LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Derby Museum is now open to the public with enhanced safety guidelines after being closed since March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For a limited time, the museum is offering several experiences for guests to enjoy. Head to our stable area for our Thoroughbred Care program, typically reserved for school groups. Families will learn about the whole team of people it takes to care for one race horse. See the equipment used and the special people behind every Thoroughbred.
Bringing back a fan favorite, Kentucky Derby Museum is opening up the vault. Our curators are hand-selecting artifacts not currently on display that guests can get up close with during an Inside the Vault tour. Visitors can explore the museum’s two floors of exhibits before and exclusive meet and greet with the curator who will explain what makes each artifact important to the museum collection, which includes over 10,000 artifacts.
Free with admission, guests can also go on an Exhibit Experience. A tour guide will accompany guests to an exhibit area for in-depth information on the chosen exhibit of the day. From the Triple Crown, to how a jockey weighs in and out, guests can get more out of their museum experience with an expert by their side to answer questions.
“We hope to see you soon,” said Pat Armstrong, president & CEO of Kentucky Derby Museum. “Just about everyone has had cabin fever during this pandemic, and we also understand some people are nervous to get out and have fun. We want people to know they can have a safe visit at the Kentucky Derby Museum. People have missed graduations, weddings, birthday parties, and yes, the Kentucky Derby. You don’t need to travel far this summer by supporting local attractions like the Kentucky Derby Museum.”
To reopen the museum, a number of safety measures are in effect. The museum is incorporating an innovative way for guests to safely enjoy interactive displays. The museum is providing a stylus for guests to continue using touch-screen exhibits. Guests are free to keep the stylus, and any stylus left behind will be thoroughly sanitized by staff.
The museum is training staff, following state protocols and initiating numerous safety guidelines as it reopens. To prioritize the safety and health of customers and employees, changes include:
- Limiting the number of guests inside the museum
- Limiting the number of guests on tours
- Limiting the number of guests during showings of the museum’s 360°movie, The Greatest Race
- Enforcing 6 feet of social distancing
- Using stanchions and floor markers to flow guests through safely
- Routing guests through museum in a one-way traffic pattern
- Increasing sanitation and disinfectant procedures throughout the museum and exhibits
- Requiring guests and staff to wear masks
- Temperature screenings for staff before each shift
More information about safety protocols inside the museum can be found at derbymuseum.org.
The museum softly opened Monday, June 8, to allow for a “test run” of all new protocols in place. While cleaning takes place continually each day, the museum is closed Tuesdays for deep cleaning.
Additionally, the Derby Cafe Express, which features hot and ready-to-go lunch options, is now open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m.–3 p.m., with spacious seating on a large, covered patio area. The museum’s Gift Shop saw great success with the sale of Derby 146 merchandise when it reopened May 20 with safety guidelines in effect.
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