Experience
This is your chance to experience the thrill of driving a Corvette for yourself. You can take a spin around the museum’s 3.2-mile track in a variety of Corvette models, from the classic Stingray to the latest Z06. High-speed go-carts are also available. The track is NCM Motorsports Park, located one mile from the Museum. Fee and reservations required.
Your Corvette driving experience includes classroom instruction, helmet fitting, time driving on the track, a box lunch and a certificate. Admission to the museum is also included. Here’s a review of one visitor’s driving experience.
The Corvette Plant Tour
The Corvette Plant is located just across the street from the National Corvette Museum at 600 Corvette Drive. You must purchase your plant tour tickets in advance and schedule your plant tour time. Individuals must be at least 13 years old to participate in a plant tour. No bags, cameras, or open-toe shoes are permitted inside the building. For $50, you can take the tour of the plant and enjoy the museum as well. Definitely Corvette lovers’ heaven!
Special events
If you’re in love with Corvettes, you’ll be happy to learn about all the special events that are organized here at the National Corvette Museum. For example, every five years, there is a national Corvette Caravan. The next one will be held Labor Day weekend in 2024. Local groups will organize caravans of Corvettes that will all converge on Bowling Green, KY for four days of festivities.
Is there more?
In addition to these exhibits, the National Corvette Museum also has a number of other features, including a gift shop, a restaurant (the Stingray Grill), and a library. There are also a variety of educational programs and events offered throughout the year.
Design exhibits show you how designers chose shapes and colors — and display the tools they used. There were exhibits that presented designers, drivers, and company leaders that influenced the development of the Corvette. There’s also a Corvette simulator, where you can virtually drive on a racetrack for an additional $10.
If you are planning to purchase a Corvette, you might want to consider requesting the Museum Delivery experience. Your friends can watch you getting your Corvette via the webcams!
Whether you’re a lifelong Corvette fan or you’re just curious about these iconic sports cars, the National Corvette Museum is a great place to learn more about the Chevrolet Corvette and its history. Why not visit Corvette lovers’ heaven while you’re in Bowling Green?
Tips for visiting this Corvette lovers’ heaven
- You can view different parts of the museum via several live web cams here.
- Admission prices are $18 Adults (13-61),$16 Seniors (62 +), $13 Youth (5-12), 4 and under free
- You can buy tickets onsite or online.
- Plan on at least 2 hours at the museum — probably much longer if you LOVE Corvettes!
- While we were in Kentucky, our family stayed in a very comfortable two-room suite at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Bowling Green, only 8 miles (or 18 mins) away from the museum. (If you use this link to book a room, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you). It made a great hub for exploring Mammoth Caves National Park, the National Corvette Museum, and a nearby Shaker Village.
That sinkhole story is crazy!
Yes, that was very interesting and kind of scary!
What an interesting find! I usually try to make it to an air & space museum when I explore a new town–never thought about looking up a car museum! I’ll have to keep it on my radar now.
I think your family would enjoy it!
I saw a Corvette Caravan in So. Cal. A dozen vettes in a row & in chronological order!
That sounds awesome!
This is a great story & lot of great information! I purchased a Corvette & did the Museum delivery Jan 23.
It was one of the greatest experiences to get car & to be able to do all the things you wrote about in your article! Only regret is wish had done years before.
The Corvette Museum, Factory Tour, Track all is a great experience.
So cool you got to have the museum delivery experience!!
Who doesn’t love a classic Corvette? From Batmobile to sinkhole story, this post is a fun read. Going to Pin it for future reference!
Thanks, Megan!
This is so interesting! I didn’t know about the sinkhole! What a terrible thing to have happened. i also didn’t know that they had a racing experience. I’ll bet that is tons of fun too!
The sinkhole disaster was so interesting to learn about. It was all fun at the museum!
When I was younger, my dream car was a Corvette. So a whole museum filled with Corvettes would be amazing to see if we visit Bowling Green. Fun to walk the timeline and see how design and tastes have changed. And I would love to see the rare prototypes. I would certainly cringe at the thought of any of the cars falling into the sinkhole! And of course, I would not leave without driving a Corvette. A fun day trip for me.
It really was a unique and fun experience. Especially for a Corvette Lover like you!
What an interesting museum! That driving experience and a tour of the Corvette Plant would be fun, too!
Not getting to do the plant tour was my only regret.
