The stretch of Route 66 from Chicago, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, is home to aluminum-and-chrome diners, historic, family-owned cafes, bizarre attractions, and other reminders of the route’s charming past. You’ll also see plenty of cornfields and flat prairie land between the bustling cities and sleepy towns along this first leg.
1095 Highland Oaks Drive, Southlake, United States
Duluth, MN, United States
Mackinaw City, MI, United States
Ann Arbor, MI, United States
South Bend, IN, United States
If you plan on starting your Route 66 adventure in Chicago, this is the perfect campground for tenting, RVing, or cabin camping. The South Shore Line offers rail service directly from the state park to downtown Chicago.
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Start your epic journey at the route’s original 1937 terminus at Lake Shore Drive and E. Jackson Drive in downtown Chicago.
Don’t miss the Route 66 Starts Here sign at the corner of S Michigan Avenue and E Adams Street. The sign (along with a handful of replica signs on the same block) is located in a busy section, so you may need to find parking elsewhere and walk to the sign for a photo.
Lou Mitchell’s is the perfect place to get breakfast—and a cup of the “world’s finest coffee”—before you leave the Windy City. The restaurant has been serving home-cooked comfort food to travelers since 1923, predating the designation of Route 66 by 3 years. Before sitting down, diners are handed a freshly-made donut hole and a miniature box of candy. And because one donut hole is never enough, you can order some to-go.
Chicago's landmark is considered one of the country's finest fountains due to its Beaux-Arts-style landscape design, finely wrought bronze sculpture, and innovative use of technology.
It's one of the first stops Ferris Bueller makes on his day off, so you know it's an essential Chicago icon. The Skydeck really does offer great views when the weather is good, plus the glass-floored "ledge" is an unforgettable experience for those brave enough to step on to it.
You did it—one leg down, five more to go. As you travel further southwest, the weather will get warmer, the road will get flatter, and the views will only get better. While it’s true that you never forget your first, so much of Route 66 is still in front of you—so keep going and let the Show-Me State show you why almost 100 years after its creation, the Mother Road is still the best place to get your kicks.
