Pimlico Race Course Charter Bus & Corporate Race-Day Transportation

About Pimlico Race Course Transportation & Corporate Group Shuttles

Pimlico Race Course’s public contact address is 5201 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215. The year-round live racing schedule is not fully publicly documented on the page retrieved; the venue calendar shows doors open Wednesday through Sunday at 11:30 a.m., with limited on-site capacity.

Corporate hospitality tent access is not publicly documented for routine non-Preakness dates. The current public materials only indicate limited-capacity access during calendar events, and the redevelopment materials point to temporary hospitality being part of the phased project rather than a clearly published year-round program.

Group visits and motor coach drop-off details are not publicly documented in the retrieved sources. For a Baltimore transportation plan, that means those logistics would need direct confirmation before being scheduled.

Closest hotels are not publicly documented on the retrieved official pages. Any nearby hotel list should be verified separately with the venue or local lodging inventory.

The 2028+ redevelopment plan is active and phased. Maryland Stadium Authority materials state racing is expected to return to Laurel Park during construction, with the permanent clubhouse at Pimlico projected to open in time for Preakness 153 in 2028. Official redevelopment pages also list the venue’s contact information and confirm the project’s ongoing status.

Why Baltimore Groups Book Us for Preakness

Preakness weekend is the single most complicated day of the Baltimore charter calendar. Park Heights Avenue closes to non-credentialed vehicles by 8am. The city runs traffic control that changes hour by hour based on Pimlico crowd flow. Uber and Lyft surge to $80+ one-way from Downtown for a 6-mile ride. And the Maryland Jockey Club has strict, changing, event-specific rules about which vehicles can enter the Old Hilltop hospitality area and where they can stage.

We have run Preakness charters every single year since 2015. We hold the same motor-coach lot assignments year over year because we have never missed a lot-hold appointment, never blocked a fire lane, and never had a driver bail on a hospitality tent commitment. That track record is why the Maryland Jockey Club takes our permit applications first.

For groups new to Preakness: the earlier you book, the more choice you have. Peak vehicles (party buses and mid-size coaches, in that order) sell out first, usually 90-120 days before the race.

Preakness Weekend Logistics

Preakness Saturday is the biggest single-day event in Baltimore. Traffic around Park Heights Avenue starts building by 7am; by noon the surrounding streets are gridlocked. We dispatch every Preakness coach with a departure buffer of 90 minutes over normal drive time. Motor coach parking at Pimlico is coordinated with the Maryland Jockey Club in advance — your driver stays on-site the entire day.

Black-Eyed Susan Day (Friday) is a smaller, more relaxed event with easier parking and lower group rates.

Vehicle Options for Pimlico Race Course

Baltimore Trips runs a five-tier Baltimore-metro fleet. For Pimlico Race Course groups, these are the vehicles we most often dispatch — click any to jump to the free-quote form.

Motor Coach (40-56 pax)

Full-size touring coach with reclining seats, restroom, under-coach luggage, Wi-Fi and DVD. Right for large wedding-guest shuttles, corporate outings, Ravens/Orioles groups, Preakness corporate hospitality.

Mini-Coach (24-32 pax)

Boutique mid-size coach with high-back seats and PA system. Perfect for family reunions, mid-size wedding blocks, aquarium/museum school groups.

Party Bus (20-40 pax)

LED lighting, premium sound, perimeter leather seating, cooler bar. Baltimore's #1 pick for InfieldFest, tailgates, prom, homecoming and bachelor/bachelorette.

Stretch Limousine (6-14 pax)

Classic Lincoln, Chrysler 300 and Escalade stretches. Weddings, VIP arrivals, high-end nightlife, USNA Ring Dance.

Sprinter Van (10-14 pax)

Executive Mercedes Sprinter. Airport transfers, corporate small-group, museum-district multi-stop tours.

Sample Trips We Run

• Preakness Saturday corporate hospitality. 40-pax motor coach from a Downtown Baltimore hotel block departing at 9:30am. Beats the traffic build-up, drops at the Old Hilltop hospitality tent gate, and holds on-site until 8pm — long enough for the winner's ceremony, the post-race trophy presentation, and the walk-back with a professional driver waiting.
• Black-Eyed Susan Day (Friday). 30-pax party bus from a Downtown hotel for the smaller pre-Preakness Friday race day. Easier parking, lower group rates, and a more relaxed vibe — several corporate clients now use Friday for client entertainment because Saturday is impossibly crowded.
• InfieldFest group of 30. Party bus from a BWI hotel block at 10am. Drops at the InfieldFest gate for a full-day festival experience, driver holds until the final headliner set ends, safe return after midnight with every passenger counted before departure.
• Fan block from DC. 56-pax motor coach from Union Station DC or Rosslyn Metro. 90-minute run up I-95 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway to Pimlico, tailgate + race, return after Preakness winner ceremony with a bathroom stop halfway back.
• Family group to Preakness. 28-pax mini-coach for a multi-generation family. Grandstand seats, easier boarding for older guests, curbside pickup at three suburban addresses, and a driver who understands the difference between a race-day itinerary and a bar-crawl itinerary.
• Bachelor / bachelorette party at Preakness. Party bus of 20 for a groom's or bride's Preakness weekend — the ultimate Baltimore bachelor(ette) location. Coach handles the daytime InfieldFest arrival and pickup, hotel drop-off, then the evening downtown bar-hop.
• Post-Preakness downtown extension. For groups that want to keep the party going past 6pm, the coach continues from Pimlico to Fells Point or Federal Hill for dinner and drinks before the late-night hotel return.

