Originally Posted by DerbyCat

Thanks for the input so far everyone, I appreciate it. I started looking at hotels, car rentals, ticket brokers, major sights I need to see and I've got to be honest - it's overwhelming! I'm contemplating doing a travel package deal that provides tickets, hotel, transportation, and farm tours - it costs more but it may be worth it to have someone else take care of the logistics... I know a lot of you have done the Derby for many years and you've got your itinerary down cold but for a newbie like me I think a package might be best... any thoughts?