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May 12, 2026 3 AM PT
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The occupation is not wherever to find photos connected Route 66. The occupation is putting down the camera, particularly during this centennial year, erstwhile the roadworthy is dressed up with much lights, banners, murals and caller overgarment than it has seen for decades.
Stories, photos and question recommendations from America’s Mother Road
Travelers whitethorn beryllium tempted to conscionable support snapping. But for amended results connected each level, accidental hullo and inquire questions first. Here are a fewer much photograph tips on with an east-to-west assemblage of what our photographers and I recovered connected the road:
- You can’t beryllium everyplace astatine dusk, erstwhile the neon signs blaze, truthful beryllium strategical (and possibly program for an aboriginal meal oregon a precocious one).
- Use a coagulated tripod (for agelong exposures), enactment disconnected the road, and beryllium definite to effort a assortment of vulnerability times. (Neon is tricky.)
- If you spot a roadside representation that needs your attention, propulsion over, parkland legally and measurement distant from the vehicle. The effect volition beryllium amended and each volition beryllium safer.
- Besides the state of road-tripping, the tone of Route 66 is astir autarkic businesses bucking the likelihood connected the roadworthy little traveled. If we each instrumentality pictures without spending, those businesses won’t past long.
Views from Navy Pier successful Chicago.
Millennium Park successful Chicago.
Route 66 begins successful downtown Chicago astatine Adams Street and Michigan Avenue. Early alignments enactment it connected Jackson Boulevard. Signs people the spot crossed the thoroughfare from the Art Institute of Chicago.
Art Institute of Chicago.
Cigars and Stripes BBQ successful Berwyn, Ill., features a Muffler Man smoking a cigar and holding a jumbo vessel of barbecue sauce.
The Gemini Giant stands on Route 66 successful Wilmington, Ill.
Atlanta, Ill., is location to the American Giants Museum — which celebrates the Muffler Men and Uniroyal Gals that were communal roadside advertizing features successful the mediate 20th century.
Springfield, Ill., is location to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library. Exhibits takes Lincoln from his Illinois puerility done to the Civil War and his assassination successful 1865.
A barn on Route 66 adjacent Carlinville, Ill.
The Wagon Wheel Motel connected Route 66 successful Cuba, Mo.
The Route 66 Car Museum’s postulation includes astir 70 vehicles, particularly American and European sports cars. Pictured is simply a 1967 Pontiac Bonneville.
Gary’s Gay Parita, erstwhile a work station, won fame implicit the decades for its hosts’ hospitality. It’s inactive a fashionable stop, 25 miles westbound of Springfield, Mo.
Rockwood Motor Court successful Springfield, Mo., dates to 1929. It has been restored and continues to operate.
The Meadow Gold District successful Tulsa, Okla.
This fiberglass Rosie the Riveter fig went up connected 11th Street successful Tulsa successful 2025.
Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios occupies a erstwhile work presumption connected 11th Street — a.k.a. Route 66 — successful Tulsa.
Soda popular bottles enactment the walls of Pops 66 successful Arcadia, Okla.
A car travels down a agelong of the Meadow Gold District successful Tulsa, Okla.
The Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza features a bronze sculpture called “East Meets West,” conscionable disconnected the now-closed Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Bridge.
The Round Barn successful Arcadia, Okla., stands on Route 66.
National Route 66 Museum and Elk City Museum Complex, Elk City, Okla.
The fastidiously restored U-Drop Inn, a Streamline Moderne filling presumption and cafe successful Shamrock, Texas, is 1 of the architectural standouts of Route 66. It doesn’t merchantability gas, though.
Visitors to the Cadillac Ranch creation installation successful Amarillo, Texas, are allowed to spray-paint the 10 Cadillacs half-buried successful the crushed there.
The Midpoint Cafe successful Vegas, Texas, celebrates the halfway constituent on Route 66 betwixt Chicago and Los Angeles.
A licence sheet spotted successful Albuquerque.
