Lots of NASA Time Trial and racing competitors are gearing up for the NASA Championships event in Sebring Sept. 24-27. We are all excited about racing on the same mottled surfaces as so many of the legends of sports car racing: Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Denise McCluggage, Dan Gurney, Janet Guthrie, Roger Penske, Phil Hill, David Hobbs, Ken Miles, Carroll Shelby, Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jackie Ickx, A.J. Foyt, Bruce McLaren, Hans Stuck, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman.
The list goes on and on. When you race at Sebring International Raceway, you are racing through the pages of history.
As we do every year, we like to give you a little guide of how you can make your championships experience into something more, if you are so inclined. Maybe bring the family in early and take in some of the sunshine state’s attractions or stay later and do it after the Championships.
If we’re honest, the town of Sebring is a bit sleepy. If it weren’t for the race track, we would never know it was there. Downtown is quaint, and worth checking out, but, of course, the track is why we’re all there.
The good news about Sebring, or nearly anywhere in Central Florida for that matter, is that no matter where you are, you are only a couple hours from some of the coastal regions and other attractions in Florida that make the state as fun and interesting as it is.
If you want to go to Tampa Bay and take in a Rays baseball game, it’s only a couple hours to the northwest. If you want to head to Miami, it’s just a few hours southeast of Sebring, and the same goes for Orlando and the Fort Myers area. They’re all just a hop, skip and a jump from Sebring.
To help you make the most of your NASA Championships experience in 2026, we thought we would give you some ideas about places you might consider visiting before or after the event.
Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg
One of the coolest and most captivating places to visit in all of Florida is the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Opened in 1982 and treated to a new building in 2011, the Dali Museum highlights the life and work of Spain’s most celebrated surrealist painter, who died in 1989 at age 85.
The museum has everything from his early works, which are more simplistic, to his later, more fantastic pieces, including masterworks such as “The Discovery of America,” “The Hallucinogenic Torreador,” and “The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory.”
Be sure to hit the gift shop for some melting-watch post cards. What’s equally cool is that you can step outside the museum and walk around the streets to look for the red-and-white curbing put in place for the annual St. Petersburg Grand Prix.
On your way from Sebring to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, you might consider pulling off I-275 before you cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on to Hwy. 41 and head to T4 Kartplex in Palmetto, Fla., one of the finest karting facilities in the country. Built and formerly owned by Andersen Promotions, the organization that owns and operates the USF Pro Championships open-wheel series, T4 Kartplex has an asphalt .6 mile track, a pro shop, a racing school and arrive-and-drive rentals. It’s not far off either I-75 or I-275, and it’s a worthwhile stop.
If you want to take in a major league baseball game, head over to Tropicana Field to catch a Tamp Bay Rays game. Yes, they are a Tampa team, but the ballpark is in St. Pete. The Rays’ 2026 record was over .600 at deadline, so you might be able to see some good baseball or catch them playing your home team.
Orlando
Anybody who lives anywhere on the eastern seaboard is familiar with Orlando and all of the attractions that it offers. There is Disney World and it’s assorted parks like Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon water park and the Disney Springs entertainment district. Of course, there is also Universal Studios and SeaWorld, and one of the newest attractions on international Drive in Orlando: Icon Park. Thus the Ferris Wheel photo above.
Orlando’s international Drive is something of a tourist trap, but they do have indoor karting and an enormous firearms center called Shooters World where you can shoot almost any kind of gun you want, from handguns to a Browning M1919 machine gun, and lots of things in between. The range facilities are first rate.
If you still have any driving left in you after the Championships, there’s a great little kart track on the industrial side of Orlando called Orlando Kart Center. The karts are gas-powered four-strokes and the asphalt track is enormously fun. Skip the touristy kart places and go here instead.
If you want to check out an old school Florida tourist attraction, consider Gatorland, self-styled as the alligator capital of the world. The live feedings will show you just how powerful these creatures are, and the entrance to the building is an old Florida icon.