Pricing Guide

All quotes are custom — these ranges reflect real recent bookings for Pimlico Race Course. Peak dates (major race weekends, prom Saturdays, Ravens home Sundays) sit at the high end.

Rates include chauffeur, fuel and standard mileage. Tolls, parking and gratuity billed separately.

Booking Timeline

1. Now — 12 months out. Peak Saturdays (Preakness, Commissioning, prom weekends, September Ravens home openers, Christmas holiday parties) book first. Get on the calendar as early as you have a date.
2. 60-90 days out. Confirm passenger count and pickup addresses. We lock in the specific vehicle from our fleet.
3. 2 weeks out. Final passenger manifest, venue certificate of insurance, driver briefing.
4. 48 hours out. Driver name + cell phone + license plate emailed to you. Chauffeur pre-drives the route.
5. Day of. Live GPS tracking link. 24/7 dispatch on-call for any change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should I book transportation for Pimlico Race Course?

For Pimlico Race Course, we recommend booking 6 to 8 weeks out for weekend events. Peak-season Saturdays (April-June and September-November) book out 3 to 4 months in advance. Corporate weeknight and small-group weekday trips can often be booked same-week. For the true peak — Preakness weekend, Ravens home Sundays in September/October, USNA Commissioning Week — we recommend 4-6 months of lead time.

What is your cancellation policy?

Deposits are refundable if cancelled 14 or more days before the trip. Between 7 and 14 days, 50% of the deposit is held. Inside 7 days, the deposit is retained. Full-charter deposits (weddings, multi-day corporate blocks) may vary; the exact terms are always spelled out in the signed agreement before payment.

Are your drivers licensed and insured?

Every Baltimore Trips chauffeur holds a valid Maryland CDL with passenger endorsement, passes DOT drug and alcohol testing, and completes an annual background check. Every vehicle is DOT-registered under our MC number and covered by a $5,000,000 commercial auto liability policy plus additional passenger-injury coverage.

Can we bring alcohol on the vehicle?

Alcohol is allowed for passengers 21 and over on party buses and stretch limos, at the customer's discretion. Coolers are provided free of charge and the driver will stock them with ice on request. Alcohol is never allowed on school-group, prom, homecoming, or minor-group bookings — this is a firm policy, not a case-by-case call. Chauffeurs are always alcohol-free during and immediately before shifts.

Do you provide certificates of insurance to venues?

Yes. Many Baltimore-area venues (including Pimlico Race Course and downtown hotel blocks) require a certificate of insurance ahead of arrival, often naming the venue as additional insured. We provide one free of charge — just forward us the venue's requirements when you book and we'll handle the paperwork.

Is gratuity included in the quote?

Gratuity is not included in the base quote. Industry standard is 18 to 20 percent of the base charter total, paid to the chauffeur directly at trip end or added to the final invoice on request. For extraordinary service (multi-day contracts, difficult logistics) many clients tip above 20 percent.

What payment methods do you accept?

All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover), ACH bank transfer, corporate check, and Zelle for smaller deposits. A signed booking agreement plus deposit locks the vehicle onto our calendar; the remaining balance is due 72 hours before pickup.

Do you offer package pricing for multi-vehicle bookings?

Yes. For Pimlico Race Course groups needing more than one vehicle (very common for weddings, corporate events, and Preakness), we quote a combined package rate that is typically 8-15% less than the individual per-vehicle sum. Multi-day contracts get a further discount.

Baltimore Cities We Serve

Our five-tier fleet dispatches from a Baltimore metro base with same-day service across MD, DC, VA, PA and DE. Every Pimlico Race Course charter is available for pickup and drop-off at addresses in the following communities without out-of-town mileage surcharges (within 45 miles of Downtown Baltimore):

• Annapolis MD
• Towson MD
• Columbia MD
• Ellicott City MD
• Ocean City MD
• Frederick MD
• Bel Air MD
• Bowie MD
• Owings Mills MD
• Timonium MD
• Rockville MD
• Salisbury MD

Ready to Book?

Tell us your pickup addresses, group size, event date and venue. Full quote within 24 hours — regional Baltimore fleet, professional chauffeurs, transparent pricing. Call 443.423.1247, email [email protected], or use the instant-quote form above.