Route 66, and its 2,500 miles, is known affectionately as "The Mother Road." It's the quintessential cross-country road trip experience. From Chicago through the beating heart of America, the route officially ends at the Santa Monica Pier. The road reached peak popularity in the late 1940s and early '50s before being officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985. After a few years, travelers from around the country and beyond started feeling tinges of nostalgia, and by the end of the 1980s it was once again becoming one of the most popular road trip routes.
Looking for more tips for your Route 66 trip? We've got you covered.
One of the last remaining curio shops in Tucumcari, Tee Pee Curios is not only awesome from the outside, but the inside is packed with all the Route 66 souvenirs, pottery, shirts, and jewelry you could ever want. Stop by after dark to check out the beautiful neon sign, one of only a few along this stretch that still lights up at night.
Another great little Texas town to visit is McLean. Here you can stop at Phillips 66 on the Route, a vintage 1928 gas service station that was designed to resemble a little country cottage.
You may recognize Tower Station from the movie Cars. One of many locations in the animated movie based on real-life Route 66 icons, Ramone’s House of Body Art (an auto body shop) is heavily inspired by the U-Drop Inn. Built in 1936, the U-Drop Inn was inspired by a drawing John Nunn made in the dirt with a nail. The gas station and cafe would become an enduring example of fine Route 66 architecture for roughly 60 years before closing in the 1990s. The First National Bank of Shamrock purchased the building in 1999 and donated it to the City of Shamrock, which restored it with help from a $1.7 million federal grant. Today you can “drop inn” to the gift shop and small museum.
820 North Classen Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma