Where Does Learning Happen? A Contrast of Two Tours

This morning Doug asked me, "Should we have enjoyed the Makers Mark tour as much as we did?"  I responded immediately with the contrast between two tours we did on consecutive days.

Mammoth Cave National Park, Historic Passage Tour vs Makers Mark Distillery Tour

On the cave tour the first instructions were DO NOT.

Do not touch the cave.

Do not bring a stroller.

Do not wear an infant carrier.

Do not bring food or drinks into the cave.

Do not use flash photography.

And on... And on... And on...

The distillery tour warmly welcomed us.

We went in with all the kids (expecting a list of rules, after all we were taking a bunch of kids to a distillery!) As we waited for our tour, we explored the museum-house where nothing was untouchable.

When we gathered on the  porch the only "Do Not" was Do not bring open containers.   

We took a stroller. (Yes there were stairs, we managed them fine.)

We tasted mash with our fingers!

We were near glass bottles and hot wax and no one freaked out on us.

Where do you think the kids were more comfortable, asking more questions, and interacting more? 

Yes. The distillery, which was totally new to them, a foreign place, but open and even welcoming to them.

Learning happens in an environment where one is comfortable, welcome, and invited to engage, not with a list of Do Nots.

How can we apply this to all learning, school, church, life?

The world is our classroom how do we engage it? 

Bourbon, Yes, I'm writing about Bourbon!

Yes, I'm writing a blog post about Bourbon.  Actually, our experience touring The Makers Mark Distillery was delightful!

When we entered the first building we were greeted by a young lady who was blown away by our family size.  She thought Doug was joking when he said we were bringing nine children. Ha! Happens all the time. The building, which was essentially a museum, was very hands on and entertaining.  Laid out like a house with a baby book of the patriarch on the table along with fruit and fresh flowers, we felt cozy and welcome.

Going into the den, we saw pictures of the family on the wall, imagine our surprise when they started TALKING to us!  Everyone gathered around to hear the history!  Natalie enjoyed flipping through some books on the shelf

and Abigail answered the old-fashioned phone when it rang then she heard a story about the family.

Emily and I looked through the sketch book the Samuels used to create the name and logo.  (We are pretty sure Zane would be geeking out over it!)





Apparently, Mrs. Samuels had quite the hand in discovering the recipe for the bourbon because of her mad bread baking skills.  In the kitchen, I got some pictures of her hand written bread recipes and flipped through her cookbook! 

Her notes were extensive both about chemistry of ingredients, textures, and taste.  Emily loved the black and white checkerboard tile and the look of the 1950s kitchen where cold lemonade was available for the guests.




This clock is very similar to one my grandma had in her kitchen all my growing up years.



We all gathered on the back porch for our tour and the kids were very well behaved and interested in the process.  The unique quality of Makers Mark Bourbon is that it's made from wheat not rye making it sweeter and smoother than other bourbons.

We saw where they make the mash, where they filter and distill it finally putting it in barrels which are aged like wine.  The barrels they use are from white oak from Arkansas which adds to their unique flavor.

Lily Anne and Sarah spotted a kitty laying in the shade outside the bottling room so we hung out there and let them play with her.  She was a sweet and patient kitty letting them pet her.



The bottling room was really loud, but very active and colorful, it held everyone's attention.

Finally we got to the Tasting room which had some great artwork on the walls, even a neat mosaic.  Doug and I tasted four different kinds of bourbon, honestly, they all tasted the same to me, but I have a cold and my nose is very stuffy, not ideal conditions for any kind of tasting!

After the tasting,we all got a delicious chocolate Bon Bon before going into the gift shop.  In the gift shop one can dip a bottle in their trademark red wax, Doug even dipped a baseball cap bill for a unique look.

We met a nice couple here from Hawaii for a wedding.  Their daughter and my little girls, Sarah and Lily Anne hit it off.  Fast friends, they played, twirled and ran around like little girls do.  The mom and I talked baby carriers and traveling with kids.  

It was a sweet encounter in an unlikely place... Two moms of littles hitting it off at a whiskey distillery!

I don't normally drink bourbon (aka whiskey) but seeing the process by which it's made was quite interesting and a fun (if not educational) experience.