I may get to head to KY after all! I have to fly standby on United but so far flights don’t look too bad- So I can get tickets at the half price off place I heard mentioned (need to find where that is) and is it possible that there is ANY lodging (couch/whatever!) left anywhere?
Can I do it? Plan a grip to WEG in less than 12 hrs? On a very limited budget ?? 
YES ~~~ YOU CAN DO THIS ~ YOU SHOULD DO THIS ~ YOU NEED TO DO THIS ~ ENJOY !!!
Yes, it can be done. I decided Friday night that I was going on Saturday. It worked out fine. I drove as far as Bardstown, KY on Saturday night after doing a horse show, and stayed at a normally priced hotel. Then early Sunday morning, I stopped off at a Kroger, bought my discount grounds pass, and then drove about an hour to KHP. Enjoyed WEG on Sunday and drove back Sunday night since I had to be at work on Monday.
I don’t know what the prices and availability of hotel rooms is in Lexington, but once outside of the city, there is no price gouging. You might have to drive a bit to get a cheaper room, but it shouldn’t be a problem. As for event tickets, once inside the park, I lucked into a free ticket for the jumping competition. Someone was giving away an extra ticket, and gave it to someone who gave it to me. In return I sent a donation to an animal rescue, since the person giving me the ticket didn’t want any money.
It was one of those situations where I’d be kicking myself forever if I didn’t go. So I went, and I’m glad I did.
Hope your experience was as good as mine was. If you park at Spy Coast, be sure you know where your rental car is. And what it is. You may want to buy a balloon or something to tie on it so you can find it.
PM sent
Last minute weg is much cheaper. We booked a room at the hyatt place last night and sheraton tonight for 150/night. I feel sorry for everyone who booked months ago for double the money. Also there are tons of tickets for sale for 1/3 price. Have fun and good luck!
So do you have to have a car ? Or are there enough shuttles from airport to park or airport to hotel to park ? Looks like tickets are the easy part- just gotta find out where to stay wed and thurs nights…
just saw this post, maybe it can help you
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5140581&postcount=2
I bet you can find a hotel that is both on the shuttle route that has some transportation to the airport. I think I saw the Fairfield Inn in Georgetown had a shuttle to Cincinnatti for example.
Go for it!
I did it spur of the moment from NYC just to catch Eventing XC day. I would have love to go longer but I changed jobs and have no vacation time. Prior to that I wanted to go to WEG but the cost of hotels, air, etc. was just to risky to plan that far ahead. My job and looking after my mom puts in the “make plans” at the last minute category.
I was supposed to leave Friday and come back Sunday but because of the unexpected Noreaster that came through my Delta flight was cancelled. I was ready to bail on the whole thing but I saw there was a 6am flight the next morning and XC had been pushed backed an hour so I took a chance. Flight was great and it was not fully booked so there wasextra room to stretch out and nap. Landed around 8:15am at CVG picked up my rental car and it’s about a 45 min drive to KHP. Parked in the Campground area and got to the “Head of Lake” jump in a brisk 20 min walk and only missed about the first three rides…got to see Mark Todd, Boyd Martin at that spot and spent the day moving to different locations on the course. Weather was fab!
Afterwards, spent some time in the Tradestand and Alltech Pavillion area. I could not believed how crowded the tents were for Ariat, Bob Mickers, Bit of Britian, WEG Souvenir tent. You would have thought they were giving it away.
Around 7pm left KHP drove back to CVG and stayed at the Marriott and flew out the next morning aroun 8am. Yes I crammed way to much into one day and would have loved to stay for SJ but the last direct flight available was around 7pm on Sunday. I never would have made my flight on time if stayed to watch all of SJ plus the airfare was much more. So I got a “taste of WEG” but I am very happy I did it because they will not be back this way anytime soon. Later that afternoon NBC broadcast highlights of XC and showed the last hour of SJ live so that was nice surprise to come home to ; )
My only advice try to stay a longer than 24hrs. My plan was a little crazy. You should be able to find lower priced hotels in near Lexington/Georgetown. If not then try by CVG if you fly into there or along Interstate 75 (I think near Dry Ridge) I saw a Marriott Courtyard and other chain hotels which puts you closer to KHP and I am sure the prices are reasonable.
