Attractions along Route 66

Route 66 Best Attractions

Index to this page

Tee-Pee Curios neon sign, Source

• 1. Route 66 Kitsch and Unusual Attractions
• 2. Americana
• 3. Historic Places
• 4. Towns
• 5. Landmarks
• 6.National and State Parks
• 7.Top Ten Attractions in each state
• 8.Route 66 painted shields

Midpoint café sign, Adrian, Texas

1. Wacky, Kitschy & Unusual Roadside Attractions

Red Rocker in Fanning, Missouri. Source

Big Blue Whale, Catoosa. Source

World's largest Catsup Bottle, Collinsville Il. Source

The odd and the unusual, the weird and the kitschy are very common along Route 66. From Muffler Men to gigantic fiberglass animals, totem poles, teepees, enormous catsup bottles and bowling pins, Route 66 has them all!

Some of these classic quirky sights are listed below:

• Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup (Funks Grove IL)
• Muffler Man Holding Hot Dog (Atlanta IL)
• World's Tallest Gas Pump (Sapulpa OK)
• World’s Largest Covered Wagon (Lincoln IL)
• Pink Elephant Antique Mall (Livingston IL)
• Historic Largest Catsup Bottle in the World (Collinsville IL)
• Fiberglass steer store sign (Edwardsville IL)

The gigantic "Twin Arrows" at Twin Arrows, AZ- Source

• The World's (second) Largest Rocking Chair (Fanning MO)
  
• Giant Bowling Pin (Buckhorn MO)
• Blue Whale (Catoosa OK)
• The World's Largest Totem Pole (Foyil OK)
• Giant Cross (Groom TX)
• Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo TX)
• Historic Wigwam Motel (Holbrook AZ)
• Twin Arrows Trading Post (Twin Arrows AZ)
• Wigwam Motel (San Bernardino CA)
• Bottle Tree Ranch (Helendale CA)
• Giant Orange (Fontana CA )
• Chicken Boy (Los Angeles CA)

Muffler Men

The Muffler Men stand out among America's most amazing advertising stunts. These fiberglass giants are 19 to 21 feet-tall and were widely used as eye-catchers during the 1960s-70s.
Many of them survive on Route 66, some are original and others are brand new.

Below is the "Gemini Giant" a Route 66 Muffler Man; 30-foot-tall behemoth from 1965 on Route 66 in Wilmington, Illinois

Carl the Cheff, Springfield MO. Source

Gemini Giant, Wilmington IL.

2. Americana

Goffs railway Depot, CA. Source

America, its culture, values, and the Mother Road

Route 66 is the essence of Americana:

The Mother Road as America's Main Street, embodies the core small town values of America, with its Mom-and-Pop stores, its vintage service stations, motels, and diners.

It also represents America's freedom; a roaming, mobile, and automobile-oriented society, where new horizons for personal growth and experiences can always be found.

Route 66 American flag

Mr DZ' diner's neon sign on Route 66 Kingman AZ. A. Whittall

Travelers come from all over the world to experience "America" along Route 66: they long to hear American music, savor its food, visit the open horizon of the Far-West and the charming small towns in the Midwest.

These are some examples of Americana along US66:

• Get your Kicks on Route 66 (song)
• Grapes of Wrath (movie)
• Standin' on a Corner in Winslow Arizona

3. Historic Places

Soulsby’s Service Station, Mt. Olive Pechristener

Route 66 is dotted with plenty of historic sSites and many places that have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Buildings, Churches, Diners, Motels, battlefields, POW Camps, bridges and segments of the Mother Road have been listed as Historic Places.

You can find them and learn all about them by checking our Historic Sites page where we list them state-by-state.

