Anyone been?

What's the general ticket/parking scene?

Any tips/traps/pointers?

Will likely couple a bourbon tour on the day before. Horses saturday.

Ive been a number of times. You really need to get there early to find a place to park. You will pay to park in someone's yard. The Derby is the 11th/12th race of the day so pace yourself. There will be 1,000,000 parties all around the track (I counted them last year ). For a few dollars donation you can eat and drink better than you have in years. Don't be afraid to introduce yourself and ask if you can join the party for a donation.

Definitely dress the part!!!
Great time!!!

It used to be on my bucket list until seeing it on TV each year progressively turned into ******bag and gay wad celeb-polluted trashwatch. Is that the way it is in-person these days? If so, not interested in attending.

I had a blast when we attended a few years ago. But my buddy, who is a University of Louisville grad and has been going almost every year for a couple decades, said this past year almost all the fun was taken out of it by the types of people you're talking about.

He said the infield used to be just shades away from a NASCAR infield, and that the "us-versus-them" mentality of infield folk versus the hoity-toities in the stands and boxes was a big part of the charm. Now even the infield is full of wannabe southern belles and beaus decked out in pastel Vineyard Vines and Brooks Bros. seersucker, and he said it was almost unbearable.