Race week at Sebring International Raceway is built around long hours, early starts, late finishes, and careful logistics. For race teams, pit crews, support staff, and motorsports professionals, lodging is not just a place to sleep. It can become part of the plan for keeping everyone rested and ready.
Hunnewell’s Cottages in Avon Park gives race-week guests a quieter lakefront setting north of Sebring, with cottage-style accommodations between Lake Byrd and Lake Brentwood. Instead of staying in the middle of race-week activity, crews can return to Highlands County lake country when the workday is over.
Quick answer: Race teams and pit crews looking for lodging during the 12 Hours of Sebring can consider Avon Park as a quieter base outside the immediate raceway area. Our cottages offer kitchen facilities, high-speed internet, air conditioning, and options ranging from value-focused Front Cottages to Lakeside Cottages with private beach access. The drive from central Avon Park to Sebring International Raceway is roughly 17 miles, although actual travel time varies with traffic, race-week congestion, and your starting point.
What race teams should know
- Sebring International Raceway is located at 113 Midway Drive in Sebring, so crews should plan each day’s departure around track access, credentials, parking, and event traffic.
- Avon Park sits north of Sebring along the US-27 corridor, giving teams another lodging area to consider within Highlands County.
- Our cottages include high-speed internet, refrigerators, microwaves, coffee makers, and kitchenette options that can make multi-day race stays more practical.
- Lakeside accommodations provide a setting along Lake Brentwood that feels distinctly different from the atmosphere surrounding a major motorsports event.
- Race-week lodging should be reserved with the entire crew schedule in mind, including arrival dates, practice sessions, qualifying, race day, and departure.
Why Race Teams Should Look Beyond the Immediate Raceway Area
Looking beyond the immediate Sebring International Raceway area can give race teams more lodging choices while still keeping them within the same Highlands County region. During a major endurance-racing weekend, the best accommodation is not necessarily the property closest to the paddock. Crew rest, room setup, food access, and the ability to decompress can matter too.
Sebring International Raceway itself maintains a list of accommodations around Sebring and nearby Lake Placid, underscoring how race visitors routinely spread throughout the surrounding area. Avon Park adds another option north of the track for teams willing to plan a daily commute.
For crews staying with us, US-27 also provides a familiar north-south route through Avon Park and Sebring. The important step is to build extra time into every race-day drive rather than treating a normal travel estimate as a guaranteed race-week commute.
How Far Is Avon Park From Sebring International Raceway?
Avon Park is close enough to serve as a practical race-week base, but crews should expect a drive rather than immediate trackside access. A current route estimate between Avon Park and Sebring International Raceway places the road distance at about 17 miles and the drive at roughly 34 minutes under the conditions modeled by the route service.
That estimate should be treated as planning information, not a promise. The 12 Hours of Sebring brings concentrated activity to the raceway, and team members may also need additional time for parking, gates, security, credentials, equipment movement, or internal track transportation.
A sensible race-week plan is to identify the crew’s required report time and work backward from there, adding a buffer rather than planning around the shortest possible trip.
Why Quiet Lodging Matters After a Long Day at Sebring
Quiet lodging matters during endurance-race week because mechanics, engineers, support personnel, and other crew members may be working unusually long and demanding days. Returning to accommodations removed from the center of event activity can give the team a clearer separation between work time at the circuit and personal time afterward.
Our property sits between Lake Byrd and Lake Brentwood in Avon Park, and our Lakeside Cottages are positioned by the water with access to our private beach.
That setting will not shorten the workday, but it can change what the end of the workday feels like. A lakefront cottage, a meal prepared without another restaurant trip, and a place to settle in for the evening may be valuable considerations for crews staying several nights.
Cottage Amenities That Can Help With Race-Week Logistics
Useful race-team lodging should support the practical routines that happen before and after a day at the track, especially meals, connectivity, climate control, and longer stays. Our Front and Lakeside Cottage options provide different levels of amenities, allowing organizers to consider the needs of individual team members or groups.
Front Cottages include high-speed internet, a microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator, and kitchenette features, with several units offering a small two-burner stove. Guests also have access to charcoal grills and picnic areas.
Our Lakeside Cottages include high-speed internet and fuller kitchen facilities with a refrigerator, two burners, microwave, toaster oven, and coffee maker. They also include air conditioning and private gas barbecue grills.
Laundry machines are available in our game room, another potentially useful feature during a multi-day motorsports stay.
Crews with specific requirements should confirm the exact cottage configuration they are booking rather than assuming every unit has identical features.
Planning a Multi-Day Stay Around Sebring Race Week
The easiest race-week lodging plan starts by booking around the full working schedule instead of race day alone. Teams may need accommodations before the main event for setup, practice, qualifying, support races, meetings, or preparation, and they may not want to check out immediately after an exhausting race day.
For the upcoming 2027 event, IMSA lists the Sebring weekend from March 17 through March 20, with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring scheduled for Saturday, March 20. The event will mark the 75th running of the endurance race.
Our Lakeside Cottages and Lakeside RV rentals currently have a two-day minimum stay, so planners should review stay requirements along with availability when organizing accommodations.
Check race-week cottage availability
Common Race-Team Lodging Mistakes
The most common race-week lodging mistakes come from planning around a normal hotel stay instead of the unusual schedule of an endurance-racing event. A crew’s accommodation needs can look very different from those of spectators visiting Sebring for a day.
Mistake: Planning the commute too tightly.
