Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the most famous racetrack in the world, and its museum is the one essential stop for anyone who has ever watched the Indy 500. It stands in the infield of the track itself, at 4750 West 16th Street in the town of Speedway, about six miles west of downtown, so the grandstands and the pagoda tower loom over you as you park. The museum reopened after a top-to-bottom reimagining that added around 40,000 square feet of immersive exhibit space. General admission now covers the lower level, which used to be seen only on special tours, and a new mezzanine displaying artifacts that have never been on show before, alongside the main floor of winning cars and racing history. There is also a hands-on Qualifying Zone where you can test your own reflexes. TIME magazine named the museum one of its World's Greatest Places for 2026. The real thrill, though, is going out onto the track: the narrated Kiss the Bricks bus tour runs a full lap of the 2.5-mile oval and stops at the start-finish line, where you can kneel and kiss the Yard of Bricks like a race winner.

Hours and tickets: the museum is open daily from 10am to 4pm. General admission is about $25 for adults, a little less for seniors and veterans, about $18 for youth aged 5 to 16, and free for young children. Track tours are booked separately, and reservations are recommended because places are limited and schedules can change for weather or track activity. Holiday hours around Thanksgiving and Christmas were not posted when we checked, so confirm before a visit on 26 November or late December.

Which tour you get: the Speedway alternates tours by day. Kiss the Bricks is the 30-minute narrated bus lap of the oval with a stop at the start-finish line and the Yard of Bricks. On days when the oval is unavailable, the 30-minute Victory Podium tour runs instead, taking you through the garage area and Gasoline Alley to the podium where the winner celebrates. In early November 2026 the published schedule ran Victory Podium on most weekdays and Kiss the Bricks on several weekend days, so if the lap is your priority, check the tour calendar before you choose a date. A 90-minute golf cart tour of restricted backstage areas also runs, though access to the oval and the bricks is not guaranteed on it.

Getting there: there is no quick public transit link from downtown, so most visitors drive or take a taxi or rideshare, which takes around fifteen to twenty minutes. Allow at least two hours for the museum and a tour together, more for serious fans. Main Street in Speedway, just outside the track, has places to eat if you want to make an afternoon of it.