Eight states, three time zones and a ton of history: Take a trip down Route 66 as it turns 100

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — If you’ve ever planned to centrifugal westbound and instrumentality the road that’s the best, this mightiness beryllium the time: Route 66 turns 100 this year.

The Mother Road, arsenic writer John Steinbeck dubbed it, has evolved implicit the years from an flight for mediocre farmers fleeing the devastating particulate storms of the 1930s to possibly the quintessential American roadworthy travel that’s inactive delivering kicks.

Although determination person been faster and much nonstop routes betwixt the nation’s second- and third-largest cities for immoderate time, Route 66’s neon inactive burns brightly and its vintage signs beckon travelers to restored centrifugal lodges, classical diners and roadside attractions.

Each halt turns the wheels of the imagination, leaving travelers to contemplate what beingness was similar for the radical and communities that person made the roadworthy hum implicit the years.

Illinois

Chicago has agelong been 1 of the country’s economical engines, with entree to planetary waters and railroads that linked each corners of the country. In the 1920s, Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, known arsenic the Father of Route 66, knew it wouldn’t beryllium agelong earlier automobiles would predominate the proscription landscape, and the Windy City would beryllium the cleanable spot to commencement the travel helium envisioned.

A subordinate of the national road committee appointed to representation the U.S. road system, Avery opted to spell with the fig 66. He knew those treble digits were ripe for selling and could beryllium seared into the minds of motorists.

For immoderate travelers, the travel is fueled much by the nutrient than the scenery, and there’s plentifulness to take from — slices of homemade pie, heavy shakes, cheeseburgers and an assortment of fried delights.

The Cozy Dog Drive In successful Springfield, the Illinois capital, is 1 of the galore diners that sprang up on Route 66, and its breaded blistery dogs connected a instrumentality person stood the trial of time. Third-generation proprietor Josh Waldmire says the look is simply a secret.

Waldmire’s grandfather, Ed, saw the concoction’s imaginable arsenic accelerated and convenient roadworthy nutrient and developed a strategy for frying the dogs vertically.

Missouri

Route 66 has its stock of twists and turns, and it’s nary astonishment that a road celebrated for its quirky roadside attractions would transverse the nation’s astir celebrated stream connected 1 of the much peculiar bridges known to modern engineering.

As the roadworthy nears St. Louis, the mile-long (1.6-kilometer-long) Chain of Rocks Bridge hovers much than 60 feet (18 meters) supra the Mississippi River.

Engineers yet built a straighter, higher-speed option, and a mediocre resale marketplace spared the archetypal span from the scrap heap. Today it’s reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.

A median successful Missouri is location to St. Robert Route 66 Neon Park, which features orphaned neon signs that erstwhile beckoned travelers to halt astatine definite sites and businesses on the highway. Often handcrafted, they weren’t lone markers for motels, cafes and state stations, but were besides people creation and symbols of section culture.

Kansas

The Sunflower State hosts lone a abbreviated agelong of Route 66, but it packs a punch with the Kan-O-Tex Service Station successful Galena. A classical illustration of roadside fare, the presumption served arsenic inspiration for the animated 2006 Pixar movie “Cars.”

Director John Lasseter and his unit took roadworthy trips on the route, digging into past and looking for elements that could bring the task to life. It was successful Galena wherever they spotted the aged roar motortruck that served arsenic the ground for the quality Tow Mater. The crippled wasn’t acold off, arsenic truthful galore erstwhile bustling towns — similar the fictional Radiator Springs — astir faded distant aft being bypassed by an interstate.

Kansas besides is location to the Brush Creek Bridge, different known arsenic the Rainbow Bridge. It’s connected the National Register of Historic Places and is 1 of fewer remaining examples of the factual arched bridges designed by James Barney Marsh.

Oklahoma

There was a existent information for immoderate who traveled the road, peculiarly Black motorists passing done inhospitable and segregated areas during the Jim Crow era. The Green Book — a usher archetypal published successful 1936 by Victor Hugo Green — listed hotels, restaurants and state stations that would service Black customers.

The Threatt Filling Station adjacent Luther wasn’t listed successful The Green Book, but it was a harmless haven — not lone for getting fuel, but for barbecue and baseball. Listed connected the National Register of Historic Places, it was the lone known Black-owned and operated state presumption on Route 66.

Route 66 is littered with abandoned buildings and faded signs, but 1 illustration of the highway’s resilient tone stands gangly successful Sapulpa, adjacent Tulsa. The restored Tee Pee Drive-In Theater offers a measurement backmost into the 1950s, erstwhile the booming car civilization helped spawn thousands of drive-in theaters nationwide.

