Most important Road USA. The Mom Street. The Will Rogers Freeway. Recognized by many names, Route 66 is an American icon that has impressed a 1946 hit track, a Nineteen Sixties tv sequence, the 2006 animated film Vehicles, in addition to numerous desires and street journeys.
Route 66, which measured some 2,200 miles in its prime and crossed eight states, turns 100 subsequent yr, so now could be the right time to dive into the historical past of the roadway and maybe plan your personal journey.
A freeway’s highs and lows
Route 66, created by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads in 1926, is a part of the primary federal freeway system and a community of current roads connecting Chicago and Santa Monica, CA, ran parallel to railway traces and between established transportation hubs. Route 66 in 1938 turned the primary freeway within the U.S. to be fully paved.
The Mud Bowl, brought on by droughts and mud storms within the Midwest and southern Nice Plains, and the Nice Melancholy of the Nineteen Thirties, helped considerably develop US 66, as farm employees and their households migrated on the route to hunt work in California. The freeway, featured in John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel (and the 1940 film) The Grapes of Wrath, additionally served as a vital route for troopers and provides throughout World Warfare II.
The post-war interval noticed extra Individuals shopping for automobiles and taking holidays, which made automotive journey for leisure — significantly heading West — extra widespread. As automotive visitors elevated, neon indicators, memento retailers, motels, eating places, gasoline stations and roadside sights sprang up alongside Route 66.
Enterprise boomed for the cities alongside the roadway via the mid Nineteen Fifties. However the reputation of automotive journey on a big scale sarcastically contributed to Route 66’s downfall: It drove a push towards higher roads and extra environment friendly methods of traversing the U.S.
President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Support Freeway Act of 1956 to create a nationwide system of interstate highways, which supplied quicker methods to get to the most important cities. Consequently, 5 new interstates (I-55, I-44, I-40, I-15 and I-10) changed U.S. 66 between the Nineteen Fifties and the Eighties. After the 1984 bypassing of the final part of U.S. 66 by I-40, Route 66 was formally decommissioned in 1985.
The forgotten freeway was left to deteriorate, however curiosity in and nostalgia for the route caused quite a few efforts to protect, defend and promote Route 66. A century after its growth, the Mom Street continues to fascinate individuals with its connection to American historical past, popular culture and the spirit of journey.
Able to plan your personal cruise on Route 66 to rejoice its centennial? Listed below are some journey assets and issues to see, eat and drink alongside the best way, organized by state.
ILLINOIS (301 miles)
Going from east to west, your journey begins in Chicago. Should you actually need to return in time, go to the speakeasy-style Potter’s Bar in The Palmer Home resort for Prohibition-style cocktails.
After a very good night time’s relaxation, head to the “Historic 66 Start” signal on the northwestern nook of Adams St. and Michigan Ave. Gas up for the journey on the historic Lou Mitchell’s restaurant or The Roadhouse 66 Gasoline N’ Grill, after which hit the street.
The primary 100 miles of Route 66 is called the Heritage Hall. In Joliet, go to the Route 66 Welcome Middle on the Joliet Space Historic Museum and the Previous Joliet Jail, made well-known by The Blues Brothers film.
A brand new space attraction is PENN Leisure’s $185 million Hollywood On line casino Joliet, opened in August 2025. Should you’re feeling fortunate, hungry or thirsty, the land-based on line casino options about 1,000 slots and 43 reside desk video games, an ESPN BET sportsbook and several other eating places and bars.
You’ll be able to see American bison grazing at Midewin Nationwide Tallgrass Prairie, the Gemini Big in Wilmington, and the Ambler Becker Texaco Station in Dwight — the longest-operating filling station on Route 66. In Pontiac, go to the Pontiac-Oakland Auto Museum and take within the large Route 66 defend mural downtown behind the Route 66 Corridor of Fame & Museum.
Springfield boasts a number of worthy stops, from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to the Illinois State Museum, the Ace Signal Firm Museum, and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Dana Thomas Home. Route 66 Motorheads Bar, Grill and Museum, designed with automotive and racing lovers in thoughts, is residence to a wide range of bike rallies, automotive reveals and different occasions all year long.
