Category: Route 66
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Route 66 Attractions: The Best Stops State by State
The best Route 66 attractions are rarely grand monuments. They are giant fiberglass figures, neon motel signs, a concrete whale in a pond, ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in a field. Along with a few natural wonders, they are what turn 2,400 miles of asphalt into a trip people talk about for years. At a Glance…
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Route 66 Eateries: Classic Diners and Cafés From Chicago to LA
Food is half the fun of Route 66. The best Route 66 eateries are not fancy: they are breakfast counters, drive-ins, custard stands and roadside cafés, many of them run by the same families for decades. Eating your way from Chicago to the Pacific is one of the easiest ways to feel the road’s history.…
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Route 66 Museum Guide: The Best Stops From Illinois to California
There is no single Route 66 museum. The old highway has a string of them, from small volunteer-run rooms full of signs and gas pumps to state-run exhibits that walk you through the Dust Bowl, the 1950s and the arrival of the interstates. At a Glance This guide sorts the best ones by state, explains…
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Where Does Route 66 Start and End? Chicago, Santa Monica and More
Route 66 starts in downtown Chicago, Illinois, and ends in Santa Monica, California, on the Pacific coast. In between it covers about 2,400 miles (2,448 on the original 1926 alignment) and crosses eight states. At a Glance That is the short answer. The longer one is more interesting, because the exact start and end points…
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Historic Route 66: The Mother Road’s Story and 2026 Centennial
Historic Route 66 is the name given today to what remains of US Highway 66, the 2,448-mile road that linked Chicago to Los Angeles and Santa Monica from 1926 until it was decommissioned in 1985. Much of it survives as local roads, state highways and a National Scenic Byway, signed with brown “Historic Route 66”…
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Route 66 Map: The Full Route, Key Stops and Drivable Sections
A Route 66 map looks simple at first: one line running from Chicago to Santa Monica, bending southwest through eight states. Up close it is more complicated. The road was realigned many times between 1926 and 1985, so a single “correct” map does not exist, and some old segments now end in a field. At…
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Route 66 Road Trip: Itinerary, Timing and Budget Guide
A Route 66 road trip takes you roughly 2,400 miles from Lake Michigan to the Pacific, through eight states, small towns, neon motels and long empty stretches of desert. U.S. Route 66 was commissioned in 1926, dropped from the federal highway system in 1985, and yet it is still the drive most people picture when…
