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Route 66

The Mother Road. Chicago to Santa Monica, 2,400 miles of American mythology - neon motels, ghost towns, roadside oddities, and diner pie. The classic cross-cou…

2,400
miles
167
stops
East toward Chicago ↔ West toward Santa Monica
direction
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The Mother Road. Chicago to Santa Monica, 2,400 miles of American mythology - neon motels, ghost towns, roadside oddities, and diner pie. The classic cross-country drive.

The route

Waypoints (167)

96
⛽ Wally's
gas rest
228
🏨 Country Bend Campground
Country Bend Campground is a beautiful and fun camping destination in Central Illinois!
lodging
233
🎡 Litchfield - Sky View Drive-In
1950 drive-in movie theatre still operating.
attraction
233
🍔 Litchfield - Ariston Cafe
Oldest continuously operating restaurant on Route 66 - opened 1924 in Carlinville and moved to Litchfield in 1935.
restaurant
300
🎡 Chicago - Route 66 Begin Sign
The official east end of Route 66 at Adams Street and Michigan Avenue.
attraction
305
🍔 Chicago - Lou Mitchell's
Traditional starting-point diner at the east end of Route 66. Since 1923.
restaurant
340
🎡 Joliet - Route 66 Welcome Center
Route 66 orientation stop with murals and a small museum. Also home to the historic Rialto Square Theatre.
attraction
355
🍔 Fatso's Famous Pizza - Meramec
restaurant
357
🎡 Meramec Caverns
attraction
365
📸 Wilmington - Gemini Giant
28-foot fiberglass Muffler Man in a space suit outside the Launching Pad restaurant.
viewpoint
370
🍔 Braidwood - Polk-A-Dot Drive In
Kitschy 1962 burger stand with life-size Elvis Marilyn Blues Brothers and Betty Boop statues outside.
restaurant
400
🎡 Dwight - Ambler-Becker Texaco Station
Restored 1933 Texaco station now a Route 66 visitor center.
attraction
405
🎡 Odell - Standard Oil Station
Restored 1932 Standard Oil filling station. Free visitor center inside.
attraction
418
🎡 Devils Elbow Bridge
One of the most scenic and atmospheric pieces of the route in Missouri.
attraction
421
🎡 World's Largest Belt Buckle
attraction
421
🎡 Uranus Fudge Factory And General Store - Uranus Missouri
attraction
440
🎡 Pontiac - Route 66 Association Hall of Fame Museum
The main Illinois Route 66 museum. Bob Waldmires hand-painted VW van is here.
attraction
458
🏨 Lebanon - Munger Moss Motel
Iconic Route 66 motel operating since 1946. Recently closed.
lodging
458
🎡 Boswell Park Rt 66 Murals, 679 W Elm St, Lebanon, MO 65536
attraction
490
🎡 Bloomington - Spragues Super Service
Beautifully restored 1931 Tudor Revival service station. Now a Route 66 gift shop.
attraction
500
🍔 Funks Grove - Maple Sirup
Since 1824. They trademarked the spelling with an i (sirup) to distinguish pure product from syrup.
restaurant
504
⛽ Buc-ee's
gas rest
510
📸 Atlanta - Bunyon's Muffler Man
Giant fiberglass Paul Bunyan holding a hot dog. Relocated to downtown Atlanta from Cicero in 2003.
viewpoint
533
🎡 Gary’s Gay Parita
One of the most photographed old filling stations on the route. More atmospheric than elaborate, but it's an excellent stop.
attraction
540
🎡 Ozark Trail Obelisk Tribute
Mount Vernon, Missouri: 66-Foot-High Highway Marker
attraction
569
🏨 Carthage - Boots Court Motel
Restored 1939 Streamline Moderne motel. Clark Gable stayed here twice.
lodging
570
🍔 Springfield - Cozy Dog Drive In
Birthplace of the corn dog on a stick (1949). Still run by the founder's family.
restaurant
593
🎡 Cars on the Route
Home of Tow Tater
attraction
597
📸 Nelson's Old Riverton Store
Still operating after nearly a century. Great atmosphere and exactly the kind of place that makes taking the old road worthwhile.
viewpoint
599
🎡 Historic Rainbow Bridge
A restored 1923 concrete Marsh arch bridge and a nice piece of actual old-road history.
attraction
619
🎡 Coleman Theater
Musicals & plays staged in a restored 1929 performing-arts venue with ornate architecture.