Fort Myers
If rest and relaxation is what you are looking for, the most sedate and calming place you could find is Sanibel Island and Captiva Island off the Fort Myers coast. Sanibel and Captiva have strict laws limiting signs and lights and all of the trappings that make parts of Florida look like a tourist trap. Sanibel and Captiva are peaceful, they are dark and quiet at night and their beaches our world class. It’s not clear how many NASA members are also seashell enthusiasts, but we have heard the “shelling” on Sanibel Island is among the best you will find. Much of the hurricane damage from 2022 and 2024 has been repaired and the islands are open for business.
If you are feeling adventurous, try taking a boat or a water taxi to the Cabbage Key Inn and Restaurant located on Cabbage Key near Sanibel and Captiva Islands. For more than 60 years, visitors have signed and stapled dollar bills to the walls, resulting in thousands of bills covering the interior. Every year, the restaurant peels off of fallen bills to donate to local charities.
Everglades National Park
Due south of Sebring is the Everglades National Park, made famous by the 1947 Marjory Stoneman Douglas book “The Everglades: River of Grass.” The Everglades also was also prominent in “The Orchid Thief” book and movie of the same name. Everglades National Park is far more than just a swamp. It offers lots of things to do and to see, including American crocodiles, which are found nowhere else in the continental United States.
It is little known that you can actually drive to the southern tip of the Florida peninsula to the Flamingo Campground, which overlooks Florida Bay.
Miami Beach
Miami is very much an international city, and it has been a popular destination for nearly 100 years. Miami Beach is also popular for lots of reasons, but perhaps the most fascinating thing about that strip of sand is that it contains more Art Deco architecture per square mile than any other place on earth.
Ocean Avenue is the hot spot, but there are lots of examples of Art Deco buildings on Collins Avenue and throughout Miami Beach, which has a night life like few other places you can go. It thrums with energy, with clubs and restaurants offering all manner of food, from seafood and traditional American fare to dishes that showcase the Caribbean and Latin American influence on the city.
St. Augustine
Located just off interstate 95 about halfway between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach is St. Augustine, Fla. Of course, we all remember from grade school history classes that St. Augustine was the place where Spanish explorer Ponce DeLeon was searching for the fountain of youth. He never did find it, but fellow Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the United States. The city itself dates to 1565.
One of the things you must see is the Castillo de San Marcos, the fort in St. Augustine that is now a national park. Construction began in 1672 and was completed in 1695. The fort has withstood multiple attacks in the 18th century and changed ownership four times from Spain to Great Britain, to the United States to the Confederate States of America back to the U.S after the Civil War. This place is teeming with history.
In downtown St. Augustine, there is some more recent history, namely Flagler College, a small private liberal arts college that began life as the luxury Hotel Ponce DeLeon built by railroad and oil magnate Henry Flagler. It is worth a sightseeing trip as is the rest of downtown St, Augustine.
Freshwater Springs
Florida has a litany of natural springs statewide. On a hot summer day, you can jump into a 72-degree spring brimming with gin-clear water. Pick one, any one, and go for a visit.
If you are up for a little kitsch, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is about as old-school an attraction as there is, and it is due west of Orlando in Spring Hill. It’s right up there with Gatorland. Yes, they still have the underwater mermaid show, but they have added a water park and other amenities to hold the interests of modern tourists.
Daytona Beach
If you missed your chance to race at Daytona International Speedway at the NASA Championships in 2021, you can still get some laps in at the NASCAR Racing Experience at the Speedway. There are driving experiences and ride-alongs.
If you are traveling on interstate 95, it is literally five minutes off the freeway. When you are done, you can head over the New Smyrna Speedway to watch some good roundy-round racing on the asphalt oval, or head east to Daytona Beach for a few nights.
Whatever you choose to do, however, you choose to approach the 2026 NASA Championships, it’s time to get excited and it’s time to start planning. We can hardly wait. We’ll see you in Sebring!
