Three high school marching bands from Western Pennsylvania will be high stepping it to the Blue Grass State for an appearance in the Kentucky Derby's Pegasus Parade next Thursday.

And the itineraries for Carlynton, Franklin Regional and Keystone Oaks give new meaning to the term, "educational travel."

"We try to do something different every year, see something [the students] wouldn't normally get to see," said Carlynton band director Kevin Lucey, who will be traveling with about 60 students.

Since 1956, the Pegasus Parade has been a traditional part of the Kentucky Derby Festival, taking place two days before the famous horse race. The 1.7-mile route through Louisville will be lined with more than 275,000 spectators.

About 100 units and 25,000 participants comprise "larger-than-life floats," bands and giant character balloons.

While marching, bands also are judged on music and visual presentation by representatives of the Board of American Judges.

"The pageantry is legendary. It's a good venue for the kids to perform in," said Keystone Oaks' band director Laura Hanlon.

Franklin Regional's Kevin Pollock and Carlynton's Mr. Lucey agree. They look for high-profile national events when planning their trips and were attracted to the prestige of the Pegasus Parade. The International Festival and Events Association ranks it among the top 15 parades in the country.

"We've never done this parade, so it's going to be very exciting," Mr. Pollock said.

Keystone Oaks will play a march version of "My Old Kentucky Home" and the old rock tune, "The Horse." Ms. Hanlon stressed that while the focus of the trip is the parade, her 75 students will get to appreciate the Kentucky Derby experience -- without going to the race.

When not performing, the Keystone Oaks band members will visit Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, where they will see a "breed show," featuring 40 types of horses. They also will visit the Louisville Slugger baseball bat museum.

Unable to book rooms near Louisville, the Carlynton band is staying in Cincinnati, Ohio, about 45 minutes from the parade. They will visit the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, outside Dayton, and King's Island amusement park.

The day after the parade, Franklin Regional's 180-member band will travel to Chicago, where it will tour the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago Art Institute and visit the Sears Tower Skydeck Observatory. The group will also see the Broadway show, "Wicked."

Mr. Lucey said his students are generally excited just to go on a trip.

"Louisville might not be considered a glamorous destination," he said, "but I think when they get there, they'll be surprised."