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National Corvette Museum

The National Corvette Museum showcases the Chevrolet Corvette, an American sports car in production since 1953. It is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, off Interstate 65’s Exit 28. It was constructed in 1994 and opened to the public in September of that year.  The museum is located only a quarter mile from the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where Corvettes have been made since 1981. Public tours of the assembly plant are unavailable as of June 16, 2017, and GM has not indicated when or if they will resume. Patrons can, through their local Chevrolet dealership, add package option R8C, which can provide them with a VIP tour of the Corvette Museum and assembly plant, and patrons can have the option to build their engine for their Corvette (this option adds $995 (as of 2020) to the car). A1 Pest Control of Bowling Green

History

On February 12, 2014, a sinkhole opened under the floor of the Skydome area of the museum at around 5:44 AM local time, causing a portion of the foot to collapse. Kentucky is one of the many notable states for having karst topography. Karst topography is the landscape formed from rocks such as limestone dissolving. In the museum’s case, the sinkhole was caused by the dissolving of the limestone in the ground, which caused pockets to open underneath the surface. Eventually, the weight of the building caused the top layer of soil to collapse. Eight rare and one-of-a-kind Corvettes, portions of the display stands and rails, large concrete floor slabs, and dirt fell into the sinkhole, causing severe damage to some of the Corvettes.

The Corvettes involved have an estimated value of a million dollars. The remaining 20 cars in the Skydome were immediately removed from that area. Between March 3, 2014, and March 6, 2014, 5 of the 8 Corvettes were recovered from the sinkhole. The spire area of the Skydome is being reinforced before work removes the final three buried cars. Multiple multi-gravity tests were done to ensure that another sinkhole wasn’t present or in the making. The results came back clear, allowing the construction work to begin. For an added precaution, micro piles, or systems of steel rods, were inserted into the ground before the concrete was repoured to help give the building more support. The museum reopened the day after the sinkhole appeared.

The museum also sponsors the Corvette Hall of Fame for individuals involved with the Corvette automobile, which made significant contributions in their respective fields. Two to six persons have been inducted each year into this select group.

Address: 350 Corvette Dr, Bowling Green, KY

 

Check out other attractions like NCM Motorsports Park