Schmidt's Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia, Elizabethtown, KY

One of the greatest success stories of America has to be the story of Coca Cola. People around the world know the name. Visitors can see much of the history of this world-famous soft drink in the Schmidt's Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia, Elizabethtown, KY. In this museum which was built in 2006, guests will find more than 32,000 square feet of building, and over 8,000 square feet of exhibits.

The Museum is clearly a walk into the world of the past with much memorabilia from Coke, and there are numerous collections from the history of the Coca Cola Company. Displays include the antique delivery vehicles that Coke used in the past, calendars, rare bottles, to the various signs used in their many advertising campaigns.

There are also many of the antique vending machines that Coke has come to be known for, as well as some of the machinery used to handle the bottling process of Coke, and various toys. There is also an excellent exhibit featuring many of the classic Coca Cola serving trays that have ever existed. It is the largest collection of trays in the world and contains the complete set.

The Schmidt's Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia has over 80,000 items in it - although only about 11,000 items are actually on display. Many of these historic items were donated by many people over the years. Because there is some duplicity in the items given, the Museum has various antique items for sale in its store - and they may also be seen on the Schmidt's Museum Web site. These items can be purchased from the store while visiting the Museum, and they are often on sale for less than might be found elsewhere.

While touring the museum, visitors can enjoy Coke in the Gift Shop and Soda Fountain. Here they will find a Coke fountain from the 50's era - and at 50's prices - just a nickel, and snacks and sandwiches can also be purchased with the Coke.

The Museum also has the Schmidt Museum Hospitality Room. In there visitors will see the elegant Soda Fountain that was used to sell Coca Cola in the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This room can be obtained for groups and special events.

Schmidt's Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia, Elizabethtown, KY, is in the middle of a lot of other places nearby that visitors will also want to see. For one thing, Elizabethtown is only a few miles from Louisville, where they can find horse-racing at Churchill Downs and at the Kentucky Derby. Closer to the Museum, there is the Lincoln Heritage House, the Black History Gallery, the Cannonball, and the Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum.

Besides these, there are also some unusual places, too. This would certainly include the World's Longest Go-Kart Track in Shepherdsville, the Hubcap Lady in Jeffersonville, and the Louisville Slugger Museum and the world's largest baseball bat (120 ft.). If you love shooting, there is also the Machine Gun Shoot in West Point, and visitors can shoot an Uzi, a 1919 Tommy gun, or other automatic weapons. They also actually drop a napalm bomb and fire at vehicles with tanks. Machine guns and even flame throwers can be rented for the occasion.