Kentucky Derby Party: Where to Go for the Best Derby After-Party

The last race of the Kentucky Derby ends in the early evening hours, and, by the time you defeat the parking lot traffic and get out to the main roads, it's about the same time you'd head out to the bars on a normal Saturday night. You want to continue your Kentucky Derby party, but, since you're most likely not from Louisville, you're not sure where to go. Luckily, Louisvillians love to celebrate Derby just as much as vacationers, so there are plenty of choices of Kentucky Derby party venues.

Bardstown Road/The Highlands

If you prefer to spend your Kentucky Derby party time with the locals, this is the place to go. Bardstown Road is the favorite weekend hangout for Louisville's liberals of all ages. This is one of the few places in the city where you can find motorcycle enthusiasts, goth kids, and working professionals all drinking together and having fun. Derby time is no defferent, and Bardstown Road is where you'll find the most interesting, and likely the most intoxicated, out of town Kentucky Derby party celebrators.

The Bardstown Road stretch of bars goes on for about a mile and includes everything from Phoenix Hill Tavern, the oldest and largest Louisville bar with three separate stages playing live bands and an outdoor dance floor with live DJ, to The Back Door, the best pool bar in that part of town. Here you'll find a multitude of Irish pubs, bars that serve hundreds of beers from all over the world, and hole-in-the-walls. The best part is, if you don't care for the bar you're at, you simply walk as far as one building over to try out another. It's one of the best places in Louisville for your Kentucky Derby party.

To get there from Churchill Downs, you simply take I-264 East to the Bardstown Rd. exit. Take a left on Bardstown Rd. and follow it for approximately three miles. When you see hundreds of people walking around on foot, you'll know you're there.

Fourth Street Live

On a normal weekend in Louisville, Fourth Street Live is where you'd find thousands of college kids grinding against each other on a dance floor. However, during Kentucky Derby party time, it's a big attraction for out-of-towners. Fourth Street Live is a fairly new Louisville attraction that features several higher end restaurant/bars and nightclubs all located in one plaza.

At Fourth Street Live, you'll find crowded cars, restaurants, and nightclubs that each charge separate admission fees and serve overpriced food and weak cocktails. For the Kentucky Derby party, however, they'll have outdoor bands and some sort of general admission to at least a couple of the establishments. If you choose to have your Kentucky Derby party here, you can eat and drink at the Hard Rock Café or dance at one of the many themed nightclubs. Expect the crowd to be a mixture of under-30 locals and over-40 businessmen and women in from out of state. Still, a great place to head for your Kentucky Derby party.

To get there from Churchill Downs, take I-264 East to I-65 North. From I-65 North, take the Broadway exit. Take a left on Broadway then a right on 4^th St. You'll know when you get there because you can't drive through the Fourth Street Live plaza, so you'll have to turn either left or right and park.

The Barnstable Brown Gala

Officially called THE Kentucky Derby party, this is the place where you'll find all of the local celebrities as well as the national and international ones. Advanced reservations are required and seats are pricey -- $1650 per person in 2006. The event occurs on Derby Eve rather than Derby Day.

Celebrities that have attended the Gala in recent years include Ashanti, Tom Brady, Brooks & Dunn, Delilah, Jermaine Dupri, Gilbert Godfried, Goo Goo Dolls, Bobby Flay, John Hensley, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dennis Hopper, Jewel, Stacy Keibler, Chaka Khan, Nick Lachey, Tommy Lee, Ludacris, Archie Manning, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Stephanie March, Michael McDonald, Bode Miller, Montgomery Gentry's Eddie Montgomery, Jerry O'Connell, Carson Palmer, Stone Phillips, Jaime Pressly, Smokey Robinson, George Strait, Geoff Stultz, Travis Tritt, Serena Williams and ZZ-Top.

While the dress code for the party is black tie optional, if you arrive without your best attire on, you'll look out of place. People go all out for this Kentucky Derby party like it's an Oscars award ceremony.

Regardless of where you choose to celebrate your Kentucky Derby party, expect to pay higher-than-usual admission fees and to have to deal with large crowds and long lines at the bar. However, the fun you'll have will likely override these things. Most bars will have cabs sitting outside of them throughout the night for people who shouldn't drive, and those that don't will happily call one for you. Just be sure to save some cash for the ride back to the hotel. Some hotels even offer packages that include transportation to the Derby and then to certain areas of town before bringing you back to your room. Cops are fierce on Derby weekend, so don't risk having your Kentucky Derby party end poorly.