Built successful 1949, the drive-in officially opened successful the outpouring of 1950 with a screening of John Wayne’s “Tycoon.” It was 1 of the fewer drive-ins astatine the clip to person paved pathways. Over the years, it survived a tornado, a occurrence that destroyed the concession basal and break-ins earlier being shuttered for much than 20 years. It reopened successful 2023.

Texas

Blink and you mightiness miss it, but a halt astatine the Cadillac Ranch successful Amarillo is simply a indispensable for immoderate Route 66 journey. For decades, visitors person been spray-painting the 10 vintage Cadillacs astatine the tract and mulling the transitory quality of clip arsenic Bruce Springsteen did successful his 1980 opus of the aforesaid name.

It’s not a ranch, but alternatively a nationalist creation installation created successful 1974 by the creation and architecture corporate Ant Farm. At first, the cars — which were half-buried front-down astatine a 60-degree space — were utilized for people practice. Others would scratch their initials into the metal. The spray coating started later.

Arrive successful Adrian and you’re halfway done your trip. Steps from a achromatic enactment marking the midpoint of Route 66 is the Midway Cafe, wherever the “ugly pies” are thing but.

If you’re inactive hungry, caput backmost to Amarillo for a 72-ounce (2 kilogram) steak and each the sides astatine The Big Texan. If you tin decorativeness the repast successful an hr oregon less, it's free.

New Mexico

More than fractional of Route 66 cuts done sovereign Native American lands, often tracing routes utilized by tribes agelong earlier settlers arrived. Much similar the railroad successful the 1800s, the road opened the doorway to a caller epoch of commerce, but it besides fueled stereotypes astir cultures on the way.

There are inactive faded and crumbling references to tipis and feathered headdresses astatine immoderate stops on the historical highway. The symbols were easy appropriated for selling by roadside vendors but weren't indicative of the abstracted and chiseled Native American cultures successful the area.

Today, tribes are telling their ain stories and showcasing their creations, whether it beryllium pottery, effect pies oregon poems.

Albuquerque boasts the longest intact municipality agelong of Route 66. Those 18 miles (29 kilometers) walk done respective neighborhoods and concern districts, from historical Old Town to Nob Hill.

Some of the aged centrifugal lodges and neon signs on what is present Central Avenue person been restored. Other signs are being reimagined utilizing hubcaps, elaborate lowrider-inspired overgarment jobs and New Mexico’s classical yellowish and reddish licence plates successful a motion to the car civilization that is precise overmuch inactive live successful the city.

Arizona

Musician Jackson Browne was taking his ain roadworthy travel successful the aboriginal 1970s erstwhile his car near him stranded successful Winslow. The acquisition inspired the lyrics to the Eagles’ deed “Take it Easy.” But it’s surely not the lone opus that is simply a must-have for a Route 66 playlist.

Bobby Troup created a classical American roadworthy anthem successful the 1940s with “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode carried it done the decades, each covering the opus with their ain flare.

While lasting connected a country successful Winslow, don’t beryllium amazed if idiosyncratic saunters up with a guitar and starts strumming favorites from their ain roadworthy travel playlist.

Before leaving the state, the one-time golden mining municipality of Oatman features a Wild West atmosphere, regular staged shootouts and beloved burros. Oatman was a destination on 1 of the archetypal alignments of Route 66 via a treacherous way done the Black Mountains, but it was aboriginal bypassed arsenic portion of improvements made successful the 1950s.

California

Once a godforsaken oasis, Roy’s Motel & Café successful Amboy is simply a quintessential Route 66 landmark. The towering neon motion is 1 of the astir photographed spots on the road. Inside, overseas currency near by planetary visitors lines 1 wall. Across the street, a covering station decorated with shoes, shirts and different items juts up from the godforsaken floor.

This agelong of the road done the Mojave Desert offers a peculiar benignant of solitude. The pavement gets unsmooth successful spots and the scenery takes charge, showing disconnected Joshua trees, wide-open spaces and the remnants of past volcanic activity.

Much of the country is undeveloped, meaning it looks a batch similar it would person erstwhile Route 66 was commissioned successful 1926.

After making it done oft-congested Los Angeles, the iconic Santa Monica Pier marks the extremity of the line, and it’s thing abbreviated of a perpetual enactment with a dependable watercourse of spectators and performers. Although galore stretches of Route 66 person lapsed into decay, the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean are a reminder of the pursuits made imaginable by the roadworthy implicit the past century.

___

Associated Press writers John O’Connor successful Springfield, Illinois, and Sean Murphy successful Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.