Nearly 170,000 guests will fill Louisville’s Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. Yes, it is America’s oldest continuously held major sporting event, and a bucket-list experience for many. But before and after the stands brim with outrageous fascinators and fedoras, you’re likely to spot hard hats as the facility undergoes an estimated $320 million upgrade through next year. The project is adding upscale seating and hospitality areas, including the Homestretch Club, which debuted last year, and covered grandstands at the first turn. The paddock—where grooms saddle horses before each race—will feature a green space for more spectators and a perfectly framed view of Churchill Downs’ iconic twin spires.
Beyond the track, Kentucky’s largest city is experiencing a similar rebirth, with pilgrimage-worthy cocktail lounges and distilleries opening at a steady clip. (More than a hundred new restaurants and bars launched in 2022, reports the, along with some twenty hotels in the past two years.) “I credit bourbon,” says chef Edward Lee, who moved