We have been members of the Corvette Museum for many years. It’s a great place to visit and very family friendly. We took delivery of our 2017 at the Museum. I am on the board for the Saint Jude Corvette Drive that is getting ready to depart for Memphis this Thursday if anybody is interested in learning more about the drive, please go to http://www.stjudedrives.org. If you own a corvette it’s the best experience you’ll ever have. We had 89 Corvettes raising money for Saint Jude last year. We had 53 and raised $230,000 and our goal this year is to raise $300,000 or more.
Thank you for sharing, Ruth. I wish you the best with your Corvette fundraiser!
I’m not a huge car fan, but Corvette is something else. National Corvette Museum looks like a museum I’d enjoy! There seems to be a lot to see, and that sinkhole part of the tour is fascinating. Can you still see some unretrieved cars inside?
No they pulled out all of the Corvettes. Some were unrepairable and for awhile they were also on display, but not anymore.
National Corvette museum is an interesting place with a fascinating display of Corvettes from the 50s till the latest model. It’s so nice to learn about a museum dedicated entirely to Corvettes under a massive skydome. The virtual cave tour of the 30 ft. deep sinkhole exhibit is something I don’t want to miss and it’s amazing the way it was restored back to original condition. I would definitely like to try the classic Corvette driving experience around the museum and also the Corvette simulator. It would also be wonderful to shop in for souvenirs and dine in Sting Ray. A wonderful experience to capture how designers, leaders and drivers contributed to the development of the Corvette.
Sounds you would love a day at the museum!
I recently saw a post on Corvette EV. And now your post has come my way. Maybe it’s a sign! This museum is so state-of-the-art. I would like to see the Hall of Fame for sure. And I would love to drive this on the track and take a tour of the plant. Vintage cars are so attractive. I have attended rallies in Delhi and Goa and even got a ride in one, it’s awesome.
Now that I’ve been to this museum, I notice Corvettes all the time on the road or parked on the street. I definitely learned a lot!
I can imagine that every Corvette fan would be over the moon to visit this museum, especially that you have the opportunity to drive one. I am not that into cars, but I do like to look at fancy ones. And Corvette has such a long legacy. It’s funny that they looked at the bright side when the sinkhole opened under the museum, and they’ve made it part of the exhibition now.
Yes, I thought it rather clever to make an exhibit about the sinkhole. Sinkholes are really part of the environment in this area, so it was fitting!
While I am not into cars myself, I am sure my husband and sons would make a beeline for this museum. It seems to have a lot of interesting things to see and I guess even I would like to see the Batmobile, after all it is such an iconic vehicle (which I didn’t realise was a Corvette until reading this post!) As for the sinkhole – Wow what a thing to happen!
Tami, thanks for sharing this incredible article about the National Corvette Museum! As someone who has only seen Corvettes on the roads, it’s fascinating to learn about this haven for Corvette lovers. The photos of the museum and the impressive collection of classic and modern Corvettes are absolutely stunning. I can only imagine the excitement of exploring such a treasure trove. This post has definitely ignited my interest in visiting the museum someday.
I had no idea that there was an automobile museum. While I don’t particularly like Corvettes, this museum appears interesting. These Corvette models are all outstanding and remarkable! Visiting this special museum is something I’m looking forward to.
This article brings back memories of when we visited the museum in 2012. The Corvette Timeline still looks the same with the exception of the latest model. At that time, they had a red ’63 on display, my husband’s dream car. But I think the silver one looks sweet, too! I wonder if they still have the unique benches that are shaped like a corvette by the restroom?
This looks like a car lover’s paradise! As someone who appreciates sleek and powerful machines, this museum is definitely going on my must-visit list. Your description of the various exhibits and the history of the Corvette got me all revved up. I can’t wait to see the impressive collection of classic and modern Corvettes. The interactive displays and the chance to witness the Corvette assembly line in action sound like such cool experiences too 🙂
This looks like a car lover’s paradise! As someone who appreciates sleek and powerful machines, this museum is definitely going on my must-visit list. Your description of the various exhibits and the history of the Corvette got me all revved up. I can’t wait to see the impressive collection of classic and modern Corvettes. The interactive displays and the chance to witness the Corvette assembly line in action sound like such cool experiences too 🙂
Would love to see the Corvette museum, and I know my husband would also love it. Would also be interested in the part on the sink hole.