Planning ahead - Ky Derby 2007

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by DerbyCat

OK, next year I'm going to Kentucky for the First Saturday in May and I could use some help. Can anyone recommend the best/safest place to get tickets as well as a good hotel to stay at? If anyone has any recommendations for the best way to experience the Derby, I'd love to hear them. FYI, I'm not looking for the "infield experience" since I'm 40 and no longer enjoy getting so drunk that I can't remember where I am/where I left the car/where I left my underwear. I'll probably fly in either Tues/Wed before and leave the following Monday... any help is greatly appreciated.

Definitely try and get down there for the Post Position draw. It was pretty cool how they had it this year in the open air on 4th Street.

Elizabethtown is definitely a good option if you are looking to keep the price down. It is a wicked easy commute into Louisville, 30-40 minutes, all highway driving. Also E-town is already half way to Mammoth Cave if that sort of thing interests you on the Sunday after.

Don't sweat it if you can't get tickets. You don't have to go to the infield. We went general admission last year and there is a section of lawn around the first turn that is nothing like the infield and you can actually see things. They also bring all the horses past you before and after the race so you wind up getting a much better view of them there than you get in the crowded paddock. Here are some of my pictures from last year to give you an idea of how close you can get down there:

http://www.finalturngallery.com/Sniper-s-Pictures

[Thunder Gulch]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

Definitely try and get down there for the Post Position draw. It was pretty cool how they had it this year in the open air on 4th Street.

Elizabethtown is definitely a good option if you are looking to keep the price down. It is a wicked easy commute into Louisville, 30-40 minutes, all highway driving. Also E-town is already half way to Mammoth Cave if that sort of thing interests you on the Sunday after.

Don't sweat it if you can't get tickets. You don't have to go to the infield. We went general admission last year and there is a section of lawn around the first turn that is nothing like the infield and you can actually see things. They also bring all the horses past you before and after the race so you wind up getting a much better view of them there than you get in the crowded paddock. Here are some of my pictures from last year to give you an idea of how close you can get down there:

http://www.finalturngallery.com/Sniper-s-Pictures

Agree that the post draw party is a great idea to catch.

Disagree with a lot of what is being posted here. Derby is a party in Louisville, so if you don't like Louisville and you don't like good times, choose another time to visit the farms in Lexington, Mammoth Cave, and the Derby museum. Those are all nice, but not what my group of 20 goes for (mostly 30 somethings). Lighten up and spend a few late nights on the town.

Shepherdsville, KY is only about 10 miles south from the track and there are a couple of reasonable lodging options there. Taxi ride only $30 or so from there.

We bought tickets for $125 outside the gates last year, and there were numerous ones floating around.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by Thunder Gulch

Agree that the post draw party is a great idea to catch.

Disagree with a lot of what is being posted here. Derby is a party in Louisville, so if you don't like Louisville and you don't like good times, choose another time to visit the farms in Lexington, Mammoth Cave, and the Derby museum. Those are all nice, but not what my group of 20 goes for (mostly 30 somethings). Lighten up and spend a few late nights on the town.

Shepherdsville, KY is only about 10 miles south from the track and there are a couple of reasonable lodging options there. Taxi ride only $30 or so from there.

We bought tickets for $125 outside the gates last year, and there were numerous ones floating around.

It all depends on whether or not you have a driver. If you have someone to drive or aren't planning on drinking too much that you can drive then being 30 minutes away isn't a big issue. You can certainly go out in Louisville and stay 30 minutes away.

Is the party in Louisville really that raging on Sunday afternoon?

[pdrift1]

lol i wonder if some of you even read the posts