LOUISVILLE, Ky.— History buffs rejoice, the Kentucky Derby Museum has reopened. It’s part of the state’s latest phase of reopening which allows museums to welcome back guests. 

For an institution built for captivating audiences young and old, it sure has been a long three months. 

“Seeing people walk through the museum has been a great feeling," Rachel Collier told Spectrum News 1, Wednesday. 

The reopening does include several new safety measures similar to other businesses coming back online in past weeks. 

“We understand that people are a little bit nervous to get out and venture out but also people have cabin fever. They want to go do something and dip their toe in the water and see what’s out there," Collier explains. 

Both visitors and staff members are required to wear a face-covering and keep six feet between one another. Also, going forward the museum will close every Tuesday for additional cleaning. 

“Our facilities team is cleaning throughout the day and to be completely cautious we are closed on Tuesday’s now so our facilities team can do a really, really deep clean.”

There are several new exhibits at the Derby Museum including the "Vault Tour," which includes historic artifacts including one item pre-dating the very first running of the Kentucky Derby in 1875.

"Now that we’ve been closed to three months and people are coming back we get to have them visit us again and view some of these items. Very much have a greater appreciation for things coming out of the pandemic," said Chris Goodlett, Director of Curatorial & Educational Affairs.