Some examples of these historic spots are given below and they include a motel, a gas station, a pier, a café, and also a school and a church:

Historic Place: Oldest Church in the US, San Miguel Mission, Santa Fe New Mexico. A. Whittall

• Soulsby’s Shell Service Station (Mt. Olive IL)
• Blue Swallow Motel (Tucumcari NM)
• Rock Café (Stroud OK)
• First School in Oklahoma (Edmond)
• San Miguel Mission oldest church in the U.S. (Santa Fe NM)
• Santa Monica Pier "End of the Road" (Santa Monica CA)
• Phillips 66 Station (Chandler OK)

4. Route 66 Towns

Main Street is US 66 in Seligman Arizona. A. Whittall

The towns, cities and villlage along Route 66 are tourist attractions in their own right. We have individual webpages for each of the towns located along Route 66, and these pages provide complete information.

For each town along the highway you can read:

• A quick reference list of its main sights
• About: Facts & Trivia; History
• Weather data and current Forecast
• How to get there. Location and distances
• Full details on its Attractions & Sights
• Hotels & lodging in the town and nearby.
• Map of the town and Route 66
• The National and State Parks close to them

We have listed all these towns in one page, state-by-state. Each town is a link, so you can click on any town to access full information on its sights and attractions.

5. Landmarks & Places to See

Vintage Hole in the Wall Conoco Station in Commerce Oklahoma. Source

Our Landmarks page lists all the attractions on Route 66.

You can find them on a state-by-state basis. Within each state we include links to each of the attractions which we have categorized so that you can find what you need easily.

• Route 66 Motels
• Café, Trading Posts, Diners, and Route 66 classics
• Service Stations
• Neon Signs

Route 66 Neon Signs

Some of these great vintage neon signs are listed below.

Boots Court Motel neon sign, Carthage, Missouri. Source

• De Anza Motor Lodge (Albuquerque NM)
• Munger Moss Motel (Lebanon MO)
• Sonrise donuts (Springfield IL)
• Historic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket (Willowbrook IL)
• Hotel Chicago (Chicago IL)
• Rest Haven (Springfield MO)

Restored 1950 Tropics Restaurant Neon Sign on Route 66

6. National and State Parks

Snow dusted San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff AZ. Source

For those who enjoy the outdoors, Route 66 offers plenty of ways to enjoy nature.

In our individual town webpages we list all the National and State Parks that are close to those towns and US66

So get your hiking shoes ready and check out the volcanos, canyons, forests, multicolored deserts, caverns, and mountains that you can trek during your road trip on Route 66!

Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon are only two of the National Parks set close to U.S. 66. Visit our National & State Parks page for full details on ALL parks.

7. Top Ten Attractions in each state

Munger Moss Motel's neon sign, Lebanon MO. Source

Do you want to know which are the Top Ten Attractions in each state?

Visit our State by State page with our "Top Ten" sights in each state so you can get a taste of what there is to see.

Below is an example, witrh our choice of the Top Ten list of sights in Arizona:

1. Barringer Crater (Barringer Crater)
2. Historic Wigwam Motel (Holbrook)
3. Twin Arrows Trading Post (Twin Arrows)
4. Town of Oatman
5. Petrified Forest National Park (Holbrook)
6. Grand Canyon National Park (Williams & Flagstaff)
7. Hackberry Store (Hackberry)
8. the Jack Rabbit Trading Post (Joseph City)
9. Rainbow Rock Shop (Holbrook)
10. Standing on a Corner in Winslow Arizona

The "End of the Trail" sign on Santa Monica Pier

8. Route 66 Painted Shields

The Route 66 shields that are painted on the road surface are a top attraction for all of us who road trip along the Mother Road.

We all want to take a picture of them, and even pose beside them too!

Visit our "Shields Painted on Route 66" webpage to learn where they are (we list them and include state by state maps) and how to take a picture on the roadway without getting hurt by the oncoming traffic.

Shield on the roadway in front of a gas station between Kingman and Oatman in Arizona:

Brick Paved Route 66 in Auburn Illinois. Source

Brick Paved Route 66

Talking about roadbeds, did you know that there are some sections of Route 66 paved with bricks?
Drive along them in Oklahoma, Texas, Missori and Illinois.

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Credits

Banner image: Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, Arizona by Perla Eichenblat

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