attraction
649
🍔 Clanton's Cafe in Vinita, Ok
Vintage outfit on Route 66 offering hearty American breakfast & lunch dishes, plus desserts.
restaurant
650
🎡 Staunton - Henry's Rabbit Ranch
Route 66 visitor center with actual rabbits and vintage cars. Full-size replicas of half-buried Volkswagen Rabbits mimic Cadillac Ranch.
attraction
655
🎡 Mt Olive - Soulsby Service Station
Oldest surviving Route 66 gas station in Illinois (1926).
attraction
662
🎡 Historic Route 66 Pryor Creek Bridge
Cross one of Oklahoma's last original Route 66 bridges, a 1926 steel truss that carried Mother Road travelers in the highway's earliest days.
attraction
673
🎡 Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park
attraction
676
🍔 El Azteca Route 66 Sequoyah/Claremore
A friendly Route 66 Mexican restaurant serving generous portions, fresh chips and salsa, and classic Tex-Mex favorites.
restaurant
682
🎡 J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum
Museum with exhibits of historic weapons housing an extensive privately-held firearms collection.
attraction
707
🎡 Tulsa - Golden Driller
76-foot statue of an oil worker. Second-largest free-standing statue in the US.
attraction
709
🎡 Meadow Gold Sign
The Meadow Gold Sign in Tulsa, Oklahoma was erected in 1934 when Meadow Gold Dairy installed it at 11th & Lewis. For decades this giant neon sign served as a landmark in Tulsa, even though the business was long gone.
attraction
717
🍔 Ollie's Station Restaurant
Red Fork diner with model trains circling the ceiling
restaurant
727
🍔 Happy Burger
Oldest hamburger stand in Sapulpa dating to 1957
restaurant
728
🎡 Sapulpa Historical Museum
Local history museum near the old Barnsdall station on Water St
attraction
728
🎡 Gasoline Alley Classics
Route 66 memorabilia shop inside a 1920s Ford dealership
attraction
729
🎡 Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum
Auto museum under a 66 foot tall gas pump
attraction
729
🎡 Rock Creek Bridge Park
1925 brick-decked iron bridge on the Ozark Trail alignment
attraction
729
🎡 Tee Pee Drive-in Theater
Vintage drive-in theater with Spartan trailers and neon
attraction
730
🎡 St Louis - Chain of Rocks Bridge
Original Route 66 Mississippi River crossing. Famous 22-degree bend in the middle. Now pedestrian-only.
attraction
745
🍔 St Louis - Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
Route 66 institution since 1929. Concretes (thick shakes) are the specialty.
restaurant
750
🎡 Bristow Toy Museum
Collection of vintage toys and pedal cars on North Main
attraction
750
🎡 Bristow Train Depot and Museum
Restored railroad depot museum on East 7th St
attraction
751
🍔 Anchor 66
Roadside diner on South Roland St in Bristow
restaurant
759
🏙️ Depew Loop
Small town time capsule looped by US 66 from 1926 to 1928
city
767
🍔 Rock Cafe
Stone-walled Stroud cafe from about 1939 with iconic neon
restaurant
767
🎡 Route 66 Spirit of America Museum
Small downtown Stroud museum
attraction
768
🏨 Skyliner Motel
Restored 1950s motel with rebuilt neon
lodging
770
🎡 Eureka - Route 66 State Park
Built on the site of the former town of Times Beach (evacuated for dioxin in 1983). Visitor center in an old roadhouse.
