Our Derby Weekend

For someone who was completely uninterested in attending the Kentucky Derby, I sure did have a great time! Such a great time in fact, that by the end of our weekend, I was telling John that we need to plan another trip!

Our Derby trip began Friday morning as we casually got up, got ready, and headed to Louisville. I’d say we got to our hotel around 11am, parked and ordered the Uber. By 11:30 we were at Churchill Downs. We weren’t exactly sure what time to show up, but this timeframe was perfect.

John chose the vineyard vines club tickets, which included food, drinks, and covered seats. Absolutely the right choice, since Saturday ended up being the wettest race day in Derby history. Our seats weren’t the greatest for race watching, but we could see everything clearly on the TV screens.

The free open bar was just a few steps up from where we were sitting, and the buffet was down a few steps. So perfect! Plus, our row of seats was only 3-wide, which meant no having to crawl over strangers or anything to go for our multiple food and drink runs.

On Friday, Oaks Day, there were two races following the main race. We stayed through the end of all the racing, then Ubered our way out.

The following day, for Derby, we arrived at the track just before 11, when the food opened. Before heading to our section, we walked around a bit. I was on the hunt for celebrities, but possibly seeing Matthew McConaughey on the big screen was about as good as it got.

I wasn’t so sure about spending 9+ hours at the track, but between food, drinks, betting, and people watching, the time flew by! There was just enough time between all of the races to be able to refill where needed.

Our biggest winnings were $55 which ALL went to the Lyft driver who took us home after the Uber guy abandoned us.

We had an absolute blast, and can’t wait to go back some day!