Route 66; and its Landmarks
States are listed East to West from Illinois to Kansas (this page) and Oklahoma to California (next page). Towns listed from East to West within each state.
Illinois
California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois
Illinois Route 66 Landmarks
Route 66 begins in Illinois for those heading west (and ends for those going east), below we describe the landmarks by category.
Historic Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois


Henry's Drive-in hot dog-shaped neon sign, Route 66 Cicero
Cafes, Diners and Restaurants
Berghoff Restaurant (Chicago)
Historic Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant (Chicago)
Henry’s Drive-In (Cicero)
The first White Castle (Berwyn)

The Neon Sign of the Historic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket, Willowbrook. Source
Historic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket (Willowbrook)
Site of World's First Dairy Queen (Joliet)
Polk-A-Dot Drive-In (Braidwood)
Weitz Cafe (Braidwood)
Former Coffeehouse (Dwight)
Big Al’s Hot Dogs (Dwight) - (Gone)
Cozy Inn Restaurant (Pontiac)
Old Log Cabin Restaurant (Pontiac)

Blues Brothers statues, Polk-A-Dot Alt 66. Source
First Steak ’n Shake (Normal)
Historic Palms Grill Café (Atlanta)
The Mill Museum on 66 (Lincoln)
Pig Hip Marker & Sign (Broadwell)
Double H Bar (Sherman)
Historic Ariston Café (Litchfield)
Decamp Junction Roadhouse (Staunton)
Hamel Haven (Hamel)
Ariston Café nowadays.

Gas Stations

Castle Car Wash former gas station in Chicago
Castle Car Wash (Chicago)
Former Mercury Oil gas station (Chicago)
Former Amoco Gas Station (Chicago)
Former Phillips gas station (Berwyn)

Historic Service Station in Odell, Illinois. Credits
Historical Standard Oil Gas Station (Plainfield)
Rossi’s Service Station (Braidwood)
Historic Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station (Dwight)
Historic Standard Oil Gasoline Station (Odell)
Abandoned Old Mobil Station (Odell)
Archie’s Standard Service (Pontiac)
Anderson’s Corner old gas station (Lexington)
Vintage Gas Station (Normal)
Historic Sprague’s Super Service (Normal)

Soulsby’s Service Station, Mt. Olive. Source
Quinn service station (Bloomington)
Former Evans Gas Station (Bloomington)
Logan Service Station (Lincoln)
Former Dial’s Texaco (Lincoln)
Cottage Style gas station (Lincoln)
Sinclair station (Lincoln)
Vintage Service Station (Lincoln)
Werth Standard Gas Station (Lincoln)
Former Gas Station (Elkhart)
Casey’s Garden Shop (Bloomington)
Hilarious Route 66 Gas Station (Williamsville)

Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station, Dwight. Source
Fawn’s Standard Service Station (Williamsville)
Former Bill Shea’s Gas Station Museum (Springfield)
Mahan’s Filling Station (Springfield)
Historic Soulsby’s Shell Service Station (Mt. Olive)
Former Gas Station (Mt. Olive)
Abandoned gas station (Hamel)
Old gas cottage style station, Eck Auto (Collinsville)
Former Service Station (Collinsville)
Phillips Gull Wing station (East St. Louis)Former Gas Station (East St. Louis)
Another Gull Wing station (East St. Louis)
West End Service Station (Edwardsville)
Former Gas Station (Venice)
Old Gas Station (Granite City)

Vanishing Classic Gas stations
Gas stations appeared all across the US in the 1920s, they were located where demand was: along the US highways and in the downtown areas of the cities.
They usually included a garage to repair cars -prone to breaking down in those days.
Their styles varied across the year, from homely cottages in the beginning, to stylish and modern box shaped or Art Deco stations in the 1930s.
Oil companies promoted their brands, signage and station designs which can still be recognized today.
Shifting demographics, urban sprawl, zoning and the freeways moved them out of their old locations, and many of these historic buildings are now ruined shells. However, some have been restored, Shea's pictured above is an example.
Classic Route 66 Motels & Hotels
Hotel Chicago (Chicago)
Midland Hotel (Chicago)
Cindy Lyn Motel (Cicero)
Karavan Motel (Cicero)
Shamrock Motel (Cicero)
Chicagoland Motel (Lyons)
Plank Road Inn (Lyons)
Presidential Inn & Suites Motel (Lyons)
Skyline Motel (Mc Cook)
The Louis Joliet Hotel (Joliet)
The Manor Motel (Joliet)
Hotel Plaza (Joliet)
Rossi’s Motel (Braidwood)
Former Sands Motel (Braidwood)
Sun Motel (Braidwood Inn) (Braidwood)
Da-Jo Motel (Pontiac)
Fiesta Motel (Pontiac)
Palamar Motel (Pontiac)
Lexington Motel (Lexington)
Illinois Hotel (Bloomington)
Buckles Motel (Lincoln)
Lincoln Motel (Lincoln)
Redwood Motel (Lincoln)
Pioneer Rest Motel (Broadwell)
Historic Lazy A Motel (Springfield)
Leland Hotel (Springfield)
Caravan Motel (Springfield)
Northern Aire Motel (Springfield)
Ross Motel (Springfield)
Shamrock Motel (Springfield)
Pioneer Motel (Springfield)
Art’s Motel and Restaurant (Farmersville)
The Annex Motel and Cafe (Litchfield)
Belvedere Café, Motel, and Gas Station (Litchfield)
Former Rainbo Court Motel (Fairmont City)
East St. Louis Holiday Inn (East St. Louis)
Americana & Wacky Sights

The World’s Largest Laundromat (Berwyn)
Rich and Creamy Ice Cream Stand (Joliet)
Dick’s Towing (Joliet)
Bluesmobile (Joliet)
Gemini Giant (Wilmington)
Sinclair Dinosaur (Wilmington)

Lauterbatch giant Muffler Man, Springfield. Source
Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup (Funks Grove)
Muffler Man Holding Hot Dog (Atlanta)
Lincoln Watermelon Slice Monument (Lincoln)
Phone Booth on Lincoln City Hall (Lincoln)
World’s Largest Covered Wagon (Lincoln)
Lauterbatch Muffler Man (Springfield)
Rail Splitter: Skinny Abe Lincoln Statue (Springfield)
Barn with 13-star flag painted on it (Nilwood)
Pink Elephant Antique Mall (Livingston)
Henry’s Rabbit Ranch (Staunton)
Historic Largest Catsup Bottle in the World (Collinsville)
Fiberglass Cow store sign (Edwardsville)
Classic Neon Signs and Murals
Neon signs awaken a feeling of nostalgia for bygone days. They were a key advertising tool for diners, motels and restaurants across the nation from the mid 1920s to the mid 1960s.
They were built with kitschy eyecatching colorful designs.
But by the early 1970s neon signs fell out of grace: they were hand made and therefore costly. The appearance of cheap mass made fluorescent-lamp, backlit, plastic box signs for shops and stores marked the end of the neon sign era.


Welcome neon sign, McCook, Illinois
Fabulous McCook neon sign (McCook)
Pontiac Murals (Pontiac)
Selz Royal Blue Shoes Mural (Chenoa)
Lexington Neon Arrow Sign (Lexington)

Turkey Tracks sign, Nilwood, Il. Source
Tropics Neon Sign (Lincoln)
Sonrise Donuts (Springfield)
Vic Suhling Neon Sign (Litchfield)
Nite Spot Café neon sign (Fairmont City)
Kriege Hardware ⁄ Deweys Pizza neon sign (Edwardsville)
Dairy Master neon sign (Madison)
Route 66 stuff
Eastern Terminus of Route 66 (Chicago)
The Lincoln Highway Meets Route 66 (Plainfield)
Lincoln Highway and Route 66 in Joliet (Joliet)
Odell Subway Tunnel (Odell)
Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum (Pontiac)
Cayuga to Chenoa Historic section of US 66 (Chenoa)
Memory Lane (Lexington)
The Route 66 Parkway (Towanda)
Towanda Dead Man’s Curve (Towanda)
Historic Brick Road (Auburn)
Historic Route 66 Girard to Nilwood (Nilwood)
Turkey Tracks on 1926 US66 (Nilwood)
The Chain of Rocks Bridge

