27 September – 4 October 2026
In celebration of our 70th Anniversary, the Corvette Club of America is planning a caravan to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY. Our schedule is still tentative, and therefore flexible, but we’ve got a working schedule in place, and I need to know how many of us are ready to commit to the trip. At this stage, "commit" means that you have a strong desire to attend the trip and want to be included in emails on the details and planning of the trip. It is understood that many things in life can change your scheduly and there is still a lot of time before the end of September. On the other hand, it is important for us to have as solid a number as possible because it impacts planning.
Here’s the current, fill-in-the-blanks schedule:
Day 1 – Sunday, 27 Sep: Germantown, MD to Parkersburg, WV
Meet about 10 AM at the Walmart in Germantown, Md. Drive west to Grantsville and have lunch at Penn Alps. Continue west through Morgantown and Clarksburg, WV (rest stop just west of Clarksburg) and stay overnight at the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, WV.
Feature: West Virginia Oil & Gas Museum; historic speakeasy at the Blennerhassett Hotel.
Day 2 – Monday, 28 Sep: Parkersburg, WV to Louisville, KY
Breakfast at the hotel, then head west through Ohio to Cincinnati, then south to Louisville. (Rest/fuel stop in Jackson, OH; lunch stop in Florence, KY.) Arrive early afternoon in Louisville, and our hotel is a block from Main Street, aka Whiskey Row.
Features: Distillery tours, and the Louisville Slugger museum and factory.
Bear in mind that distillery tastings are limited by law to 1.75 ounces per visit, and in my experience, they stay well below that threshold.
(Old Forester has a barrel-maker demonstrating his craft in their tour. Pretty cool!)
Day 3 – Tuesday, 29 Sep: Louisville, KY to Bowling Green, KY
We have the option of another “bourbon distillery experience,” because Bowling Green and the Corvette Museum is less than two hours’ drive from downtown Louisville. Or we could do all our bourbon-touring Monday, and visit the Louisville Slugger Museum, Tuesday morning. In either case, the NCM is ready to roll out the red carpet for us, Tuesday afternoon.
Days 4-6 – Wednesday, 30 Sep to Friday, 2 Oct: Bowling Green & Vicinity
The National Corvette Museum is magnificent, but there’s much more to see and do in the Bowling Green area, starting across I-65 at the NCM Motorsports Park. (We will definitely look into booking a Track Day for the club!) I’ve also spoken with Museum bigwigs, about getting us scheduled for a factory tour – we can only hope, at this time.
There are other things worth sightseeing, such as Mammoth Cave, less than an hour away. In town, there’s he Kentucky Railroad Museum, and a modest but still interesting aviation museum in the city. And I’m corresponding with the NCM’s event manager to learn what other sightseeing spots are worth a visit. And we can plan to have a celebratory banquet, Friday evening – possibly at the Stingray Grill.
Day 7 – Saturday, 3 Oct: Bardstown, KY
Bardstown labels itself “The Bourbon Capitol of the World,” and many of the most celebrated bourbons of the world are made in its vicinity. However, as I found out on my way home from the NCM Michelin Bash last month, tours have to be booked well ahead of time – especially if we want a group tour.
This is a good place to finish up our Caravan, with interstate highways the whole way home.
Long-Distance Members? An Opportunity to Party With Us!
The Corvette Club of America may be physically based in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, but we are happy to welcome “Internet Members” from across the USA, and around the world. Of course, we recognize how hard (and even “impossible”) it would be to take part in our local-centered, regular events.
But the 70th Anniversary Corvette Caravan is way more than a “regular event!” And members outside of our core area would be welcome to join up with us, anywhere along our route. If you’re too far away to drive your Corvette there, the closest airport is in Nashville, Tennessee … and you can drive one of the NCM Motorsports Park Corvettes for a track experience in the latest and greatest Vettes being built today.
I want your feedback, especially this early in the planning stage!
Thanks,
Rick Westlake, NCM Ambassador to CCA
rickwestlake@verizon.net
301-840-5795 (home)