Consequence: Ordinary driving estimates may not account for event traffic or the time required after reaching the raceway.
Better approach: Add a meaningful buffer before required team report times.
Mistake: Booking only around race day.
Consequence: The reservation may not cover setup, practice, qualifying, or post-race recovery.
Better approach: Map lodging dates against the entire team’s schedule.
Mistake: Assuming every cottage has identical cooking facilities.
Consequence: Meal planning may not match the actual unit.
Better approach: Confirm the specific cottage type and amenities before arrival.
Mistake: Forgetting downtime needs.
Consequence: Crew members can end up spending every waking hour in a high-activity environment.
Better approach: Consider whether a quieter base in Avon Park better fits the team’s preferred race-week rhythm.
A Common Highlands County Race-Week Scenario
A common race-week scenario involves arriving before the main race, spending most daylight hours around Sebring International Raceway, and returning north after the day’s track responsibilities are complete. This is not a specific customer case study, but it illustrates why location and lodging style should be considered together.
A crew might stock the cottage with breakfast items and simple food, leave Avon Park early for scheduled track activity, spend the day working in Sebring, and return after the final responsibilities are finished.
Rather than needing another restaurant stop every evening, a unit with kitchenette facilities gives crew members another option for meals. Those staying lakeside can then return to a setting along Lake Brentwood before repeating the schedule the next morning.
Cottage Lodging vs. a Conventional Hotel for Race Crews
Cottage lodging can make sense for race crews that value kitchen facilities and a more residential setting, while conventional hotels may suit teams that prioritize standardized rooms or the shortest possible drive. Neither format is automatically better, so the right choice depends on how the team plans to operate throughout race week.
A property closer to Sebring International Raceway may reduce normal driving distance. Staying with us in Avon Park means accepting a longer commute in exchange for a lake-area setting and cottage amenities.
Teams should compare total travel time, room configuration, meal plans, work schedules, stay requirements, and the number of people being accommodated before making a decision.
Service Area and Nearby Race-Week Destinations
Our Avon Park location serves guests staying in northern Highlands County while keeping Sebring and its international raceway within driving range. The property is situated between Lake Byrd and Lake Brentwood, with Sebring to the south along the regional US-27 corridor.
Race visitors may also encounter lodging and dining options throughout Sebring and farther south toward Lake Placid, giving organizers several Highlands County areas to consider.
Why Booking Race-Week Lodging Early Can Matter
Booking early gives race teams more opportunity to match accommodations to crew size, arrival dates, and preferred cottage type before race-week demand narrows the choices. The goal is not simply securing somewhere to sleep. It is securing lodging that works with the team’s actual operating schedule.
IMSA publishes the Sebring dates well in advance specifically so competitors, stakeholders, and fans can make plans ahead of time.
For crews interested in staying north of the track, confirming Avon Park accommodations early also provides more time to plan daily transportation, meal routines, room assignments, and arrival logistics.
Ask about availability for your Sebring Race dates
FAQ
Is Avon Park close enough for a race team working at Sebring International Raceway?
Yes, Avon Park can work as a race-team lodging base when the crew is comfortable with a daily drive to the circuit. One current route estimate places the drive from Avon Park to Sebring International Raceway at roughly 17 miles and about 34 minutes, before accounting for race-week traffic or gate delays.
Do the cottages in Avon Park have kitchen facilities?
Yes, our cottages offer food-preparation amenities, although the exact setup depends on the cottage type. Front Cottages include refrigerators, microwaves, coffee makers, and kitchenette features, while Lakeside Cottages offer fuller kitchenette setups with refrigerators, two burners, microwaves, toaster ovens, and coffee makers.
Is internet access available for race-team guests?
Yes, high-speed internet is listed among the amenities in both our Front and Lakeside Cottages. That can be useful for guests who need ordinary online access after returning from Sebring, although teams with specialized bandwidth, data-security, or technical requirements should verify whether the available service meets those specific needs before booking.
What makes the Lakeside Cottages different during a Sebring race stay?
The Lakeside Cottages place guests steps from the private beach and include additional in-unit amenities that may suit a multi-night stay. They feature lake views, fuller kitchen facilities, air conditioning, high-speed internet, and private gas barbecue grills, giving guests several options for spending their off-track hours.
Can crew members do laundry during a multi-day stay in Avon Park?
Yes, laundry machines are listed as available in our on-site game room. For pit crews and support personnel staying through multiple days of Sebring activities, on-property laundry access can be useful when work clothing or everyday travel clothes need cleaning without adding another off-site stop to the schedule.
When is the next 12 Hours of Sebring?
The 2027 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for Saturday, March 20, 2027, with the IMSA event running from March 17 through March 20. The race will be especially notable because IMSA and Sebring International Raceway identify it as the 75th running of the event.
Should a race team stay in Sebring or Avon Park?
The better location depends on whether the team’s priority is proximity to the circuit or a quieter lodging environment away from the immediate event area. Sebring puts crews closer to the raceway, while Avon Park offers another Highlands County option for teams willing to build the commute into their daily schedule.
Give Your Crew a Quieter Place to Recharge Between Track Days
Race week at Sebring demands preparation from the car, the equipment, and the people behind them. Staying in Avon Park gives crews the option to leave the raceway environment at the end of the day and return to cottage accommodations near Lake Byrd and Lake Brentwood.
We welcome race-week travelers looking for a practical Highlands County base with cottage amenities and a lakefront setting.