What locals, spectators and tourists should know about the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in DC

By Thomas Robertson
August 17, 2026 | 3:42 PM

Streets near Downtown D.C. are transitioning into a racetrack this weekend, when IndyCars will thunder down iconic stretches of Pennsylvania, Independence and Constitution avenues at speeds around 200 mph during the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.

It’s a spectacle sure to excite racing fans, and potentially frustrate visitors or those looking to navigate certain areas near the U.S. Capitol and National Mall.

Roads will be closed, flights will be paused and access to some museums will be restricted during the race weekend.

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National Museum of the American Latino to be housed in historic Smithsonian building

By Neal Augenstein
September 1, 2026 | 10:36 AM

The Smithsonian Institution has decided to put the National Museum of the American Latino into an existing, historic building, rather than constructing a new one. The Smithsonian Board of Regents on Monday designated the Arts and Industries Building, a 145-year-old redbrick Victorian structure located between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, as the permanent site of the National Museum of the American Latino, which Congress authorized in 2020. In 2022, the Smithsonian narrowed its survey for permanent locations for the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women's History Museum to four locations near the National Mall on land owned by the National Park Service. The Arts and Industries Building, located at 900 Jefferson St. SW, was one of the four sites. New construction on National Park Service land would require congressional approval. However, since the Smithsonian already owns the Arts and Industries Building, the institution can place the National Museum of the American Latino in the existing building without additional legislation.

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