Hotels still available in Louisville for Kentucky Derby, May 2

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hotels in Louisville are still available for the May 2 Kentucky Derby.

Rates start as low as $195 a night, though most hotels require at least a two-night stay, according to the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, which says rooms are often available through late April. The CVB can help you find a room at 888-568-4784 or visit www.gotolouisville.com.

Note that most fine restaurants in Louisville offer an abbreviated menu Derby Day with two seatings around 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Reservations are often required.

For tickets to the Derby, or the fillies-only Kentucky Oaks race held the day before, visit www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/tickets/buy. General admission tickets are available the day of the race at the gate (Oaks $25; Derby $40). Bring cash or a Visa card.

Visitors can also observe morning workouts from the track side rail at Churchill Downs, Monday-Thursday, Derby Week. Sections 116-117 of the first floor Clubhouse are open to the public free, first come, first served. Continental breakfast can be bought at the Paddock Grill. Or have a Kentucky-style breakfast in the box seats on Millionaires Row (reservations 502-636-4400).

Other attractions in Louisville include the Kentucky Derby Museum (closed Oaks and Derby Days), the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and the Muhammad Ali Center. Derby Week in the city includes a variety of Kentucky Derby Festival events — www.kdf.org — like the Great Balloon Race, a marathon, parade and the Great Steamboat Race. Parties abound, including the Kentucky Derby Museum Gala, Moonlight & Magnolias Kentucky Derby Gala, Taste of Oaks Celebrity Party, Barnstable Brown Gala, Grand Gala VIP, Mint Jubilee Derby Eve Gala, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft Oaks Brunch and The Grand Gala.

Mint Julep Tours, based in the Galt House Hotel, offers tours of horse farms, bourbon country and historic Louisville; details at www.mintjuleptours.com.

Another tour company, Derby Experiences, also offers tours of nearby horse farms, tours of the distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and tours of Churchill Downs, including meetings with trainers and jockeys and breakfast in the track side kitchen. Derby Experiences can also arrange tickets for the gala parties; details at www.derbyexperiences.com.