Derby Parking

Is Papa John%26#39;s Stadium closer to park to Churchill Downs than parking at the Kentucky Exposition Center? My wife is in a wheelchair and wondering if it%26#39;s possible just to park at Papa John%26#39;s Stadium and then walk to the Derby. We%26#39;d rather not use the shuttle as it can be a big pain with a wheelchair and the waits can be long. Thanks!

Derby Parking

I was just talking your question through with my husband. And we had a couple of thoughts....

1) Be sure that Papa John%26#39;s Stadium is actually offering parking for Derby. We just weren%26#39;t sure. If they are, it%26#39;s certainly walkable. It is a bit of a hike. You%26#39;ll probably also be walking in a crowd. Young people, old people, drunk people etc.

2) Have you checked with Churchill Downs to see if they offer any special handicap parking? Or if they have any recommendations for handicapped parking in the area?

3) This option may be too confusing since you%26#39;re not from the area, but many of the private homes around the track offer parking in their yards etc. The best places are typically on the back/west side of the track. This is where we usually park. You can usually park within a block or so of the track. It can cost anywhere from $25 - $50 dollars. If you have a car full of people, it%26#39;s relatively inexpensive.

Note: Because the yards are small, they sometimes stack the cars in. In this case they ask you to leave your keys so that your car can be moved to let others out. Although we%26#39;ve done this safely in the past, I generally prefer to keep my car keys. So you have to ask about this upfront. (This parking method isn%26#39;t for everyone, but it could be an option to get you closer to the track)

Derby Parking

Thanks seagrover. There is parking at the Papa John%26#39;s Stadium so I think we%26#39;ll just park there and hike it. Looking forward to the trip and hope to get in a stop at the Louisville Slugger museum.

Its been three years since I was there, but the ';short'; walk from Papa John%26#39;s required climbing stairs up to the overpass of Central Ave. We parked on in the south lot near the overpass. With a wheelchair you would have to exit the lot on Floyd street, head south to Central and then west to Churchill Downs. We were heading to the infield via Gate 3 (NW corner of the track) so it was not bad. If you are heading to the grandstand it will be a longer walk.

Take a look at this satellite image to see where you are going.

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8%26amp;client=firefox-a%26amp;ie=UTF8%26amp;q=papa+johns+stadium+louisville%26amp;fb=1%26amp;split=1%26amp;gl=us%26amp;cid=0,0,7248435154566076632%26amp;ei=KXPbSYvYK5eWMbKb8cYI%26amp;ll=38.203858,-85.760779%26amp;spn=0.008667,0.029311%26amp;t=h%26amp;z=16

Cool, this will help a lot. Thanks. Are there sidewalks to walk on when we get on central avenue? I%26#39;m assuming that%26#39;s a busy road.

I believe Central is shut down on derby day except for shuttle buses and maybe taxis.