>> Don't miss the Brick paved sections of Route 66
Buildings, historic sites, architecture, theaters
Chicago Portage (Lyons)
Plainfield’s Downtown Historic District (Plainfield)
Rialto Square Theatre (Joliet)
Collins Street Prison (Joliet)
Historic The Eagle Hotel (Wilmington)
Historic Water Street Shopping District (Wilmington)
Historic two-cell Jail (Gardner)
Historic Streetcar Diner (Gardner)
Historic Frank L. Smith Bank (Dwight)
Historic Pioneer Gothic Church (Dwight)
Historic Railway Depot (Dwight)
Historic Windmill in Dwight (Dwight)
Historic Livingston County Courthouse (Pontiac)
Historic Illinois State Police District 6 Headquarters (Pontiac)
Historic Raymond Schulz Round Barn (Pontiac)
Pontiac Trail (Pontiac)
Division Street Bridge (Pontiac)
Chenoa Pharmacy (Chenoa)
Oasis Drive In (Lexington)
Normal Theater (Normal)
Dixie Travel Plaza (McLean)
Historic J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator (Atlanta)
Gillett Memorial Arch Bridge (Elkhart)
Wayside Park (Sherman)
Dana-Thomas House (Springfield)
Historic sites related to Abraham Lincoln (Springfield)
Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop (Springfield)
Cozy Dog Drive-In (Springfield)
Our Lady of the Highways (Waggoner)
Sky View Drive In Theatre (Litchfield)
Church of the Neon Cross (Hamel)
Monk’s Mounds (Collinsville)
Cahokia Mounds World Heritage Site (Collinsville)
Historic Majestic Theater (East St. Louis)
Gateway Geyser (East St. Louis)
McKinley Bridge (Venice)
Ghost Signs (Madison)
Historical Chain of Rocks Bridge (Madison)
Lewis & Clark State Historic Site (Granite City)

And this ends our long list of Illinois landmarks, but there are plenty more, you can find a specific landmark in any of the state's towns that we describe in detail in their respective pages.
Towns on US 66 in Illinois
Check out the Route 66 towns in Illinois learn all about their notable places, history, attractions, wheather, how to get there, where to stay and much more.
Missouri
California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Gateway Arch. St Louis, Missouri. Source
Misouri US 66 Landmarks
Starting at St. Louis with its "Gateway Arch" Route 66 has quite a few landmarks along its Missouri alignment.
We list them below, categorized, and within each category, detailed from Eeast to West. Enjoy your roadtrip!
Missouri Landmark Categories
- Route 66 Classics & Wacky
- Stores
- Cemeteries, Churches & Bridges
- Neon Signs
- Museums
- Garages
- Historic Places
- Vintage Gas Statons
- Classic Motels, Hotels and Tourist Camps
Route 66 Red Rocker

Route 66 classics & Wacky sights
Giant Sign (St. Louis)
Gateway Arch (St. Louis)
Pink Elephant (Fenton)
Route 66 State Park (Times Beach)

Carl the Cheff, Springfield MO. Source
Meramec Caverns painted Barn sign (St. Clair)
Indian Harvest Trading Post Teepees (St. Clair)
Meramec State Park (Sullivan)
Route 66 Viva Cuba Murals (Cuba)
The World's (second) Largest Rocking Chair (Fanning)
Hillbilly Sign (Rolla)
Totem Pole Antiques (Rolla)
Larry Baggett's Trail of Tears Memorial (Jerome)
Uranus Missouri (St. Robert)
Frog Rock (Waynesville)
Giant Bowling Pin (Buckhorn)
Replica of the Hubble Space Telescope (Marshfield)
Birthplace of Route 66 Roadside Park (Springfield)
Mural on Route 66 (Springfield)
Birthplace of Route 66 (Springfield)
"Carl the Chef" Muffler Man (Springfield)
The "Hillbilly" at The Mule Trading Post

