National Corvette Museum


The National Corvette Museum showcases the Chevrolet Corvette, an American sports car that has been in production since 1953. It is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, off Interstate 65's Exit 28 and near the General Motors' Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where Corvettes are solely manufactured. It was constructed in 1994. It was opened to the public in September of that year.
In October 2025, the museum announced a major expansion with an additional 66,000-square-feet of space to grow its Corvette collection, scheduled to open in late 2026. The museum was recently gifted a 1967 Corvette Sting Ray, once owned by the first man on the moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong.

2014 Sinkhole in the Skydome

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 floor to collapse. Kentucky is one of the many states that is notable for having karst topography. Karst topography is the landscape that is formed from the dissolving of rocks such as limestone. 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, rails, large concrete floor, slabs and dirt fell into the sinkhole, causing serious 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 was reinforced before work started on removing the final three buried cars. Multiple multigravity tests were done to ensure that another sinkhole wasn't present or in the making. The results came back clear which allowed for the construction work to begin. For an added precaution, micropiles, 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.
An exhibit opened in the museum two years later to tell the story of what happened that day and why it happened. This exhibit gives visitors the chance to virtually recover the cars that were in the sinkhole.

Hall of Fame

The museum also sponsors the Corvette Hall of Fame for individuals who have been involved with the Corvette automobile and made significant contributions in their respective fields. Each year, from two to six persons have been inducted into this select group. Members have been divided into three categories: enthusiasts, GM/Chevrolet, and racing.
YearNamesCategory
1998Bill MitchellGM/Chevrolet
1998Harley EarlGM/Chevrolet
1998Larry ShinodaGM/Chevrolet
1998Joe PikeGM/Chevrolet
1998Ed ColeGM/Chevrolet
1998Zora Arkus-DuntovGM/Chevrolet
1999Jim PerkinsGM/Chevrolet
1999Dave McLellanGM/Chevrolet
1999Dick GuldstrandRacing
2000John FitchRacing
2000Dick ThompsonRacing
2000Jerry PalmerGM/Chevrolet
2001Gibson HufstaderGM/Chevrolet
2001Joseph SpielmanGM/Chevrolet
2001Betty SkeltonRacing
2002John CafaroGM/Chevrolet
2002Jim JeffordsRacing
2002Myron ScottGM/Chevrolet
2003Noland AdamsEnthusiast
2003Robert MorrisonEnthusiast
2004Ray BattagliniEnthusiast
2004Darrel BowlinEnthusiast
2004Jon BrookmyerEnthusiast
2004Dan GaleEnthusiast
2004Terry McManmonEnthusiast
2005Chip MillerEnthusiast
2005Randy WittineGM/Chevrolet
2005Don YenkoRacing
2006Dave HillGM/Chevrolet
2006John LingenfelterRacing
2006Gary MortimerEnthusiast
2007Doug HooperRacing
2007Gordon KillebrewEnthusiast
2007Carl RennerGM/Chevrolet
2008Allan and Don BarkerRacing
2008Reeves CallawayEnthusiast
2008Maurice OlleyGM/Chevrolet
2009Duane BohnstedtGM/Chevrolet
2009Tony De Lorenzo and Jer ThompsonRacing
2009John HinckleyEnthusiast
2010Grady DavisRacing
2010Fred GallaschEnthusiast
2010Jim IngleGM/Chevrolet
2011Clare "Mac" MacKichanGM/Chevrolet
2011Ray QuinlanEnthusiast
2011Ron FellowsRacing
2012Andy PilgrimRacing
2012Gary ClaudioGM/Chevrolet
2012Patrick DolanEnthusiast
2012Bob McDormanEnthusiast
2013Johnny O'ConnellRacing
2013Wil CookseyGM/Chevrolet
2013Werner MeierEnthusiast
2014Dave MacDonaldRacing
2014John HeinricyGM/Chevrolet
2014Jerry BurtonEnthusiast
2015Herb FishelRacing
2015Russ McLeanGM/Chevrolet
2015Rick HendrickEnthusiast
2016Bob BondurantRacing
2016Ralph KramerGM/Chevrolet
2016Donna Mae MimsEnthusiast
2017Tommy MorrisonRacing
2017Jim MinnekerGM/Chevrolet
2017Peter BrockEnthusiast
2018Burt and John GreenwoodRacing
2018Tom WallaceGM/Chevrolet
2018Mike YagerEnthusiast
2019Briggs CunninghamRacing
2019Tom PetersGM/Chevrolet
2019Dollie ColeEnthusiast
2020Doug FehanRacing
2020Henry HagaGM/Chevrolet
2020Wendell StrodeEnthusiast
2020Mike McCaghEnthusiast
2022Gary Pratt and Jim MillerRacing
2022Ed WelburnGM/Chevrolet
2022Elfi Arkus-DuntovEnthusiast
2023Dan BinksRacing
2023David WickmanGM/Chevrolet
2023John AmgwertEnthusiast
2024Oliver Gavin & Jan MagnussenRacing
2024Tadge JuechterGM/Chevrolet
2024Richard PrinceEnthusiast