If you can’t make it within Churchill Down’s gates on the First Saturday in May, don’t worry Ð you can experience the Derby year-round at the track’s famed Kentucky Derby Museum just outside Gate 1. “Ride” in a simulated race to see if you have what it takes to cross the finish line first; attempt to call a race; get an interactive, insiders look at the Derby horses’, connections’, and fans’ experiences; or follow a racehorse from birth to Derby contender to retirement. These are just a few of the state-of-the-art features of the museum.

This spring, however, the Derby Museum has more to celebrate than just its namesake. The two-story Georgian structure reopened April 18 after a devastating flood on Aug. 4, 2009, destroyed more than 27,000 items and cost $4 million in damages. But on a positive note, the flood provided the impetus for a full-blown $5.5-million renovation that was completed within a whirlwind 6 months