La Cita, a sombrero-topped restaurant, is 1 of the astir fashionable eateries successful Tucumcari, N.M. It was founded successful 1940 and moved to its existent determination successful 1961.
Motel Safari successful Tucumcari, N.M., is 1 among a fistful successful municipality that person renovated and upgraded to pull modern travelers on Route 66.
Michela Franceschilli and her mom, Carla, came from Rome for their 2nd travel exploring Route 66. They are lasting by the Blue Swallow Motel, successful Tucumcari, N.M.
From Old Highway 66 adjacent Laguna, N.M., Casa Blanca Road leads to Enchanted Mesa and Acoma Village.
The exterior of Duran Central Pharmacy successful Albuquerque.
The operation plate, Christmas-style, astatine Duran Central Pharmacy.
El Vado Motel is simply a rescue-and-recovery communicative connected Central Avenue successful Albuquerque.
Signs and murals enactment the roadside arsenic Old Highway 66 passes done Grants, N.M.
The West Theatre successful Grants, N.M.
The Painted Desert Trading Post basal westbound of Chambers, Ariz. The restored gathering and a agelong of aged Route 66 are connected backstage spot down a gate. Travelers telephone oregon substance a fig connected the gross to inquire for access.
Signage on aged Route 66 successful Holbrook, Ariz.
The Painted Desert information of Petrified Forest National Park includes wide vistas and richly varied mineral colors.
Scenes from Route 66 successful Williams, Ariz.
Angel & Vilma Delgadillo’s Original Route 66 Gift Shop connected Route 66 done Seligman, Ariz.
Aztec Motel and Creative Space successful Seligman, Ariz.
Route 66 merch successful Seligman, Ariz.
Tin Can Alley is simply a compound of 5 rental Airstream trailers successful Kingman, Ariz.
The agelong of aged Route 66 betwixt Kingman and Topock successful occidental Arizona is known arsenic “Arizona Sidewinder” for its 191 turns, often without guardrails. The aged mining municipality of Oatman, known for its feral donkeys, is connected the way.
Oatman, Ariz., is known for its roaming burros, Old West-style storefronts and engaged weekends. It stands connected a curvy agelong of Route 66 that attracts galore motorcyclists and off-road enthusiasts.
El Rancho Motel Sign connected the outskirts of Barstow, Calif.
Wigwam Motel disconnected Route 66.
The iconic Roy’s motion stands implicit aged Route 66 astatine Amboy, Calif., successful San Bernardino County. These days Roy’s operates arsenic a state station, acquisition store and snack bar, not a cafe oregon motel.
The fiberglass statue known arsenic Chicken Boy stands connected the extortion of artist, decorator and gallerist Amy Inouye’s workplace connected Figueroa Street successful Highland Park.
The interior of the Magic Lamp Inn.
The Magic Lamp Inn successful Rancho Cucamonga.
Mitla’s Cafe successful San Bernardino.
Foothill Drive-In motion connected the field of Azusa Pacific University.
A information of Route 66 that runs parallel with I-15.
Signs of Route 66 done the municipality of Oro Grande, Calif.
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch.
The interior of the Formosa Cafe successful West Hollywood.
The historical bid car astatine the Formosa Cafe.
Mel’s Drive-In diner successful Santa Monica.
Route 66 memorabilia astatine Mel’s Drive-in diner.
Route 66 Burger astatine Mel’s Drive-In, a fashionable halt for Route 66 travelers.
The Santa Monica Pier, which marks the occidental extremity of Route 66.
Memorabilia for merchantability connected the Santa Monica Pier.
Scenes from the Santa Monica Pier and the extremity of Route 66.
A motion marking the extremity of Route 66 connected the Santa Monica Pier.
The entranceway to the Santa Monica Pier.
The Santa Monica Pier astatine dusk.
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Born and raised successful California, Christopher Reynolds has written astir travel, the outdoors, arts and civilization for the Los Angeles Times since 1990.
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