Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs is a sightseeing stop in Louisville, KY, part of the Louisville and the Bluegrass guide. Cost: under $25. Live racing during the Spring, September and Fall Meets.

700 Central Ave · Louisville, KY

Why you should go…

Churchill Downs opened in 1875 and has run the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown, ever since. The twin spires above the grandstand are the track's symbol, and the complex is a National Historic Landmark. General admission on race days during the Spring, September and Fall Meets lets you sit on the first floor and in sections facing the finish line. The Kentucky Derby Museum next door adds two floors of exhibits, a 360-degree film and a guided track visit.

#horse racing
#kentucky derby
#racetrack
#twin spires
#historic landmark

What's around here?

The closest stops to Churchill Downs, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Museums
Iconic
Kentucky Derby Museum
Under $25
Explore two floors of Kentucky Derby history, watch a 360-degree film and join a guided track visit at Churchill Downs.
0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Rainy-Day Pick
Speed Art Museum
$25–$50
See art from antiquity to the present, including works by Rembrandt, Rubens and Monet, at a Louisville museum founded in 1927.
1.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Attractions
Family Favorite
Kentucky Kingdom
$25–$50
A theme park with six roller coasters, family rides and the Hurricane Bay water park beside the Kentucky Exposition Center.
1.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Sightseeing
Free
Big Four Bridge
Free
Walk or bike a half-mile 1895 railroad bridge over the Ohio River between Louisville and Jeffersonville, Indiana.
4.7 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
History Buff
My Old Kentucky Home State Park
Under $25
Tour Federal Hill, the Rowan family mansion tied to Stephen Foster's ballad, where a singing guide performs My Old Kentucky Home.
32 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
History Buff
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
Free
Climb 56 steps to a neoclassical memorial holding a symbolic log cabin on the farm where Abraham Lincoln was born.
46 mi awayMore like this