Day 1- Columbus, OH
Travel today takes you to Columbus, OH for the night. Dinner is on your own this evening.
Day 2- Louisville, KY- Boubon, Barbecue and Country Music Dinner
Arriving today in Louisville, KY, check into either the Drury Inn North or Drury Inn East for a three-night stay. Tonight at the Jeptha Creed Distillery in Shelbyville , a new farm to bottle Distillery, you enjoy an evening on the patio with a Barbecue dinner and live Country Music. There will be dancing and distillery tours – plus a bourbon tasting opportunity. This is one of the most modern bourbon distilleries in Kentucky and a festive kick-off event to the Derby. B,D
Day 3- Louisville Slugger Museum – Lunch at Claudia Sanders Dinner House – Derby Hat Boutique – Horse Farm Tour – Bourbon & Chocolate Gift Box – “Off to the Races” Dinner Party
You don’t have to be a baseball fan to love e Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. It’s iconic, it’s linked to legends and it is one of Louisville’s best-known tourist attractions. This tour is fascinating with interactive exhibits that are fun. Baseball is such a big part of American history and culture that even if you don’t think you’re a fan, you will find a connection here.
Lunch today will be in the banquet room of Claudia Sanders Dinner House. This restaurant is a replica of the elegant, old home opened by Colonel Sanders of KFC fame, in 1959. It was from this very building that Kentucky Fried Chicken grew into a world-wide organization.
You will have a chance to visit a Derby Hat Boutique where you can buy hats and accessories for both Men & Women. Having just the right Derby Hat, with the right accessories is a very important part of the Kentucky Derby Experience, you have to dress for the Win, the Place, and The Show.
During today’s touring, your group will visit a horse training facility and actually see training in progress. At this time of year it is also possible to see a new foal up close and personal.
This afternoon you return to your hotel to rest up before tonight’s “Off to the Races Dinner Party,” you will find that gift boxes with a miniature bottle of Evan Williams Bourbon and Chocolate Bourbon Candy are waiting for you. It’s another Bourbon Experience and a Spirit to lift before dinner.
This evening’s “Off to the Races” dinner is a feature event partnered with the Kentucky Derby Museum at a local banquet hall. The meal is a special “Taste of Kentucky” menu. A plated meal of renowned Kentucky favorites complimented with Derby Pie for dessert.
The Derby Museum’s Master of Ceremonies takes over during dinner with Derby Racing fun. There will be three pre-recorded horse races that will be projected on the big screen. You will have a race program and a stack of play money with which to wager at the row of Betting Windows in the back of the room.
Consider this a warm up to the big race tomorrow. A practice session, Its a chance to make few bets, cheer for a favorite and share a few laughs. Your will be rolling in the aisles with fun. When each race is over, there’s time to cash in winnings and make fresh bets before the next race. B,L,D
Day 4 – Derby Day Riverboat Races – 149th Kentucky Derby – Lower Level – with Food & Drinks
Today’s first event is the Derby Day Riverboat Race. We have chartered both the The Mary
M. Miller (replacing the Spirit of Jefferson) and the Belle of Louisville. It doesn’t get any better than this. Once onboard there is complimentary coffee and tea, or start the festivities with a Bloody Mary or Champagne Mimosa from the cash bar.
Once underway we have experts providing a few insider tips on the Derby Race. They will talk about the Horses, how they run in different conditions, who has the post and what does that mean, plus information on the trainers their Derby History and more. You also enjoy a seminar on how to place a real bet at Churchill Downs.
At the end of the “How to Bet” lesson, our two private Sternwheelers will turn downstream and with those big red paddlewheels kicking up a feather trail of whitewater they race each
other back to Louisville. We encourage you to place a creative bet or two with your travel partners.
Next is the highlight of your trip. You have a VIP Fast Access Pass to Churchill Downs and 1st floor Grandstand Seats near the Starting Line. Tickets come complete with unlimited food and drink (including beer, wine & cocktails). This is one of the world’s greatest and most celebrated sporting events, “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” and you are on hand to experience it all.
The Kentucky Derby is America’s most extravagant springtime sports party, and one of our most celebrated events. While there is a horse race at the heart of this spectacle, there are many other intriguing aspects within this Louisville tradition. It is a festival and fashion show, it’s a Parade and a Race, it’s Mint Juleps and Riverboats; it’s about Horses and it’s about time you see it. You will be at The Derby all day, enjoy crowd watching, sample a mint julep and place a few bets.
Also included is premium motorcoach parking, but it is still a long walk. Depending on where your seats are inside Churchill Downs you may walk close to a mile. Be advised: you must be capable of walking to enjoy this trip. B,L,D
Day 5 – Cleveland, OH
Travel today takes you to Cleveland, OH for the night. Dinner is on your own this evening. B
Day 6 – Departure Day
This morning, with hat boxes and suitcases loaded, you depart for home with another event checked off the Bucket List. B
$100 per person due with reservation
$500 per person deposit due by January 1, 2023
Final Payment due by March 1, 2023
All deposits and payments are non-refundable
Travel Insurance is available
$224 pp Double, $217 pp Triple
$210 pp Quad, $278 Single Occupancy