Have a great time!
Yes you can!!!
I called to confirm my hotel reservations on Oct 22 for Oct 29 arrival. I booked them 11 months ago and found they had no record of my name, conf #, NOTHING I didn’t exist and I didn’t have a room:confused::mad:. In a panic I told to my husband that it looked like we didn’t have a room. He logged on Expedia and we had a king, non-smoking room for $72 for 4 nights at the working man’s Knights Inn exit #115:yes:. There were a number of farriers and behind the scenes types there.
If you have a car, drive toward town on Newtown Pike and turn right on Arilias? road to Embassy Suites. Park across from Embassy Suites in abandoned/For Sale IBM building parking lot, walk to Lextran stop, pay $1 and ride to front gates of the park. SUPER EASY and cheap. If you don’t have a car, pick up Lextran @ the shell station @ Newtown Pike, Knights Inn, Le Quinta, Waffle House, McD’s, Cracker Barrel (You’ll know when you are there) ride inbound to Arilias? about 1 mile get a transfer ticket, cross the street and tide the outbound to the park.
Really easy, maybe 30 to 40 minutes tops from start, bus to bus, to park.
I’d go back this weekend if I wasn’t working!!!
We are sort of in the same boat. Don’t know what I was thinking – it just did not register in my mind that the WORLD games were going to be here, a short day’s drive away from me – until last week. I guess I busy getting married and all … ha ha.
Anyway, we are heading out on Friday and have tix to the Final Four on Saturday night. I am wondering – if anyone can advise me – since there’s no re-entry, I am hesitant to go to the Park early and have to spend all day there until the Final Four at 8 p.m. … but then I am hesitant to arrive later in the afternoon and perhaps find no place to park?
What do you guys who have been there suggest? I was also interested in possibly taking a Farm Tour – so I was thinking maybe we would do that Saturday morning and then go to the horse park afterward??
Trying to get this all figured out at the last minute makes me want to slap myself. Why wasn’t I paying attention earlier???
I suspect you’ll be OK getting there. There wasn’t an abundance of traffic on the way to the park when we went out in the afternoon before the dressage freestyle, which was probably a fairly similar situation with a BIG event in the evening. We took the bus, so I can’t report on the parking. Based on what happened after the freestyle, the problem is going to be getting OUT of the parking lot.
My advice, FWIW. Do the farm tour, drive to downtown Lexington, and park either in the LexTran structure or in the lot adjacent to the Rupp Center and across the street from the back of the convention center (where the LexTran bus to the Horsepark stops). Walk around a bit, check out the cool horse statues, go to the Expo in the convention center, and get something to eat. Something substantial so you don’t have to eat much once at the Horsepark. Then take the LexTran bus out to the Horsepark, either using the bus stop near the convention center or the one right at LexTran (it leaves from the west-most slot in front of the terminal). You may have to wait in line for bus back, especially if you stay for the medals ceremony (which is definitely worth staying for, IMHO); however, I’m guessing that LexTran learned from freestyle night and will have multiple buses waiting, as that was the case after the stadium eventing phase.
The bus is $1 each way, exact change. Parking is $7 (or maybe $8) at Rupp. Weekend parking is free at the LexTran terminal, $8 otherwise, and there may well be other free parking options downtown.
Have fun!
Peggy – you’re a genius! THANK YOU.
I just booked our farm tour with BlueGrass Tours, and they leave from the Convention Center. They are sending me a map.
Oh gosh, I am so excited! I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve!!
Bring tissues in case the portapotties run out and don’t even think of staying at the Rodeway on Versailles (I have taken photos of our room for which we paid close to $200 a night and am going to send them to their head office with a demand for some kind of restitution)… go to the Normandy booth… and pick up info for the next WEG… it looks like it will be wonderful. Don’t order hot chocolate from any of the vendors… wear comfortable walking footwear and bring a foldable plastic raincoat or garbage bag in case of rain… it was a fun weekend all told, though
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