The final 100 miles of Route 66 in Southwest Illinois is a part of the Nice Rivers & Routes area, going from Virden simply outdoors Springfield to the Previous Chain of Rocks Bridge, which was a part of the outdated Route 66 and crosses the Mississippi River. Right here, Route 66 connects with one other legendary freeway, the Nice River Street.
Assets: IL66Assoc.org, EnjoyIllinois.com
Nationwide Park Websites: Chicago Portage Nationwide Historic Web site, Lincoln House Nationwide Historic Web site
Landmarks: Gemini Big (Wilmington), Sprague’s Tremendous Service Station (Regular), Cozy Canine Drive In (Springfield)
MISSOURI (292 miles)
In St. Louis, after visiting the well-known Gateway Arch, try Schlafly Beer, town’s authentic craft brewery, which brews greater than 70 types of beer and runs a number of brewpubs. It’s been engaged on a line of low-ABV beers that don’t sacrifice taste and lately launched a 2.5% IPA at its faucet room.
The Pulaski County portion of Route 66 marks the midway level between St. Louis and Joplin and boasts breathtaking views of rivers chopping via limestone and dolomite rock, leaving dramatic bluffs and fertile valleys. The George M. Reed Roadside Park is among the few remaining authentic roadside parks on Route 66 in Missouri, whereas Route 66 Neon Park in St. Robert provides a number of restored neon indicators lit from nightfall until midnight every day.
Assets: Missouri66.org, VisitMO.com
Nationwide Park Websites: Gateway Arch Nationwide Park, Ulysses S. Grant Nationwide Historic Web site
Landmarks: 66 Drive-In (Carthage),
Ted Drewes (St. Louis), Meramec
Caverns (Stanton)
KANSAS (13 miles)
After crossing into Kansas, go to the Galena Mining and Historic Museum for a glimpse of the city throughout its Nineteen Twenties-era mining heyday, whereas Vehicles on the Route, contained in the outdated Kan-O-Tex gasoline station, serves sandwiches and sells souvenirs associated to Pixar’s animated Route 66 film Vehicles.
Assets: TravelKS.com, Fb.com/KSHistoricRoute66
Landmarks: Baxter Springs Service Station (Baxter Springs), Rainbow Bridge (Riverton)
OKLAHOMA (376 miles)
For a respite if you attain Tulsa, OK, try the Ambassador Resort Tulsa. As soon as a haven for oil barons awaiting their mansions, the 1929 resort nonetheless carries the glamour of town’s boomtown days. Locals and vacationers alike flock to The Chalkboard Kitchen + Bar, a comfortable spot downstairs for refined consolation meals and craft cocktails.
Most historic lodges await in Oklahoma Metropolis, similar to The Nationwide, Autograph Assortment. Housed within the 1931 First Nationwide Financial institution constructing, the resort embraces its historical past with The Vault, a speakeasy cocktail lounge within the outdated financial institution vault, and Tellers, an Italian-inspired eatery that makes use of the unique teller stands as cubicles.
Subsequent door to The Nationwide, the Colcord Resort — housed within the metropolis’s first skyscraper — blends early Twentieth-century magnificence with fashionable comforts together with domestically impressed delicacies at Flint, botanical cocktails on Flora’s out of doors patio and pet-friendly paw-tio menus.
Try the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton for a deep dive into the historical past of the Mom Street with interactive reveals. The museum provides guests a private journey via the revered freeway, showcasing the enduring concepts, photographs and myths of Route 66.
Assets: OklahomaRoute66.com, TravelOK.com
Nationwide Park Websites: Oklahoma Metropolis Nationwide Memorial
Landmarks: Blue Whale (Catoosa), Spherical Barn (Acadia), Rock Cafe (Shroud)
TEXAS (178 miles)
Along with Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo boasts The Huge Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery, well-known for the 72-oz. steak problem: Should you can eat a salad, a baked potato, a shrimp cocktail, and 72 oz. of beef in a single hour, it’s free; if not, you’ll need to pay the $72 worth of the meal. The Huge Texan additionally provides lodging at its RV park, cabins, wagons, Airstreams and Airbnbs on property.
