Route 66
Families can still get their kicks on
By Evan Wechman
From 1926 to 1985 , Route 66 ( officially U . S . Highway 66 ) was a major thoroughfare between Illinois and California . Also known as the “ The Mother Road ” ( coined by author John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath ), it has been popularized in American music and television . It represented an escape from the doldrums of ordinary existence , offering an adventure to somewhere better .
Though this highway is not entirely intact today , many stops are available for families to visit while taking a trip back to the good old days . You can enjoy the simple coffee shops and diners that have survived , where people concentrate on speaking to each other rather than texting back and forth .
En route , you can also endure the seemingly endless doldrums of mid-America ’ s agricultural heartland , and some spectacular scenery in the mountains and deserts of the southwest .
Route 66 started as a way to connect farmers with big cities to sell their goods , while also offering motorists from the east and midwest an effortless way to travel to southern California ’ s sandy beaches . This caused all kinds of interesting businesses , from antique shops to unique motels , to spring up .
In 1956 , the U . S . government began rebuilding the country ’ s highway system , and by the mid-1980s , Route 66 no longer was intact . Some sections were incorporated into the new Interstate Highway System . Others became “ business routes ” or were abandoned . Despite the changes that occurred through the years , many businesses and points of interest along the original Route 66 right-of-way still exist .
For example :
Chicago , IL
The intersection of East Jackson Drive and South Lake Shore Drive in downtown Chicago is the eastern terminus of Route 66 . The museums and skyscrapers of “ the windy city ” present a stark contrast to the many small towns along the way . Route 66 stretches for about 300 miles in Illinois , but beyond downtown , the city and its suburbs aren ’ t particularly inspiring . Your reward for hours of seemingly endless cornfields is the stunning sight of the Gateway Arch in downtown St . Louis , MO , rising 630 feet above the bluff beyond the Mississippi River .
Galena , KS
After traversing the Ozark Mountains for 317 miles in Missouri , Route 66 spends only 13 miles in Kansas — but they are extremely quaint . Galena was a thriving mining town in its heyday . Today , it ’ s just a small village , a notch above a ghost town . Stop at the Kan-O-Tex Service Station for burgers and souvenirs , and look for a classic 1951 boom truck based on Pixar ’ s animated character Tow Mater .
Tulsa and Stroud , OK
Tulsa is home to a stretch of old-time hotels with vintage neon signs to capture the attention of most drivers . But the smaller city of Stroud offers some great relics , including the Rock Cafe . This restaurant has been using the same grill since 1939 and has been featured on the Food Network ’ s “ Diners , Drive-ins , and Dives .” Its juicy burgers still have a reputation for satisfying the whole family .