The iconic Route 66 has inspired music, movies, and books and has become a pop culture icon. The highway was initially established in 1926, and fast became one of the most famous roads in America. Covering 2448 miles, the original route crossed eight states and crossed three time zones.
The original starting point was in Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California.
During the 1930 Great Depression dustbowl, the highway served as an escape route to new opportunities out west as well as supporting the roadside culture of roadhouses, Mom and Pop stores and cafes, and the many gas stations that sprang up along the route. John Steinbeck penned his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, in 1939 and dubbed Route 66 “the Mother Road”, which became a symbol of loss, escape, and new hope.
Today this iconic road trip, often romanticized and borderline kitschy, offers travelers a look into classic Americana, all the way from Chicago, Illinois to the Santa Monica Pier in California. In recent(ish) history, interest in the Route 66 road trip exploded once Pixar/Disney released their popular movie Cars in 2006, which was partly inspired by the old Route 66 highway.
So how about your own, non-Pixar, non-angry grape road trip? The journey begins at Route 66 Shield near Grant Park in Chigaco as you head out west, following the Route 66 attractions, state by state. The route is littered with Route 66 shields and markers, y’know, just in case you forgot which road you’re driving on.
Along the way, you can eat at classic restored roadside diners, like the Old Log Cabin Inn, for a plate of fried chicken followed by a serving of homemade rhubarb pie. Visit Henry’s Rabbit Ranch and meet the rabbit wrangler, Rich Henry.
Then, spend a night at one of the many renovated roadside motels, some of which have been in operation since the route was established. Book a room at The Wagon Wheel Motel or The Blue Swallow Motel that helped inspire Pixar’s Cars. Make sure to stop off at the Cars on the Route gas station and meet Tow Tater, the 1951 boom truck and the inspiration for Sir Tow Mater in Cars.
Full disclosure, I unironically love that movie, and my kid is watching it at least once a week right now, so it’s living rent-free in my mind. But even if you hate the movie, there is something for everyone along Route 66, including a trip through
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