From Chicago to St. Louis, the Illinois stretch of Route 66 is still home to countless roadside diners, kitschy art, and other reminders of the Route’s famous past. A lot of the old Route 66 has been gobbled up by modern highways, and trying to trace the original route inside Chicago is hardly worth the effort. All that aside... by using this Illinois Route 66 map and guide, you should have plenty of authentic stops and time on the remaining parts of the Mother Road to make your Route 66 trip through Illinois feel complete.
Illinois’s Route 66 is dotted with old service stations, many of which have been beautifully restored and are being used for various purposes. Your first stop at one is in Dwight, IL at the Ambler's Texaco Gas Station. Operating till near the end of the century, it was one of the longest running gas stations on the Mother Road. Today it serves as a visitors center for the town.
Be sure to check out the Illinois Rt 66 Museum in Pontiac, IL.
Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup. So you’re not going to “eat” per-say, but you’re going to walk away with some of the best maple syrup or “sirup” as they call it. Funks Grove Maple Sirup still produces over 1,800 gallons of that sweet, sticky goodness using old-fashioned techniques and bottled in beautiful vintage-looking bottles. Channel your inner Buddy-the-Elf and have all the syrup you can handle!
Your next encounter with a giant “muffler man” happens further down the road in Atlanta, IL where Bunyon With a Hotdog greats you. Sure does make you want one of those Cozy Dogs, doesn’t it?
A quick stop in Lincoln, IL also yields a couple interesting photo-ops, the first of which is the Watermelon Lincoln Monument, made to commemorate when Lincoln christened the new railroad in town with a slice of watermelon.
Nearby the Railsplitter Covered Wagon has also been a roadside icon for years, but recent reports say it is currently under renovation. Check it out and report back to us!
While the corn dog may have already been invented, it was the folks at Cozy Dog Drive-In that put it on a stick! Their “Cozy Dog,” is the grandfather of all corn dogs you have been devouring at every county and state fair since you were a kid. Stop by to have a taste of the original!
Florissant, Missouri, United States
Illinois’s Route 66 has something for everyone with great food, quirky roadside attractions, and stops dripping with Americana and local history. Armed with your Roadtrippers map and guide to Illinois’s Route 66, get out there and explore.