Stores
US 66 Outpost and General Store (Fanning)
Parson’s Store and Post Office (Laquey)
Wrink's Food Market (Lebanon)
Mr. Swiss (Lebanon)
Colt Gas and Groceries (Lebanon)
Old Phillipsburg General Store (Philipsburg)
Plano General Store (Plano)
Gay Parita Store and Cafe (Paris Springs)
Spencer Store (Spencer)
Spencer Cafe & Barbershop (Spencer)
Cemeteries, Churches & Bridges
Chain of Rocks Bridge (St. Louis)
Meramec River US 66 Bridge (Times Beach)
Beaver Creek Bridge (Doolittle)
Route 66 Bridge at Devil's Elbow (Devil's Elbow)
1942 Big Piney River Bridge (Devil's Elbow)
Roubidoux Bridge (Waynesville)
1840 Cemetery (Hazelgreen)
Route 66 Gasconade Bridge (Hazelgreen)
1923 Route 66 Bridge in Devil’s Elbow, Missouri

Neon Signs
Beacon Motel (Pacific)
Skylark Motel (St. Clair)
Cafe Sign (Lebanon)
Satellite Lanes (Lebanon)
Ghost Sign (Conway)
Meramec Caves Barn Sign (Conway)
Red’s Giant Hamburg sign (Springfield)
Rte 66 Museums
Route 66 Museum (Lebanon)
Route 66 Car Museum (Springfield)
Garages
Rischbeiter’s Garage (Marlborough)
Ramsey’s or Centerville Garage (Doolittle)
T &T Cafe and Garage (Doolittle)
Red Top Garage (Red Top)
Jim Collins Garage and Law’s Auto Salvage (Heatonville)
D. L. Morris garage (Heatonvile)
Jim Moot's Auto Body (Albatross)
Brown's Garage (Rescue)
Munger Moss Motel Neon Sign, Lebanon MO

Historic Sites

Cuba Jail built in 1908, Source
Chain of Rocks Bridge (St. Louis)
International Shoe Company Building (St. Clair)
Cuba City Jail (Calaboose) (Cuba)
Dillon House (1857) (Rolla)
Historic County Jail (1860) (Rolla)
Fort Leonard Wood (St. Robert)
George M. Reed Roadside Park (St. Robert)
Site of Waynesville Fort (Waynesville)
Historic Stagecoach Stop (Waynesville)
Historic County Courthouse (Waynesville)
Woodruff Building (Springfield)
Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque (Springfield)
Gillioz Theatre (Springfield)
Old Jail: Calaboose (Springfield)
Pythian Castle (Springfield)
Historic Rock Fountain Tourist Court (Springfield)
(continues below)
Original photo of Bonnie and Clyde's hideout (15-04-1933)

Historic Sites (cont.)
Post Office (Avilla)
Whee Bridge (Carthage)
66 drive-in theater (Carthage)
Red Oak II (Carthage)
Superman museum (Carterville)
Praying Hands statue (Webb City)
Dales Ole 66 Barber (Joplin)
The Route 66 Mural Park (Joplin)
Bonnie and Clyde Garage Apartment (Joplin)
Vintage Service Stations
Gary's Gay Parita Sinclair

Vintage Gas Station (St. Louis)
Yet another old Gas Station (St. Louis)
Taylor Gas Station (St. Louis)
Marty Filling Station (St. Louis)
old Texaco station (St. Louis)
Dodson Service Station (St. Louis)
Phillips service station (Eureka)
Zephyr Service Station (Villa Ridge)
Old Conoco Service Station (Cuba)
Phillips 66 gas station (Cuba)
Derby Service Station (St. James)
Malone’s Service Station (Doolittle)
Bell’s Cafe & Sinclair gas station (Waynesville)
Rigsby Station and Home (Waynesville)
Bohannon Café Garage (Waynesville)
Lentz station (Gascozark)
Gascozark Cafe and Service Station (Gascozark)
Old Service Station (Hazelgreen)
Mobil Service Station (Lebanon)
Old Phillips 66 Service Station (Lebanon)
McClary Motel, gas station and cafe (Cafeyville)
Carter & Lawson’s Underpass Cafe and Service Station (Philipsburg)
Stan Adams stationb (Philipsburg)
Silver Hill (Philipsburg)
Conway Service Station (Conway)
Niangua Filling Station (Niangua)
Rockhaven Restaurant, cafe and filling station (Niangua)
Danny's Service Station (Springfield)
O’Dell Gas Station and Café (Springfield)
Rex Smith Gas Station (Springfield)
Service Station (Halltown)
Gay Parita Service station (Paris Springs)
Spencer Garage and Service Station (Spencer)
Miller's Station (Albatross)
Adamson Oil Co. (Albatross)
Old Store - Service Station (Phelps)
Brown's Garage (Rescue)
Shady Side Camp (Rescue)
Chet Campbell's Gulf Service Station (Carthage)
Neatherry Station (Carthage)
Texaco service station and Clover Inn Cafe (Carthage)
Historic Old Rock Sinclair filling station (Carterville)
U.S. Filling Station (Webb City)
Route 66 Welcome Center (Webb City)
Cosden Service Station (Joplin)
Former Texaco Service Station (Joplin)
1930s Phillips Service Station (Joplin)

