State by State Route 66 Highlights
Route 66 crosses eight states and three time zones. Some of the best-preserved sections include the stretch between Springfield, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma; the road west of Seligman, Arizona; and the Oatman Highway through the Black Hills of Arizona. Here’s a look at Route 66 attraction highlights state by state, along with a general overview of directions from east to west.
Illinois
Chicago: It’s here in America’s third-largest city that the Mother Road begins. It snakes southwest through Illinois and into St. Louis, Missouri. Though much of the route has been replaced by I-55, there’s still plenty of two-lane blacktop to explore. From Chicago, Route 66 heads to Pontiac.
Make your first stop the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame & Museum, one of the best Route 66 museums on the journey. You’ll learn about the 1908 Race Riots on a walking tour in Springfield, and in Funks Grove, stop for “sirup” at Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup.
Missouri and Kansas
Route 66 through Missouri gives you your first glimpse of Ozark country—tree-covered hills that gently rise and dip, and lush valleys that spread before you. This leg of the trip starts in St. Louis, where you’ll stroll the unusual Chain of Rocks Bridge, get interactive at the fun-for-everyone City Museum, and taste a custard “concrete” at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Take a break from the car with a walk around Laumeier Sculpture Park in Kirkwood, visit the Trail of Tears Memorial in Jerome, and spend a day in Springfield, the official birthplace of Route 66.
Route 66 only covers 13 miles (20.9 km) through Kansas, but there are several places worth a stop, like Cars on the Route in Galena and stop for sandwiches at Nelson’s Old Riverton Store in Riverton.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma has more drivable miles of Route 66 than any other state. You’ll cross early roadbeds and one of the longest bridges on the Mother Road, plus you’ll learn about some of the most significant racial events to shape our country’s his-tory. In Catoosa, you can check out an oddball roadside attraction, the Blue Whale. Spend a few hours in Tulsa soaking up the art deco architecture before paying a visit to the Greenwood Cultural Center, which details the Tulsa Race Riot. In Weatherford, you can tour real rockets and spacecraft at Stafford Air & Space Museum.
Texas
Route 66 runs directly west across the Texas Panhandle, parallel to I-40. The drive is peaceful and solitary, punctu-ated by rusting grain silos that jut out of the horizon and tiny towns set in the middle of nowhere. Don’t miss the art deco marvel, Tower Station and U-Drop Inn, in Shamrock. In Groom, get pictures of the Leaning Water Tower before continuing west to Amarillo, where the famed Cadillac Ranch shows off 10 vintage Caddies buried nose-deep in a field. A slice of pie at the MidPoint Café in Adrian marks the halfway point of this road trip and is a must-do.
New Mexico
From Texas, Route 66 crosses into the luminescent landscape of red rocks and eternal sunsets that is New Mexico. Tucumcari, a former outlaw town, boasts plenty of retro neon signage, while artsy Santa Fe beckons travelers to browse the galleries and stay for a traditional New Mexican meal. The route slides south to Albuquerque before winding past Acoma Pueblo, which offers a fascinating look at American Indian history and culture. In Gallup, you’ll meet the nicest townsfolk ever as you traverse the sidewalks on the Mural Walking Tour.
Arizona
I-40 is the present-day Route 66 in eastern Arizona. It takes you along the high desert and through quirky Southwest towns such as Holbrook and Winslow (overnight at La Posada Hotel & Gardens) before heading into the pine trees of mountainous Flagstaff and Williams. After reaching the iconic Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, Route 66 opens up to miles of untouched road all the way to Kingman. Brave the hairpin curves through the Black Mountains on the way to the mining town of Oatman.
California
The California stretch of Route 66 is marked by the stark beauty of the desert (Joshua Tree and the Mojave) and the glitz and glitter of Los Angeles before it concludes at the Santa Monica Pier. Stop in Oro Grande to explore the “forest” at Elmer Long’s Bottle Tree Ranch and indulge in the big portions at Emma Jean’s Holland Burger in Victorville. Pay a visit to Fair Oaks Pharmacy, a 1915 soda fountain in Pasadena. And then head west to the Pacific Ocean to mark your journey’s end.
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