2009 National Corvette Caravan

An endless line of Corvettes and a multitude of your fellow Corvette enthusiasts filling the roads and highways crossing the country seeing new sites and meeting new people, making new friends; this is life on a National Corvette Caravan and you can join in the fun, share the excitement and be part of one of the largest moving car events recorded. Caravans will depart from various locations during late August and early September 2009, all timed to arrive for the National Corvette Museum's 15th Anniversary Celebration on September 3-5, 2009.

In 3 previous caravans, thousands of Corvette devotees joined together from all over the globe to enjoy the experience, live the Corvette Lifestyle, create history and celebrate a unique Museum event. Labor Day weekend 2009 will mark the National Corvette Museum's 15th Anniversary. In that time it has grown from a mere dream to the comprehensive organization you see today - the "Gateway to all things Corvette." Whether it's shows, fun events, archives, deliveries, track schools, corrals or just a casual visit, the Museum offers a varied experience, one that is unique within the automotive world. Add to that a road trip to top all others and you have the best 2 weeks you can imagine in 2009.

Planning for the Caravan has been underway for two years and the route Captains have been working to make each route as spectacular as possible. Use the drop down menu on the left or the interactive map below to visit the caravan-specific web pages of your choice. The Captains will continue to update their websites with additional information regarding all of the exciting activities that these volunteers will be setting up along the various routes.

Below the map are links to sign up for NCM eNews, Caravan Chat and Registration. Sign up to receive the NCM's e-News so you will be kept up-to-date with the latest Event information. You may also sign up for Caravan Chat where you'll have an opportunity to share experiences with your fellow participants as well as receive bulletins from the National Chair regarding Caravan.

Join your fellow Corvette owners from around the world on a journey of a lifetime as we celebrate the 15th Anniversary of OUR National Corvette Museum.

CARAVAN ROUTES:
Some Caravan Home Pages do not give as much information as others regarding the exact route, departure & arrival times, stops, etc. In large part this is due to pending track events along the way which cannot be finalized till December 31st. NASCAR has agreements with many facilities which prohibits the tracks from signing agreements with anyone else for the following year till December 31st. The date at the top left of each Caravan's page tells when it was last updated.

HOTELS:
There has been a tremendous amount of rumor and misinformation regarding hotels in Bowling Green. Here are some facts:

1. There are about 2,600 rooms in Bowling Green and another 2,000 available in our immediate regional area (less than 30 minutes).

2. Some hotels are fully spoken for, while others actually are not but they are not taking any more block or room requests at this time. Their computer systems cannot handle reservations more than 50 weeks out. Expect to find there are rooms to be found about two weeks after this Labor Day.

3. Some Captains do have room blocks set aside for their participants in Bowling Green as well as Nashville.

4. We have been publicizing Caravan '09 for several years and there are a large number of groups, clubs, individuals, etc. who have been proactive and contacted motel/hotel sales departments for blocks of rooms. As these groups fail to FILL their blocks - the balance of rooms will go back into inventory. Expect to see numerous rooms right in town open up during the last 4 to 6 weeks before caravan.

5. In 2003 we had over 11,000 caravan participants, assuming 2 per car (and room) that would be 5,500 rooms and everyone found a place to stay and there WERE empty rooms in Bowling Green.

6. Since the 2003 Caravan there have been a number of new hotels constructed in Franklin, KY (exits 2 & 6) with another scheduled to open late this fall, so the room inventory will increase even more.

7. There are always a number of people who prefer staying down in Nashville, particularly at the huge Opryland Hotel.

8. This caravan is no different than the previous 3 caravans - there should be no issue with everyone finding rooms.

It is recommended that you secure a reservation wherever you can as soon as you can. Then check periodically with the Bowling Green Convention & Visitors Bureau: http://www.visitbgky.com/caravan/ The CVB is coordinating with all of the hotels, including those in Franklin, and can be helpful to you especially as time shortens, to locate and offer rooms from those blocks that weren't fully used.

PARKING:
As with each of the previous Caravans - most parking will be off campus and a continuous loop of shuttle buses will be used to bring you to the NCM. Some of the hotels also have shuttle buses and the CVB hopes to add a loop to additional hotels. Stay tuned to these pages and Caravan Chat for more on parking.

ANNIVERSARY EVENT REGISTRATION:
There will be an announcement here, on the NCM eNews and the Caravan Chat telling you when the 15th Anniversary Celebration registration is open but it won't be until at least January 2009.

CARAVAN MERCHANDISE:
Caravan '09 T-shirts in two colors and lightweight sweatshirts are already for sale at the Corvette Store as well as online. New items will be announced periodically. There will also be Participant merchandise that will be available to registered participants only through a link on this site. Again, watch for periodic announcements of new merchandise.

Caravan Lodging in Bowling Green

For room availability you may contact Duncan Hines at the Bowling Green/Warren County Visitors Bureau - (800) 326-7465. A website courtesy of the Bowling Green Visitors Bureau has also been set up to assist caravan participants with information on hotel room availability and daily updates on cancellations:

Caravan Flags & Static Cling Decals