attraction
771
🎡 Ozark Trail Obelisk
One of two surviving Ozark Trail markers in Oklahoma
attraction
774
🍔 Tammys Round Up Cafe
Home cooking on North Broadway in Davenport
restaurant
775
🎡 Davenport Welcome Center
Visitor center in a 1933 Texaco station at the curve
attraction
780
🎡 Route 66 Bowl
Chandler bowling alley loaded with vintage neon and signs
attraction
781
🏨 Lincoln Motel
Classic 1939 motel with its own neon sign
lodging
781
🎡 Route 66 Interpretive Center
Museum inside a massive 1937 WPA armory
attraction
781
🎡 McJerry's Route 66 Gallery
Gallery of EZ 66 Guide creator Jerry McClanahan
attraction
782
🎡 Lincoln County Museum of Pioneer History
Territorial and pioneer history museum on Manvel Ave
attraction
782
🍔 Boomarang Diner
Retro diner in downtown Chandler
restaurant
782
🎡 Nostalgic Chandler Visitor Center
Gift shop and visitor center marked by flamingos
attraction
789
🎡 Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum
Motorcycle museum in a 1921 filling station at Warwick
attraction
792
🍔 The Butcher BBQ Stand
Award-winning barbecue at the JCT of 66 and 66B
restaurant
797
🎡 Historic Threatt Filling Station
Restored Black-owned filling station built in 1915
attraction
806
🎡 OK County 66 Auto Trim and Mini Museum
John Hargrove's folk art yard between Luther and Arcadia
attraction
808
🍔 Chicken Shack
Long-running fried chicken stop on the east side of Arcadia
restaurant
808
🎡 Arcadia Round Barn
1898 round barn with a Route 66 exhibit downstairs
attraction
809
🍔 POPS 66 Soda Ranch
Diner and store beneath a 66 foot illuminated pop bottle
restaurant
814
🎡 Touch the Clouds Monument
Sculpture of a Lakota Sioux leader on US 77
attraction
814
🍔 Sunnyside Diner
Breakfast diner in an old gas station at Broadway and 2nd
restaurant
814
🎡 Edmond History Museum
Local history exhibits in the old armory on South Boulevard
attraction
815
🎡 Stanton - Meramec Caverns
Massive commercial cave that Jesse James allegedly used as a hideout. Boat tours available.
attraction
823
🎡 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
Major western art and history museum on NE 63rd
attraction
825
🎡 Oklahoma History Center
Smithsonian affiliate museum just north of the Capitol
attraction
825
🎡 First Americans Museum
Museum of the 39 tribal nations of Oklahoma
attraction
825
🎡 Oklahoma State Capitol
State Capitol with a working oil well on the grounds
attraction
827
🍔 Cheever's Cafe
Upscale comfort food just off NW 23rd
restaurant
828
🎡 Tower Theatre
Restored 1937 theater with a towering neon sign
attraction
828
🎡 Gold Dome
Geodesic dome built in 1958 for a bank
attraction
828
🎡 Milk Bottle Grocery
Tiny triangular building topped by a giant milk bottle
attraction
828
🏨 Classen Inn
Retro motel restored with midcentury color
lodging
828
🎡 Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
Memorial to the 168 victims of the 1995 bombing
attraction
828
📸 Fanning - Worlds Largest Rocking Chair
42-foot-tall red rocking chair at the Fanning Outpost general store.
viewpoint
830
🎡 Cuba - Mural City
Cuba has 12 large murals on downtown buildings depicting local and Route 66 history.
attraction
831
🍔 Jack's Bar-B-Q
Barbecue with a good neon sign on NW 39th Expwy
restaurant
832
🎡 Southern Nazarene University
Bethany campus known for its big metal globe
attraction
834
🎡 Lake Overholser Iron Bridge
1924 iron truss bridge restored and reopened to traffic
attraction
836
🎡 Route 66 Park
City park with an eight-state interpretive walk
attraction
839
🎡 Yukon's Best Flour Elevator
Grain elevator sign lit by hundreds of bulbs
attraction
839
📸 Yukon - Yukon's Best Flour sign
Iconic red-and-white flour mill sign visible from Route 66 for decades.
viewpoint
839
🎡 Yukon Historical Museum Complex
Town and railroad museums housed in old boxcars
attraction
851
🍔 Johnnie's Grill
Onion burger grill on South Rock Island Ave
restaurant
852
🍔 Robert's Grill
Counter-only burger stand open since 1926
restaurant
852
🍔 Sid's Diner
Onion burger institution on South Choctaw Ave
restaurant
852
🎡 Centre Theatre
Neon-adorned theater on Bickford Ave
attraction
852
🎡 The Filling Station
Restored Texaco station serving as El Reno visitor center
attraction
852
🎡 Canadian County Museum
Museum and heritage park with a replica 1890s town
attraction
852
🍔 Jobe's Country Boy Drive-In
Route 66 themed drive-in on Sunset Dr
restaurant
853
🎡 Rt 66 El Reno Bowl
Bowling alley on Sunset Dr with a large mural
attraction
856
🎡 Fort Reno
Historic frontier military post with a museum and cemetery
attraction
870
🎡 Rolla - Totem Pole Trading Post
Missouri's oldest continuously operating Route 66 business. Gift shop and gas.
attraction
1,010
🎡 Springfield - Birthplace of Route 66
Park Central Square where the Route 66 name was officially proposed in 1926. Historical marker on site.
attraction
1,039
📸 Groom - Leaning Water Tower
Deliberately-leaning old water tower built as a business gimmick. Now a Route 66 icon.
