Kentucky Derby Museum

Explore the rich history and culture of the Kentucky Derby at this museum featuring exhibits, artifacts, and guided tours.

Planning your visit

The Kentucky Derby has run at Churchill Downs since 1875, making it the longest continuously held sporting event in the United States, and the museum sits at the track itself. The centrepiece is a 360-degree film projected around a circular theatre, putting the viewer inside the race and the infield crowd — it does a better job of conveying what two minutes of the Derby feels like than any static display.

The galleries cover the race's history, the training and breeding of thoroughbreds, jockey silks and equipment, and the culture around it: the hats, the mint julep, My Old Kentucky Home. The museum has substantially expanded its treatment of Black jockeys, who dominated the early Derbies — fifteen of the first twenty-eight winners were ridden by Black jockeys — before being systematically driven out of the sport by the early twentieth century.

Admission includes a guided walking tour of the track, and a resident thoroughbred lives on site.

Louisville is also the bourbon gateway. Allow two hours. The main booking is admission with the guided track visit. Current availability is listed below.