Classic Route 66 Motels, Hotels and Tourist Camps

The Ozark Court motel neon sign. Stanton MO. Credits
Missouri has many classic motels, some abandoned, others repurposed, and quite a few still alive and kicking lodging Route 66 travelers. Below we list some of them.
Neon sign of Boots Court

From East to West
Classic Motels from St. Louis to St. Robert
Duplex Tourist (Marlborough)
La Casa GrandeMotel (Marlborough)
Wayside Motel (Marlborough)
Chippewa Motel (Marlborough)
Steiny’s Inn (Times Beach)
Trail's End Motel (Gray Summit)
Gardenway Motel (Gray Summit)
Sunset Motel (Villa Ridge)
St. Clair Motel (St. Clair)
Scully's Sunset Inn (St. Clair)
Delta Motel (Stanton)
Cavern City Hideout Motel and Restaurant (Stanton)
Stanton Motel (Stanton)
Ozark Court Motel (Stanton)
Grande Courts (Sullivan)
Shamrock Motel (Sullivan)
Southern Hotel (Cuba)
Hotel Cuba (Cuba)
Wagon Wheel Motel, Cafe and Gas Station (Cuba)
Finn’s Motel (St. James)
Gateway Inn Motel (St. James)
Motel & RV Park (St. James)
Rock Haven Tourist Court (St. James)
American Way Motor Court (St. James)
Edwin Long Hotel (Rolla)
Sunset Inn, old Norman Dee Motel (Rolla)
Former Hargis Tourist Camp (Doolittle)
Totem Pole Cabins (Newburg)
Vernelle’s Motel (Newburg)
John’s Modern Cabins (Newburg)
Stony Dell Resort (Jerome)
Hiawatha Lodge (Devil's Elbow)
Historic Wagon Wheel Motel, Route 66 in Cuba, Missouri

Vintage Motels from St. Robert to Joplin
Deville Motor Inn, now Relax Motel (St. Robert)
Ranch Motel (St. Robert)
Clark Motel (Waynesville)
Bell Hotel (Waynesville)
Wagon Wheel Motel, Cafe and Gas Station (Cuba)
S & G Motel (Buckhorn)
Bell Haven Court (Buckhorn)
Gascozark Trading Post and Cabins (Gascozark)
Spring Valley Court (Gazcozark)
Four Acre Court (Lebanon)
Munger Moss Motel (Lebanon)
Forest Manor Motel and Campground (Lebanon)
Lenz HoMoTel (Lebanon)
Red Fox Motel (Lebanon)
White Sands Motel (Lebanon)
Shepherd Hills Motel (Lebanon)
McClary (Caffeyville)
Timber Hill Camp (Sampson)
Oak Vale Park (Niangua)
Abbylee Court (Niangua)
Fair Oaks Motel (Marshfield)
Kentwood Arms Motor Hotel (Springfield)
Rex Smith Gas Station & Cabins (Springfield)
Andy's Court (Springfield)
Rest Haven Court (Springfield)
Flagship Motel (Springfield)
Glenstone Cottage Court (Springfield)
The Rancho Motel (Springfield)
Dogwood Inn former Silver Saddle and Baldridge (Springfield)
Rail Haven (Springfield)
Rockwood Court (Springfield)
Historic Rock Fountain Tourist Court (Springfield)
Shamrock Square Motel (Springfield)
Wishing Well Motor Inn (Springfield)
Modern Cabins (Plano)
White City Motel (Halltown)
Las Vegas Hotel and Restaurant (Halltown)
Castle Rock Cabins (Heatonville)
Henson Building Hotel (Phelps)
Reed’s Cabins (Rescue)
Shady Side Camp (Rescue)
Log City Camp (Plew)
Kel Lake Motel (Carthage)
Lake Shore Motel (Carthage)
White's Court, later Rock Castle Cabins (Carthage)
Buster Brown Inn (Carthage)
Guest House Motel (Carthage)
Dazy Motel (Carthage)
Boots Court Motel (Carthage)
Murrell Tourist Rooms and Cabins (Carthage)
Middle West Hotel (Webb City)
The Westport Lodge (Joplin)
Plaza Motel (Joplin)

