Highlights

.Tour Prices

• Per Person, Net Pricing:
• First Class – Shelbyville and other nearby towns.
• $1,749 Double. . .  $1,649 Triple . . . $1,549 Quad . . . $2,499 Single

• Deluxe  – Louisville First Class Hotels:
• $2,399 Double . . . $2299 Triple . . . $2199 Quad . . . $3999 Single

      Prices include 1st Level Bleacher Seats (Open Air) near the Starting Gate.  2nd Level Bleachers (under cover) are an additional $300 per person.

• Deposit Schedule:
• $100 per person due on Sept 1, 2018
• $350 per person due Jan 7, 2019
• All deposits and payments are non-refundable.
• Final Payment due March 1, 2019.

Motorcoach Transportation and Professional Tour Managers are available.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Thursday – Arrive – Bourbon, Barbecue and Country Music

We provide First Class (suburban hotels) surrounding Louisville to our groups in order to keep prices down. Hotels in Louisville itself are available at higher prices. But regardless of where you stay we have planned the most exciting Derby Weekend available to tour & travel groups.

This evening 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 we have a festive evening planned here as our kick-off event to the Derby. (D)

Day 2 – Friday – Daytime Derby Loop

Friday Options:

1. The Kentucky Oaks Race.  Your group can attend the either The Kentucky Oaks or spend the day sightseeing. The Oaks is a full day of racing for three year old fillies and is always the day before Derby.  Oaks guests are asked to incorporate pink into their attire in support of cancer survivors.  Group will be here all day and will have dinner on own at Churchill Downs.
   
2. Local Sightseeing Tour. Please Note:  The sequence of events on your group’s local tours  may not be as shown below. We have many groups circling Louisville and attractions are scheduled at different times so we don’t overwhelm suppliers or make you suffer lines.

Louisville Slugger Museum

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to love 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 your customers who don’t think they’re fans will find a connection here.

Lunch at Claudia Sanders Dinner House

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.

Undulata Farms

Also included on tour today is a visit to Undulata Farms, a Saddlebred Horse Farm. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places this is where Civil War veteran Harry Weissinger and his sons once bred the great stallion, American Born. This is a private residence and horse training farm, your group will tour the first two floors of the family home, the 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.

Derby Hat Boutique

All groups will have a chance to visit our 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.

Bourbon & Chocolate Reception

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. Whether you use the hotel’s breakfast room for a short party or let your travelers take this gift to their rooms. It’s another Bourbon Experience and a Spirit to lift before dinner.

“Off to the Races” Dinner Party

This evening’s “Off to the Races” dinner is a feature event as we partner 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. Then the Derby Museum’s Master of Ceremonies takes over with Derby Racing fun. We have three pre-recorded horse races that will be projected on the big screen. Each of your group members 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, It’s 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. (B,L,D)

Day 3 – Saturday – Riverboat Races & The Kentucky Derby

Today’s first event is the Derby Day Riverboat Race. We have chartered both 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.

The 144 Kentucky Derby – Lower Level Seats

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. Groups can upgrade tickets for 2nd and 3rd floor seating but prices are higher as are deposit amounts. You will be at The Derby all day, enjoy crowd watching, sample a mint julep and place a few bets. 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.

This is the reason your travelers buy the trip. 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, its Mint Juleps and Riverboats; it’s about Horses and it’s about time you see it.

Motorcoach Reserved Parking Permit

Also included in US Tours Service 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. (B)

Day 4 Sunday – Departure Day

This morning, with hat boxes and suitcases loaded, your group departs for home with another event checked off the Bucket List. (B)

 Note:  Your patrons absolutely must be capable of walking in order to enjoy this tour.