viewpoint
1,060
🏙️ Halltown - Antique District
Ghost-town-adjacent Route 66 town whose main street is now mostly antique shops.
city
1,104
🎡 Carthage - 66 Drive-In Theatre
Original 1949 drive-in movie theatre. Still operating on summer weekends.
attraction
1,127
🎡 Midway Point of Route 66, 301 I-40, Adrian, TX 79001
Halfway point.
attraction
1,130
🏙️ Joplin - Historic Route 66 Corridor
Joplin was the first town of any size on 66 east of the Kansas sliver. Historic Main St alignment.
city
1,142
🎡 Galena - Cars on the Route
Restored Kan-O-Tex service station whose old International tow truck inspired Tow Mater in Cars.
attraction
1,145
🎡 Riverton - Eisler Bros Old Riverton Store
Continuously operating general store since 1925. Original tin ceiling and wooden shelves.
attraction
1,148
🍔 Baxter Springs - Cafe on the Route
Restored 1876 bank building (once robbed by the James gang) now a Route 66 cafe.
restaurant
1,150
🏙️ Quapaw
Last town in Oklahoma heading east. Quirky murals throughout downtown.
city
1,155
🎡 Commerce - Mickey Mantle Boyhood Home
Small white house where Mickey Mantle grew up. Ballfield across the street.
attraction
1,160
🎡 Miami - Coleman Theatre
Ornate 1929 Spanish Revival vaudeville palace. Original Wurlitzer organ still in place.
attraction
1,175
🎡 Afton Station
Small Route 66 hub with vintage Packards and packed memorabilia. Volunteer-run.
attraction
1,185
🍔 Vinita - Clanton's Cafe
Family-owned since 1927. Famous for calf fries and chicken-fried steak.
restaurant
1,200
🏙️ Chelsea
Small town with the oldest surviving Route 66 alignment still in use.
city
1,210
🎡 Foyil - Totem Pole Park
The world's largest concrete totem pole (90 ft) built by Ed Galloway starting in 1937.
attraction
1,215
🎡 Claremore - Will Rogers Memorial Museum
Comprehensive museum on the Cherokee humorist and film star. Rogers' tomb on the grounds.
attraction
1,240
🎡 Catoosa - Blue Whale
80-foot smiling concrete whale built in 1972 as an anniversary gift. Icon of roadside America.
attraction
1,275
🏙️ Sapulpa
Historic downtown with brick streets and original storefronts.
city
1,315
🍔 Stroud - Rock Cafe
Built in 1939 with sandstone excavated during Route 66 construction. Inspired characters in Pixar's Cars.
restaurant
1,330
🎡 Chandler - Route 66 Interpretive Center
Small but thoughtful museum in a 1937 National Guard armory.
attraction
1,355
🎡 Arcadia - Round Barn
Perfectly round red barn built in 1898. Fully restored inside; the upper floor has amazing acoustics.
attraction
1,355
🍔 Arcadia - POPS 66
Modern soda fountain and diner with a giant 66-foot soda bottle sculpture. 700+ soda varieties.
restaurant
1,360
🏙️ Edmond
Northern suburb of OKC. Historic downtown along the old alignment.
city
1,375
🏙️ Oklahoma City
Major midpoint city on the Mother Road. Bricktown Memorial and museums.
city
1,405
🍔 El Reno - Sid's Diner
Famous onion burger joint since 1990. The onions are pressed into the patty on the griddle.
restaurant
1,445
🎡 Weatherford - Stafford Air and Space Museum
Named for astronaut Tom Stafford who grew up here. Real capsules and Apollo-era artifacts.
attraction
1,470
🎡 Clinton - Oklahoma Route 66 Museum
Widely considered the best Route 66 museum. Decade-by-decade walkthrough of the road's history.
attraction
1,495
🎡 Elk City - National Route 66 Museum
Big museum complex covering all eight states the road passes through. Old town village on the grounds.
attraction
1,560
🎡 Shamrock - U-Drop Inn Cafe
Restored 1936 art deco service station and cafe. One of the most photographed spots on Route 66.
attraction
1,595
🎡 McLean - Devil's Rope & Route 66 Museum
Combined barbed wire museum and Route 66 museum. Free. Weirder and more interesting than it sounds.
attraction
1,660
🎡 Amarillo - Cadillac Ranch
Ten Cadillacs half-buried nose-down in a wheat field. Painted daily by visitors.
attraction
1,665
🍔 Amarillo - Big Texan Steak Ranch
Free 72oz steak if you finish it (plus sides) in one hour. Otherwise you pay.
