Route 66
 

We have always wanted to drive Route 66 and hopefully it will happen this year with some friends. Most of research has been done, (searched the forum, maps, books, etc.)
and we have traveled in the '61 before and pretty much have that down. The travel info is all there but I thought I'd come here for those who have done Rt 66 or live near it. What is that thing that struck you as don't miss along the way? Not necessarily a list of things to do, but of all that is documented what is "the thing" that stood out. Also any fun eateries or funky pubs to stop at if any of those stood out.
Thanks to all, Gary

I did Route 66 back in 2000. 7,400 miles in just under a month. Started in Mass, where I live, and went all the way to the West Coast, up the coast, through Big Sur, on to Tahoe, Salt Lake City Utah and home. I-40 mirrors Route 66. Get off 40 when you see the brown, "Historic Route 66" signs.

My favorite stretch of Route 66 is the longest remaining, continuous stretch of Old 66 (from East to West) Seligman Arizona (Great Town) to Oatman Arizona, an old mining town with donkeys roaming the streets. Visit one of the Saloons in each town. The road goes through Sitgreaves Pass, Very scenic and desolate.

Take your time and have fun.

sure would be great that as famous as the route is that they do not restore it. Would be a Great tourist attraction. I agree with Arizona, that Is the stretch I drove. There is some fun, though, finding out the pieces of the route and driving them. I remember going a bit beyond the block offs and actually driving abandoned stretches of the original route. Was fun!

Here is my sojourn down that road a few months back:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...oute-66-a.html

We did all of it except for a short stretch at the end that we did in a previous trip.....I rented a car though...

I have posted the below previously and you may have already read it but pay special attention to the bolded info.

Here is what I would recommend if your going to try and do it on historic Rt. 66 as my brother and I just did it June/July of 2018.The historic/original parts of the road that still exist are very poorly marked and we were often on top of the signs to turn onto it with no previous warning signs it was coming up and often had to turn around to make the turn.

There are sections that are older than others and some of the older ones were abandoned but still there when some of the old roads were replaced. I am not talking about the change from the old two lane road to 4 lane freeway either. We tried to travel the very oldest parts of it we could. Sometimes the road would abruptly end or turn to gravel. We were on many different road services including cement brick and blacktop that was so little traveled that there was moss growing in the cracks of the road surfaces. We had a lot of fun and saw a lot of different architecture in commercial buildings and private homes in small rural towns that were interesting.

There are several good Rt. 66 museums that give you a lot of good things to see in their state. Unfortunately most are located in the center of the state and from either direction of travel you can miss several things. With this in mind I would do an internet search of them and ask them to send you info so you don’t miss things of interest.

When we hit the ocean in Cal. we made a hard right and took the PCH north all the way to Washington. It was a great trip and saw a lot of great things including the Petrified Forest Great, Redwood Forest and Hurst Castle. Made a few side trips to places like Santa Fe, The Meteor Crater and Sedona (I used to live there and currently live 14 miles south) on the way back we came through Utah where you might want to do some of their awesome National Parks as well as the Grand Canyon near Flagstaff.Here is a good web site for state by state info for Rt. 66https://www.theroute-66.com/state.html

My experience as well - some of those roads are long lonely stretches of bad asphalt and no cell service and no help for miles... Gives you an appreciation for those that traveled this route in the "old days"..

The wife was navigator and had a well laid out book with all the twists and turns described with a map with all the interesting stuff....if interested I'll get the name of the book for you; its very well known to the people you'll meet at places along the route.

You'll make some wrong turns and get lost a few times but its all part of the adventure...
If you drive a C1 (or even a C2) you'll have to beat the crowds off with a stick....and lots of foreigners trying to recapture the 'feel' of that era too...

Lots of information about the "dust bowl" migration too....scores of Americans were treated worse than ANY immigrants are today by a long shot...

First of all, thanks all for the input. We have done a lot of research but what i am looking for now is what struck you as something not to miss or that great spot to have a bite. Our friends enjoy museums and have done their homework in those regards and my enjoyment is just being on a 2 lane blacktop (I know there is a lot of freeway now). What was the special thing for you along the way. Thanks again.

The Munger Moss motel - been on Rt 66 for 74 years now - the old woman at the desk had worked there for like 48 years....tight lipped but if you buy a few trinkets from the souvenir shop she loosens up and will share some stories. The things she's seen...

66 tour
 

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The Blue Swallow motel here in Tucumcari is A must see and stopoverplace
Pic taken 25 years ago,expect higher rates now ,its run by an auto loving couple.66racer

We stayed there one night - it was a hoot....about sunset they start playing 50's tunes; crooners mostly; Frank Sinatra, etc.. and everybody is sitting outside of their room on chairs listening to the music and chatting....the rooms have garages right next to them where you can pull your ca in for the night. Old rotary phones and other funky accoutrements - a "must do" part of the route...

IIRC there is an old "monitor-top" frig in the laundry room that is still running...

Great, this is what I was hoping for. The Blue Swallow came up several times in our research so it is nice to know it is worth staying there. Hadn't run across the Munger Moss so need to check it out.

Here ya go...
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And of course every "car guy" has to leave some skid marks around Uranus

That's what toilet paper and the Starship Enterprise have in common............they both circle Uranus in search of Klingons.

We stayed at the Munger Moss, the Blue Swallow (100% refrigerated air) and the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook AZ. There's a lot more room in the tepee hotel rooms than you would think, but be prepared to take a shower with your head tilted to one side. They were all great hotels and a lot of fun to stay at and visit with the owners and other guests.

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I drive highway 66 every day!

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If you have a overnight stay considered near Winslow, Arizona (Standin' on the Corner), the LaPosada Hotel is great, along with their restaurant. Just west of Winslow off of I-40 is a neat site is the Meteor Crater, where a meteorite hit earth and created a crater a mile across and over 500 ft. deep.

https://meteorcrater.com/index.html

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If you have an overnight stay in the Albuquerque, NM area, another neat thing to do is the Sandia Peak Tramway.
http://www.sandiapeak.com/

And eat in Old Town plus run up to Santa Fe.

Kicks on Route 66
 

If you are traveling Route 66 in AZ, check out this book by local author Roger Naylor: http://www.rogernaylor.com/books/ari...ks-on-route-66

Also, I haven't done it myself but I have heard it's pretty cool, look into the Cave Motel - a hotel room in a real cave: https://gccaverns.com/rooms-packages...rn-motel-room/

Lastly, Seligman is probably the heart of Route 66 here in AZ and Angel's Barbershop is the heart of Seligman. Angel Delgadillo is largely credited with the revitalization of Historic Route 66 and, the last I heard, was still giving haircuts.

- Jeff

It will likely be your most expensive nights stay @ $900. per night. :eek:

I have toured the cavern and that is worth it. :thumbs: