Arlington International Racecourse

2200 W Euclid Ave
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847)385-7500
website

My sisters and I decided to take my parents here to celebrate their birthdays. It turned out to be a great day. The weather was perfect. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Our server was very friendly (he even took a picture for us). The races were very entertaining. The kids had a great time. A couple of us even came out ahead with our bets! I would call the day a success.

My sister actually bought our tickets ahead of time. We wanted things to be nice so we got Executive Box seats. These were $17 per person. We went on a Saturday so the races started at 1:15pm. The gates to the track open at 12pm. And the gates to park open at 11:30am.

We decided to make some sandwiches and bring them to the park. They had tables near the entrance where we ate lunch. Then, we went to the area where they parade the horses. They bring them out 20 minutes before each race. Then, they get them ready for the race. After the the jockeys mount them, they walk one by one to the track 5-10 minutes before the race starts. This is a great time to see the horses. If you bring kids and they get restless, this is also a great time to stretch your legs.

There are places set up all over where you can make your bets. They have machines or you can place your bet with an actual person. This was my first time using a machine and I found it to be very easy. In the end, my husband and I won $11.20. Anything above $0 is a win for me!

Our seats were great. They were covered so we wouldn't get wet if it rained. We wouldn't get hot if it was too sunny. We could see everything really well. We ended up with 2 boxes right next to each other because we had 11 people. There are 4 padded seats that line the back of the box. Then, there's a large table with a TV that has 2 office chairs at it. The TV shows the race and everything that is displayed on the giant screen on the track. It can also pick up a couple other channels if you want to watch something else. Our waitor told us if the Cubs were playing, you could usually pick that up. To get your waitor's attention, you raise this little flag in front of your box.

Overall, we had a great time and we'll definitely be going back again.