Bowling Green Factory Tours

[Bob S.]

We are planning on visiting the National Corvette Museum on the way back to Oklahoma from Carlisle this year. We wanted to take a plant tour while there but according to the NCM website "Tours of the Bowling Green Assembly Plant are closed and a date of reopening has not been determined.Thinking this might just be for retooling for the C8 I asked the lady at the museum if the tours might be back up by the end of the month and she said the tours have been cancelled for about 1 1/2 years. Does anyone know what is going on? Was this a secrecy deal surrounding the C8? Now that the cat is out of the bag maybe they will open the plant back up?
Probably won't be going through Bowling Green again and would have really liked to see the plant.

[Duke W.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

AFAIK C7 production has stopped and the plant is being retooled for the C8, and production should be starting sometime in the fall, so tours probably won't be available until early next year at the earliest when C8 production gets up to speed and becomes routine.

C8 activity has probably been going on at the plant for at least a year, so that's why plant tours have not been available since the C8 was "secret" until the recent official announcement.

BTW, I saw the new C8 at the Petersen Museum on Sunday... rode up from Redondo Beach with Joe Lemay in his '57. The car is very impressive, especially considering the price point. I'm sure Zora would be pleased.

Duke

[Michael J.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

... rode up from Redondo Beach with Joe Lemay in his '57. The car is very impressive,
Duke

I agree, Joe's car is very impressive! I had the pleasure to judge it at the last SoCal chapter meet.....

BTW, I would agree with your assessment of the Bowling Green tours.

[David R.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

The huge 25th Anniversary Corvette Caravan celebration is taking place at the NCM at the end of August, and we were told that there would be no factory tours during that period due to the anticipated 8000+ Corvettes expected. As most of us are traveling with a companion, they figured that the potential 16,000 tour attendees would simply overwhelm them. This would only be for the August 28-31 dates, though. I haven't heard anything about before or after that period.

[Rick A.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

Have been on EVERY caravan and the plant has always had tours available - this year no, because of the retooling that is needed - believe first C8's are to be delivered in December time frame?

[Michael J.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

Wow! If they are talking about 16,000 people being at the NCM, I would not want to be anywhere close.

[David R.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

This 25th Anniversary Celebration is an ENTIRELY different animal from past caravans (which I have attended as well). And they have had plenty of time for re-tooling at this point. I believe that the December date for the first projected C8 deliveries is pretty accurate, although others have stated much earlier dates. I guess we'll see. I can't blame GM for wanting to be certain that absolutely everything is running smoothly before they re-introduce plant tours. I don't think it's anything more complicated than that, and besides, it just gives us another reason to re-visit the NCM and BGA facility at a later date.

[Vinnie P.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

The huge 25th Anniversary Corvette Caravan celebration is taking place at the NCM at the end of August, and we were told that there would be no factory tours during that period due to the anticipated 8000+ Corvettes expected. As most of us are traveling with a companion, they figured that the potential 16,000 tour attendees would simply overwhelm them. This would only be for the August 28-31 dates, though. I haven't heard anything about before or after that period.

Stop by at the NCRS booth and also drop in on the seminars during Anniversary Week/weekend. NCRS will have a huge presence there and are scheduled to present 2 different seminars/talks during the Anniversary...we will also have a couple of special guests/dignitaries available to sign autographs or be available for discussions...AND we will have the ACTUAL Corvette that was on the Rotunda display the day of the opening 25 years ago. Stop by and say hello...also for NEW members only, anyone who is a new member will be able to sign up and dues for the first year only are rolled back to the 1994 rates of $25 per the year...Applies to NEW members only.

[David R.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

Stop by at the NCRS booth and also drop in on the seminars during Anniversary Week/weekend. NCRS will have a huge presence there and are scheduled to present 2 different seminars/talks during the Anniversary...we will also have a couple of special guests/dignitaries available to sign autographs or be available for discussions...AND we will have the ACTUAL Corvette that was on the Rotunda display the day of the opening 25 years ago. Stop by and say hello...also for NEW members only, anyone who is a new member will be able to sign up and dues for the first year only are rolled back to the 1994 rates of $25 per the year...Applies to NEW members only.

We will definitely stop by. Not a new NCRS member myself, but maybe I can recruit a few from the Northeast Contingent we are caravanning with......

[Terry M.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

Wow! If they are talking about 16,000 people being at the NCM, I would not want to be anywhere close.

Oh, come on Mike. It will be fun. Oh, and NCRS will be represented there.

[Michael J.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

Oh, come on Mike. It will be fun. Oh, and NCRS will be represented there.

Ha! I grew up in a small rural town, and planned for the day I could retire back to that environment after living in huge, crowded cities like Houston, Denver, Boston, LA, etc. I do not like crowds and avoid them at all costs now. I have visited the NCM and taken the factory tour numerous times, and the best experiences were when I arrived early in the morning, and there were just a few dozen people there. You could soak in the museum exhibits, had plenty of parking, could have dinner and lunch there or nearby without standing in line and the hotels were almost empty. I just cannot conceive of 16,000 people there at one time, it sounds like hell on earth to me, NCRS booth or not...... And I also remember the recent LNO at Asheville where all the food ran out very early
due to a huge crowd......maybe you do too.....maybe you got something to eat, we did not.......

[Terry M.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

Ha! I grew up in a small rural town, and planned for the day I could retire back to that environment after living in huge, crowded cities like Houston, Denver, Boston, LA, etc. I do not like crowds and avoid them at all costs now. I have visited the NCM and taken the factory tour numerous times, and the best experiences were when I arrived early in the morning, and there were just a few dozen people there. You could soak in the museum exhibits, had plenty of parking, could have dinner and lunch there or nearby without standing in line and the hotels were almost empty. I just cannot conceive of 16,000 people there at one time, it sounds like hell on earth to me, NCRS booth or not...... And I also remember the recent LNO at Asheville where all the food ran out very early
due to a huge crowd......maybe you do too.....maybe you got something to eat, we did not.......

I have lived in an urban area all my life, Mike. Crowds are no big deal to me. Wide open spaces are nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I just was a guest on a sail boat on Lake Michigan. A relaxing sunset cruise with only the sound of the wind in the sails and the waves slapping at the hull. Chicago looked beautiful from that vantage point. It was a thrill to look at the many buildings I had a hand in building. I have seen them lit up at night and it is even more of a thrill for me to see the lights.

I didn't count on the LNO for my dinner. I learned a long time ago not to approach the LNO or NCRS Meet Welcome Events for food. For me it is for socializing. A meet & greet time. It was nice to see you there at the end of the long road.

I guess we look at life from different sides of the street. What counts, however, is we agree on what is going down the street.

I'll have fun at the NCM; crowds and all. If you won't enjoy it don't go. At this time life is about doing what makes one happy.

[Michael J.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

Indeed, after the debacles in Richmond and some other LNOs, I should have learned my lesson. I will know better next time. Glad some people like crowds and packed venues, I am obviously in a small minority, since most people live in that kind of environment and seem to enjoy it. Have fun!

[Terry M.]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

Indeed, after the debacles in Richmond and some other LNOs, I should have learned my lesson. I will know better next time. Glad some people like crowds and packed venues, I am obviously in a small minority, since most people live in that kind of environment and seem to enjoy it. Have fun!

We will miss you Mike, but will see you down the road.

[Brad Hillhouse (37766)]

Re: Bowling Green Factory Tours

You guys know the sign out front just slides from "CLOSED" to "OPEN", right? I just slide the sign and then go to the front doors of the plant and tell them the sign said "OPEN" and they have to let me in!

Brad Hillhouse