My blogging has been on hiatus for the past month as we enjoyed a fabulous trip to Key West and cruise on the Disney Wonder.  However, we’re now back to business as usual, which means the Midwest and great Midwestern things! 

Today’s post is about a rather unique museum, the Muhummed Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.  I’ll admit, I passed this one by on my first trip to Louisville and was dragged there kicking and screaming on our recent visit.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a sports fan, period, much less a boxing fan, so I fully expected to be bored out of my skull.  As it turns out, this facility is as much about history and social commentary as it is about boxing, and fully kept my attention for the duration of our two-plus hour visit. 

The Muhummed Ali Center is located in an attractive, modern building in downtown Louisville with a very nice exterior courtyard.  Center hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.  Adults cost $9.00 and children $4.00.  Various discounts are available, including $1.00 off for anyone who can show a ticket stub from another Museum Row participant (Louisville Science Center, KentuckyShow!, Glassworks, etc.)  Students, even graduate ones like my husband, save $4.00.  I hope the museum is making enough money to stay open, as it was virtually empty when we visited at 2:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon.

The museum’s exhibits span several floors.  If you have limited time, be sure to see the films, as they are very well-done, and the olympic torch display, which is located on one of the lower floors.  My full write-up on the museum can be found here.  Overall, the Muhummed Ali Center, while perhaps not a Louisville “must-see,” is certainly a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Because flash photography was prohibited, I have very few interior photos of the museum.  I did snap a shot of the interactive torch film (above), which dramatically details Ali’s lighting of the torch at the 1996 Olympics.

While most of the museum is adult-oriented, there are a few kid-friendly displays including this tile mural created out of hundreds of children’s drawings.  There is also an interactive boxing display where kids can put on gloves and try their hands in the ring.