US 66 Diners, Cafés and Restaurants
Crown Candy Kitchen (St. Louis)
Eat-Rite Diner (St. Louis)
Bauer’s Ranch House (St. Louis)
Donuts Drive In (St. Louis)
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard (St. Louis)
Former Phil's Bar-B-Cue (Eureka)
Tri County Truck Stop (Villa Ridge)
Johnnie’s Bar (St. James)
Happy Hill Cafe (Jerome)
Old Munger-Moss Sandwich Shop (Devil's Elbow)
Site of Devil’s Elbow Café (Devil's Elbow)
Red Cedar Inn (Pacific)
Retro Route 66 Diner (St. Robert)
Skyline Cafe (Marshfield)
Former Route 66 Crawford Cafe (Strafford)
Steak ’n Shake (Springfield)
Alli’s Family Restaurant (Springfield)
Midway Service & Cafe (Avilla)
Whisler's Drive-Up (Carthage)
Carterville Dairy Creme (Carterville)
Wilder's Steakhouse (Joplin)
Mr. Swiss (Joplin)
The Colonel's Restaurant (Joplin)
Theaters
19 Drive-In Theater (Cuba)
Holiday Drive-in Theater (Springfield)
66 drive-in theater (Carthage)
Route 66 Movie Theatre (Webb City)
Civic Theater (Webb City)
Fox Theatre (Joplin)

Keys Cafe at Route 66 State Park

Lit Beacon Neon sign, Route 66, Pacific Missouri. Source
Find More Landmarks in Missouri's US 66 Towns
Our list of Missouri's Route 66 Landmarks ends here but you can check each town individually to find more of them:
Learn all bout Missouri's Route 66 towns and their landmarks.
>> Book your Hotels in Missouri
Kansas
California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois
U.S. 66 Landmarks in Kansas
This is the shortest segment of Route 66, and there are only three towns on its algnment (from east to west): Galena, Riverton, and Baxter Springs.
Route 66 American flag


Nelson's Old Riverton Store, Riverton KS

Rainbow bridge, side view of its arches, US 66 Riverton. Source
Kansas and its Top Ten Route 66 Landmarks

Independent Oil and Gas Service Station. Source
- Kan-O-Tex (Galena)
- Tag Flag and Texaco (Galena)
- Galena Historic District (Galena) Historic Site
- Litch Historical and Mining Museum (Galena)
- Williams Store - Eisler Brothers Old Riverton Store (Riverton) Historic Site
The oldest continuously operating store on Route 66 - Independent Oil & Gas (Baxter Springs) Historic Site
- Historic Rainbow Bridge (Riverton) Historic Site
- Fort Baxter site (Baxter Springs) Civil War battleground
- The shortest alignment of Route 66 (13 miles in Kansas)
- Cafe on Route 66 (Baxter Springs)

Continue your Journey on the Next Page
End of Page 1
This concludes the list of landmarks in the states of Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. Visit our Page 2 to see more Route 66landmarks in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California
We describe the western landmarks along Route 66 in our Landmarks Page 2
Some sponsored content
>> Book your Tulsa

Credits
Banner image: Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, Arizona by Perla Eichenblat.
Social Media





