Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum Reviews (Indianapolis, Indiana)

No Trains, No Planes, but Lots of Automobiles!

lebanon, Indiana

December 19, 2010

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Best of IgoUgo We went to IMS Hall of Fame in December during the 12 Days of Indy Christmas, which is an event the features free admission to an Indy location each day the 12 days before Christmas. While we are race fans, we have never been to the museum in the ...Read more We went to IMS Hall of Fame in December during the 12 Days of Indy Christmas, which is an event the features free admission to an Indy location each day the 12 days before Christmas. While we are race fans, we have never been to the museum in the four years that we have lived in the Indy area. As I was experiencing cabin fever, a free trip to a museum was all I needed to get me out of the house.

There are around 75 vehicles on display at all times at the museum, but I do not know how often they rotate the collection. The majority of vehicles are Indy Style Race cars, but motorcyles and NASCAR style cars (including Tony Stewart's 2005 Home Depot #20 that won him his first Brickyard trophy.) The displays are well labeled for people who are interested in the stories behind each car.

When we went, there was a large Lego display of Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Indy 500. The artist, Brian Darrow, took great lengths in the 8 years to make the display as complete as possible, including some funny details in regards to the Lego Spectators. A humorous "can you find?" list included two people who had drank too much, a pair of streakers, and an illegal pit crew, among items. While I realize that not many people in their thirties still love Legos, I am one of them, and it was my personal highlight of the visit.

There are several trophy displays, including the Borg-Warner Trophy, which has the name and face of every winner of the Indianapolis 500. My husband and I laughed at the difference in the styles of the winner's heads over the years. The early winners were sculpted with their caps still on, where recent winners have not been, resulting in an appearance quite similar to miniature gargoyles when not looking extremely closely.

There is an 18 1/2 minute movie that can be viewed in a 48 seat theater. It is somewhat interesting, but not what I would consider necessary. There is a photo op available for $5 to have your picture taken in an Indy car. I did notice that while we were there, they were allowing people to take their own pictures (for free.) Sadly, when we were there, there were more people around the car than I wanted to wait for to get my picture taken.

The Museum is closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. It is open March - October from 9 am to 5 pm, with extended hours during race events, and 10 am - 4 pm November- February. The cost of admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children, with children under 5 being free. The vast majority of its visitors are in May, so if you live close to Indy, you may want to plan your trip around that.

There is a Grounds Tour available on certain days of the year. It is currently $25 per adult, and $10 per child, which included museum admittance. 2011 dates are not available, but 2010's are still listed at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/facility/35372-On-Track-Experiences/.

I really enjoyed that we took the time to visit the museum. We got to go for free, but I would have happily paid $10 for the two of us. I would recommend the museum for people who enjoy racing, cars, or both. I would not recommend it for people bringing small children. There just aren't many interactive displays, and looking at a car that you cannot touch does not have much appeal to a four year old.

So, start your engines, and enjoy a fun couple of hours at the Hall of Fame Museum!

Please note that while I am employed by Wyndham Worldwide, the opinions in this review do not reflect the opinion of Wyndham Worldwide. Close

From journal Indianapolis Experiences

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

by RoBoNC

Indianapolis, Indiana

January 2, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo "Gentlemen Start Your Engines" – From the beaches of Daytona to the desert of Arizona, these words are as famous as the drivers themselves and the tracks they race on. While some tracks are more famous than others, no other track has more history ...Read more "Gentlemen Start Your Engines" – From the beaches of Daytona to the desert of Arizona, these words are as famous as the drivers themselves and the tracks they race on. While some tracks are more famous than others, no other track has more history than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is the only the landmark related to automotive history to be included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909 and has a seating capacity of 275,000 with an infield capacity that brings the total to 400,000 making it the largest sporting facility in the world. It is a two and a half mile track and like Daytona, which has a lake in the infield, Indianapolis has a road course track as well as an 18 hole golf course which has been used by the PGA.

The most famous race which began in 1911 is the Indianapolis 500, which has been hailed as the "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." It is the Super Bowl of the Indy Circuit just as the Daytona 500 is to the NASCAR circuit. Besides the Indy 500, the track also hosts NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 and it used to host the United States Grand Prix on the Formula One circuit.

Tickets to any of the major races here cost anywhere between $70-150. We were not able to attend a race here, but that did not stop us from experiencing all that the track had to offer. There is a museum on the grounds that is dedicated to the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and has over 75 different vehicles on display. Such vehicles on display include the Marmon "Wasp", which won the inaugural Indy 500 in 1911 as well as all four vehicles driven by A.J. Foyt, who has won the Indy 500, a record four times. Besides race cars, there is a 1925 McFarlan TV6 Passenger Roadster and a 1935 Duesenberg Model JN, in which only three were built.

After looking at the different vehicles in this massive museum and taking the opportunity to crawl into an Indy Car, it was time to see the track. Along with your admission, you can take a ride in an air-conditioned vehicle around the track. The two and a half mile lap lets you experience the track from the driver’s perspective, albeit not at the speed that you would like. The golf course is clearly visible as well as the new road course in the infield. Some of the unique characteristics of the track are at the start/finish line. Before the track was paved, it was covered in bricks. A three foot section of section of bricks was left and is where the Brickyard 400 gets its name. A racing tradition is for the winner and his crew to knell down and kiss the bricks. The other obvious feature is the Control Tower designed as a Chinese Pagoda and it can all be experienced for $6.
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From journal Two friends, Four Days and a Lifetime of Memories

The Brickyard Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

by brendamae_02

springfield, Illinois

April 24, 2006

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This is one of the biggest races in NASCAR. It is very fun to see a race in person, as opposed to on TV. Not only is there racing, but most of the races, there are concerts being held and lots of other activities!

From journal Brickyard 500

The Brickyard- Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

by skmkart6

Gold Coast, Australia

September 30, 2005

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Last weekend I was lucky enough to visit "The Brickyard," or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What an awesome day - we started off by taking a look around the museum located just beside the track. The museum showcases all the cars that have ...Read more

From journal The Brickyard

Hall of Fame Museum

by npernarelli

Reno, Nevada

November 2, 2003

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This is quite an impressive collection of cars, even to a novice racing fan like myself. It's hard to believe some of the older models really made it 500 laps around the track! There are more than 75 cars on display in the museum, including the ...Read more

From journal F1 Weekend in Indy

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