Route 66

The legendary road from east to west

Categories: Route 66 Santa Monica Chicago Illinois Los Angeles California USA

north america, usa, route 66, chicago, santa monica, los angeles, california, illinois 0
Recommended travel time: All year round

Who does not know Route 66, the legendary long road that once led from Chicago (Illinois) to California (Santa Monica). Originally almost 4,000 km long, it was considered the longest road in the USA from 1926. Today Route 66 is especially popular with tourists. One of the first attractions to catch the eye on the long journey from Chicago to Los Angeles is in Wilmington, Illinois.
Route 66 - weathered sign © Reinhard Tiburzy / Fotolia

The Gemini Giant is the larger-than-life statue of a space traveler, reminiscent of the legendary Gemini space program that launched the first American astronauts into space. In Mount Olive, an old gas station commemorates the heyday of the legendary Route 66, and in Lebanon Missouri, you can visit the famous Munger Moss Hotel, which is advertised by a neon sign visible from afar.

In Kansas, the route also passes two historical landmarks: In the town of Galena there is the gas station 4 Women on the Route, which was used as a model for films such as Cars or Hook. Just before Tulsa (Oklahoma), Route 66 passes a theme park that once attracted visitors with a huge blue whale. In Arcadia you can visit the Round Bam, a historic round barn that has been extensively restored. If you continue on to Texas, a building in Shamrock, built in the Art Deco style and also made famous by the film Cars, awaits you.

Shortly after Amarillo, the wonderful Cardillac Ranch awaits visitors. The artwork consists of ten Cardillacs sunk diagonally into the ground. Once in New Mexico, a stop in the tiny town of San Fidel is a must. In Arizona, near the town of Holbrook, there is no way around the huge Barringer Crater. The meteorite crater was formed about 50,000 years ago, has a diameter of 1200 meters and is up to 120 meters deep.
Route 66 - Road to the mountains © lassedesignen / Fotolia

Arriving in California, the stretch between Needles and Barstow is the oldest surviving section of Route 66. Along this section is also the historic town of Baghdad, which today consists only of the town sign and a few foundations. A must for every visitor is the California Route 66 Museum, which opened in 1995 and is located in the old town of Victorville. Route 66 continues on through Los Angeles and the famous Sunset Boulevard and finally ends at the pier of the Santa Monica Marina, whose sign is also known from numerous Hollywood movies.