5382. See a game at Carson Park in Eau Claire

The hubby likes old school baseball stadiums. He grew up going to games at Goodlin Field in Appleton. He wants to see the Corn Crib in Bloomington. He's an old school baseball guy.  When he found out games were still played at Carson Park he wanted to see a game there.

Carson Park was built in the 1930s. It is an old school baseball stadium -- stone stadium, big wide wooden grandstand behind home plate. The press box on the roof. Just the kind of stadium the hubby likes. Hank Aaron played at Carson Park when he was in the minors as well as Joe Torre and Bob Uecker.

Since the games at the tournament were done early, we headed over to Carson Park to catch the second game of a doubleheader. The Eau Claire Cavaliers were playing the Westmont Red Sox out of Illinois. The Cavaliers are a college age team that plays in the Chippewa Valley League.

I was not a fan of the bleachers down the third base side. They were steep and metal and I felt like I might fall through. We sat there for a few innings then headed down the first base side to watch from that angle.

The local tournament director found us and invited us to watch from the press box for an inning. Remember I said the press box is on the roof? We climbed to the top row of the grandstand, the hand to take a narrow flight of stairs to the roof and cross a catwalk over to the press box. The hubby got halfway up the stairs and decided he couldn't do it. I was like I'll go and I did. 

The view from the press box was like any other view from high in the stadium. It was nothing special but it was still cool to watch some baseball from the press box while they called the game.

After my excursion to the press box, we sat in the grand stand and finished watching the game. 

I want to say Eau Claire won but I can't remember for sure. The play wasn't bad but it wasn't memorable. There were a few bad bounces that made for some interesting plays.

The hubby says he wants to ump a game at Carson Park. He is already talking to the umpire that assigns for that league and hoping to ump a game there next year. We shall see.

I would say if you enjoy baseball, you should definitely see a game at Carson Park. It is old school as old school gets -- kind of like Wrigley Field. It's full of history and there aren't many old school ballparks in as good as condition as Carson Park. Treasure the relics as you never know when they will be gone.

5377. See the Hank Aaron statue at Carson Park in Eau Claire

 Ever since I heard that there was a Hank Aaron statue in Carson Park, I wanted to see it. We may have driven by it a few times but I actually wanted to get out of the car and see it. I met Hank Aaron as a kid when the Arby's in town opened. Seeing a statue in his honor where he started his Major League career was right up my alley.

I finally got my opportunity when we went to the Logging Museum and Chippewa Valley Museum. Since all of them are in Carson Park, it made sense to stop and check out the statue.

Hank Aaron's statue is in front of Carson Park stadium and is the focal point of the Eau Claire Baseball Hall of Fame. I didn't even know there was a Eau Claire Baseball Hall of Fame. You park in the lot and either walk up a flight of stairs or take the ramp to the small plaza. And there is Hank Aaron's bust in all his bronze glory.

I was slightly disappointed that it was not a full size statue instead of just a bust. It was still very cool to see. The Baseball Hall of Fame only has a handful of inductees but it was still very interesting to see who is the who's who of Eau Claire Baseball. I may have recognized one of the names.

For a baseball fan, the Hank Aaron statue and the Eau Claire Baseball Hall of Fame should be a stop when you are in the area. Just even if it's to a quick peek at history and go back in time for just a moment.

5380. Go to the Chippewa Valley Museum in Eau Claire

 The other museum I wanted to go to was the Chippewa Valley Museum. It was in the same park as the Logging Museum and if you visited both museums, you got a discount. It wasn't high on my priority list as the logging museum but if we had time, we might as well check it out.

The Chippewa Valley Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday 12-5 and Tuesdays 5-8 this year. It is $10 for adults and $5 for students. The combo ticket for adults is $16. 

The Chippewa Valley Museum is a history museum that encompasses the history of the Chippewa Valley from the 1600s all the way to present day. There are two many exhibit areas plus two smaller exhibit areas.

The first exhibit area is called Changing Currents features exhibits about how newcomers to the area integrated into their time and place. There are several different modes of transportation to explore from this area as well a trading post and really nice exhibit on the Uniroyal plant in Eau Claire.

The second exhibit area is called Farm Life. And you guessed it, it shows the change in farming through the history of the Chippewa Valley. It has a farm house and a rural church among other exhibits.

Both exhibit areas were very well done and full of information. There is a lot to see and learn about it. 

Once you are done with those exhibits, there is an exhibit about Folk Music where you can learn about music in the Chippewa Valley. Another very well done exhibit. In the children's gallery is an exhibit about local children and their families.

Don't forget the old fashioned ice cream parlor that you can get a scoop of ice cream in after your tour.

Outside is an old one room schoolhouse that we weren't planning on going in but since it was open we did peek inside. The docent was very knowledgeable but it was like any other one room schoolhouse. 

The museum was amazing. I wish we had more time to fully explore it. Hopefully one day we will be able to go back and explore more. I felt we rushed through it because I wanted to get back to the diamond before our lunch got cold. But when got back, our lunch wasn't there yet. 

I would definitely stop at this museum if you are ever in Eau Claire. It is worth the time and money. 

5378. Go to Wisconsin Logging Museum in Eau Claire

 When the hubby first told me the schedule for the Ohio Valley Regional Tournament in Eau Claire, games weren't going to start until like 4 on Thursday and he had meetings starting at 1. I started looking for something to do to fill my time. The hubby really isn't good at sitting around either. After looking through the bucket list, I came up with a couple museums. They both opened at noon and were located in Carson Park. THEN the schedule changed, less teams were coming but that meant more games. I told the hubby I where I wanted to go and he could come if he wanted. He opted to go with me but we went the next day when he had a break in games.

The first museum we checked out was the Wisconsin Logging Museum. Inside the museum you learned about life in a logging camp and the history of logging of Wisconsin.

Outside you are able to tour different buildings of a logging camp as it would have been in the 1800s. There was a blacksmith shop, bunk house, cook shanty. 

And no trip to a logging museum is complete without Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. 

The Wisconsin Logging Museum was very informational. It was well done and you actually learned a lot about the logging industry. 

Hours are Thursday-Sunday 12-4, June-September. Admission is reasonable at $8 and $4 for kids. 

It is definitely worth the stop while in Eau Claire. You don't need more than an hour or so but definitely worth checking out.