restaurant
1,720
🍔 Adrian - MidPoint Cafe
Official geographic midpoint of Route 66 between Chicago and Santa Monica. Home of the ugly crust pies.
restaurant
1,732
🎡 Ash Fork Rt 66 Historic Museum
Explore Route 66, railroad, and Arizona history through engaging exhibits in the heart of historic Ash Fork.
attraction
1,745
🏨 Tucumcari - Blue Swallow Motel
Fully restored 1939 motel with the most photographed neon on Route 66. Individual garages for each room.
lodging
1,800
🥾 Santa Rosa - Blue Hole
Natural artesian well 80 ft deep and crystal clear. Popular with scuba divers - year-round 62F.
hike
1,802
🎡 Santa Rosa - Route 66 Auto Museum
Vintage cars trucks and motorcycles from the Route 66 era. Well-curated for the size.
attraction
1,888
🎡 Albuquerque - KiMo Theatre
Ornate 1927 Pueblo Deco theater on Central Ave. Tours available or catch a show.
attraction
1,890
🏙️ Albuquerque - Old Town Plaza
Historic plaza with adobe buildings dating to the 1700s. Shops galleries and restaurants around the square.
city
1,940
📸 Grants - Route 66 Neon Drive-Thru sign
Iconic neon arch over the road. Drive through for the classic photo.
viewpoint
1,975
🏨 Gallup - El Rancho Hotel
1937 hotel where John Wayne Katharine Hepburn Ronald Reagan and many others stayed while filming Westerns.
lodging
2,005
🎡 Petrified Forest National Park
National park with fossilized wood and painted desert badlands. Route 66 corridor runs through the north end.
attraction
2,025
🏨 Holbrook - Wigwam Motel
Sleep in a giant concrete teepee. One of only three Wigwam Villages remaining.
lodging
2,075
🎡 Winslow - Standin' on the Corner Park
The Eagles Take It Easy corner. Statue of a hitchhiker with guitar. Girl in a flatbed Ford window mural.
attraction
2,078
🏨 Winslow - La Posada Hotel
Historic 1930 Fred Harvey railroad hotel. Restored to museum-quality. Restaurant (Turquoise Room) is renowned.
lodging
2,135
🏙️ Flagstaff - Historic Downtown
Route 66 alignment goes right through downtown. Brewpubs bookshops and mountain views everywhere.
city
2,170
🎡 Williams - Grand Canyon Railway
Historic depot for the vintage train to Grand Canyon South Rim. Williams itself is a preserved Route 66 town.
attraction
2,215
🎡 Seligman - Angel & Vilma's Route 66 Gift Shop
Angel Delgadillo is the guardian angel of Route 66 - his advocacy saved the road. Shop full of memorabilia.
attraction
2,217
🍔 Seligman - Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In
Kitschy 1953 burger stand run by the Delgadillo family. Pranks and jokes are part of the meal.
restaurant
2,270
🎡 Hackberry General Store
Restored 1930s gas station and general store packed with Route 66 memorabilia. Vintage cars outside.
attraction
2,310
🎡 Kingman - Powerhouse Route 66 Museum
Housed in a 1907 electric powerhouse. One of the more comprehensive Route 66 museums.
attraction
2,355
🏙️ Oatman - Historic Mining Town
Wild burros roam the streets. Restored gold-rush buildings with staged gunfights daily at noon.
city
2,380
🏨 Needles - El Garces Hotel
Historic 1908 Harvey House railroad hotel. Being slowly restored.
lodging
2,410
🍔 Amboy - Roy's Motel & Cafe
Iconic Googie-era neon sign in the middle of the Mojave desert. Ghost-town vibe.
restaurant
2,425
🍔 Newberry Springs - Bagdad Cafe
The cafe from the 1987 film. Memorabilia inside from the movie and Route 66 travelers.
restaurant
2,440
🎡 Barstow - Route 66 Mother Road Museum
Housed in the Harvey House Casa del Desierto. Extensive Route 66 collection.
attraction
2,470
🎡 Victorville - California Route 66 Museum
Small but well-organized museum focused on the California section of Route 66.
attraction
2,495
🎡 San Bernardino - Original McDonald's Museum
Site of the original 1940 McDonald's brothers restaurant. Not owned by McDonald's Corp - independent museum.
attraction
2,540
🎡 Santa Monica Pier - End of the Trail
Western terminus of Route 66. End-of-the-Trail sign at the pier.
attraction
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