Assets: Rt66ofTexas.com, TravelTexas.com
Landmarks: Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo), Leaning Tower of Texas (Groom), U-Drop Inn (Shamrock)
NEW MEXICO (380 miles)
Santa Fe, which was a part of the unique Route 66 earlier than being bypassed in 1937, was based in 1610 and has a walkable historic district. Milk of the Poppy is an immersive apothecary-meets-craft cocktail bar that evokes the expertise of stumbling right into a traveler’s tavern within the fashionable period. Its drinks draw inspiration from historic and fictional libations, and its restricted menu options dishes influenced by the area and taverns of the Center Ages.
Heading into Albuquerque, Vara Vineyard and Distillery has a number of tasting rooms to get pleasure from after a protracted day of driving. Vara goals to redefine how and when Individuals get pleasure from glowing wine, positioning it as a value-driven, on a regular basis choice with a high-quality home various with Spanish character and French winemaking; it additionally makes gin, vodka and rum.
Assets: Rt66NM.org, NewMexico.org
Nationwide Park Websites: Pecos Nationwide Historic Park, Petroglyph Nationwide Monument, El Malpais Nationwide Monument
Landmarks: Blue Swallow Motel (Tucumcari), El Rancho Resort & Motel (Gallup), Maisel’s Indian Buying and selling Publish (Albuquerque)
ARIZONA (401 miles)
Cease on the Flagstaff Customer Middle on the practice depot and ask for the Arizona Historic Route 66 Passport. There are quite a few eateries and bars within the historic downtown district, together with Lumberyard Brewing Co., with an out of doors patio overlooking the practice tracks. Should you’re in search of nightlife, The Museum Membership in Flagstaff is a former Route 66 roadhouse and taxidermy store turned nation western nightclub, full with line dancing and reside music.
Should you want a spot to remain in Flagstaff, the Americana Motor Resort options 89 suave rooms with design touches similar to Nineteen Seventies skiwear-inspired headboards and disco balls. It additionally boasts a year-round heated pool, an expansive yard with firepits, telescopes for stargazing, rentable bikes, EV chargers and a fenced-in “barkyard” for pets.
Different historic cities alongside Route 66 embody Holbrook, Winslow, Williams, Seligman and Kingman, all of which have basic retailers, eating places and sights. The ultimate stretch of Route 66 in Arizona runs via the Black Mountains and Oatman, a Wild West mining city with staged shootouts, picket sidewalks and free-roaming burros. The historic Oatman Resort homes a bar and restaurant on the bottom stage and a museum on the second flooring — together with the Clark Gable/Carole Lombard honeymoon suite.
Assets: AZRt66.com, VisitArizona.com
Nationwide Park Websites: Grand Canyon Nationwide Park, Petrified Forest Nationwide Park, Walnut Canyon Nationwide Monument
Landmarks: Wigmam Resort #6 (Holbrook), Standin’ on the Nook Park (Winslow), Jack Rabbit Buying and selling Publish (Joseph Metropolis), Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In (Seligman)
CALIFORNIA (315 miles)
After Route 66 goes over the Colorado River, it crosses the barren Mojave Desert earlier than getting into the megalopolis of Los Angeles, the place it ends on the Santa Monica Pier. What now?
You would possibly take a stroll via Third Road Promenade, the place you may browse widespread retailers, catch a road efficiency or just take within the vibrant out of doors vitality. You’ll additionally discover 1212 Santa Monica, which provides a vibey seaside escape in a vintage-chic, two-story restaurant and lounge with elevated New American delicacies and inventive cocktails.
Lastly, reward your self after a protracted journey with a keep, meal or drink at one of many posh lodges the close to the pier. One is The Georgian, an Artwork Deco landmark that first opened in 1933, consists of the intense and colourful Sirena restaurant and the darkish and moody Italian steakhouse, The Georgian Room.
Simply on the opposite aspect of the pier is the Sandbourne Santa Monica , the place you may get pleasure from a signature cocktail similar to a Matcha Martini on the oceanfront Foyer Bar or the tremendous California delicacies at its Marelle restaurant. Should you’ve simply completed a cruise down Route 66, you’ve earned it.
Assets: Route66CA.org, VisitCalifornia.com
Nationwide Park Websites: Mojave Nationwide Protect, Mojave Trails Nationwide Monument
Landmarks: Previous Trails Bridge (Needles), Roy’s Motel & Cafe (Amboy), Barstow Harvey Home (Barstow)
