Kentucky Derby 2026

[DMurphy]

Taking a break from planning hunting and fishing trips to look into going with the wife and a small group to the Kentucky Derby. Any suggestions on do's and don'ts, ticket packages, or anything else would be appreciated. We will also likely be hitting a distillery or two while in the area, so any insider info on the best distillery tours would also be appreciated.

 

[bayou0509]

Subscribed. I've been interested in this as well

 

[cbat]

Following

 

[CMF]

We've been to Churchhill downs, but not the Derby. They had a family day the weekend we were there, and stuff for kids.
I know one weekend a year at Fairgrounds in NOLA, they do exotic racing like ostrich and zebra races, which was entertaining.
Not exactly the topic, but related...

 

[jek5224]

Don't get tickets for the infield unless you want to be shoulder to shoulder with 50,000 other people and wade through mud and beer cans. Fun if you are in college. Not fun if you aren't.

Most distillery experiences in Ky are worth it. I like going to some of the more historic ones, but the newer ones are always competing to be bigger and better. While not necessary in Louisville, the best ones IMO are Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark, Four Roses, Jim Beam, and Bardstown Bourbon Co. It's been a while since I have done any of the Louisville ones, but my recollection is that Stitzel Weller was our favorite. If you have a car they are close enough to make the drive.

 

[Laramie]

Be mindful of scams. My mom and aunt bought tickets about 10 years ago. It was a bucket list trip for them. They were both in the mid 60s at the time. Long story short, they made the trip, by vehicle,, from Wyoming only to find out the tickets were fakes. I offered to get them tickets for another one because I felt so bad but neither of them were willing to try again.