Travel Tips: The NASCAR Hall of Fame

The race car simulator area at the NASCAR Hall of Fame
credit: NASCAR via Getty Images/Streeter Lecka

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductions are coming up on Jan. 20, 2017, but the Hall of Fame itself is open year-round – if you’re planning a trip to the Charlotte/Concord area of North Carolina, make sure it’s on your “must-see” list.

• The ground-breaking for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, located at 400 East Martin Luther King Blvd. in Charlotte, took place on Jan. 26, 2007, with its official opening on May 11, 2010. There is approximately 40,000 square feet of exhibit space, with the overall Hall of Fame encompassing 150,000 square feet of space.
• There are four floors to the Hall: the High Octane Theater takes up the first floor, with the Ceremonial Plaza, Glory Road and the Great Hall on the second floor. The third floor features the Hall of Honor – featuring the most-recently inducted class – along with the transporter and race car simulators and the “Race Week Experience” exhibit, and the fourth floor exhibit is “Heritage Speedway,” covering the six-decade history of NASCAR.
• Other amenities at the NASCAR Hall of Fame include the Pit Stop Café in case you need to “refuel” and the Gear Shop for your shopping enjoyment. Also part of the Hall of Fame Complex are a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, the Crown Ballroom – part of the Charlotte Convention Center – and the NASCAR Plaza Office Tower.
• The NASCAR Hall of Fame is open weekdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ET (check website for dates when it may be closed). Admission as of this writing is $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors (60+) and Military (with ID), and $12.95 for children 5-12 – members receive free admission (memberships start at $90 per year).
• Stay connected with the NASCAR Hall of Fame at www.nascarhall.com.

Planning your NASCAR vacation? Check this out, too:

• Travel Tips: The Dale Trail