Kingman, Arizona ended up being one of the most unexpectedly memorable stops of our nearly three months traveling Route 66 as full-time RVers. What originally started as a planned stop along historic Route 66 quickly turned into multiple visits thanks to truck repairs, which honestly gave us the chance to experience much more of the city than we ever expected. Between classic diners, vintage neon signs, Route 66 museums, desert hikes, antique stores, breweries, and quirky roadside attractions, we discovered that there are a surprising number of fun things to do in Kingman, Arizona.
Located along one of the most scenic stretches of Route 66 in Arizona, Kingman is packed with classic Americana and Old West history. It’s home to famous Route 66 attractions like the Hackberry General Store, the Arizona Route 66 Museum, historic diners, vintage motels, and beautiful desert scenery just outside town. Whether you’re planning a full Route 66 road trip, looking for Route 66 Arizona itinerary ideas, or just searching for the best places to stop between Flagstaff and Las Vegas, Kingman makes a fantastic base for exploring this part of the Southwest.
In this post, I’m sharing our full Kingman Route 66 itinerary, including where we ate, where we stayed, museums we visited, hikes near Kingman, roadside attractions, and our honest thoughts on everything we experienced during our time there. I’ll also share tips for visiting Kingman yourself, especially if you’re road tripping Route 66 or traveling through Arizona in an RV.
Where We Stayed in Kingman, Arizona
During our time exploring Route 66 Kingman, we stayed at the Kingman KOA Journey. We honestly don’t stay at a ton of KOAs while traveling full time because they can get pretty expensive compared to other campgrounds, but for this area the price actually felt fairly reasonable, especially considering the amenities.
One thing that really helped justify the cost for us was how much we actually used the campground facilities during our stay. We ended up in the hot tub several nights after long days of exploring Route 66 and hiking around the desert, which was especially nice once the temperatures cooled off in the evenings. There’s also a pool that looked really nice, although we didn’t use it nearly as much because it was still pretty chilly while we were there.
The campground also has a free mini golf course and a recreation room with ping pong, which we had fun playing. Since we stayed in Kingman for most of a week, and then unexpectedly came back multiple times for truck repairs, having extra amenities made a big difference.
The campground itself was very clean and well maintained, and every staff member we interacted with was friendly and helpful. The sites are lined with large oleander bushes, which definitely make the campground look greener and more private. Although as a plant person, I did think it was kind of an odd landscaping choice considering oleanders are poisonous to both humans and pets and require a decent amount of water for a desert climate. But aesthetically, I guess they do fit the classic Southwestern RV park vibe.
Overall, this ended up being one of the better campground experiences we’ve had along Route 66 in Arizona, and we’d definitely stay at the Kingman KOA again if we pass through the area in the future.
Monday: Arriving in Kingman + A Classic Route 66 Stop
After wrapping up our time near Flagstaff, we packed up the RV and made the drive from Munds Park to Kingman, Arizona, one of the most historic towns along Route 66. This stretch of the drive is filled with classic desert scenery, rugged mountains, and some of the most iconic Route 66 stops in Arizona, so we took our time making our way west.
One of our first stops of the day was Peach Springs, a tiny town along historic Route 66 that’s best known as the gateway to the Hualapai Reservation and the road down to the Grand Canyon Caverns area. Even just driving through, this part of Route 66 feels incredibly nostalgic. Long empty stretches of road, old motels, faded signs, and that unmistakable feeling that you’re traveling through a surviving piece of Americana.
Before arriving in Kingman, we made one of the Route 66 stops we had been looking forward to the most: Hackberry General Store. If you’re researching things to do in Kingman or planning a Route 66 Arizona road trip, this place is basically a must-stop.
The original store was built back in 1934 and has gone through several different eras of being open, closed, abandoned, and revived over the decades. Today it operates as a gift shop and Route 66 attraction, and it’s full of memorabilia, license plates, stickers, business cards, and handwritten notes from travelers who’ve passed through from all over the world. It’s also famously known as one of the inspirations for Lizzie’s Curio Shop in the Cars movie, which honestly makes perfect sense the second you pull into the parking lot.
And of course, no visit to Hackberry General Store is complete without saying hello to Charlie, the resident “guard cat,” who seems completely unfazed by the constant stream of Route 66 travelers stopping in throughout the day.
After wandering around the store for a while, we finally made our way into Kingman, got the camper set up, and knocked out the less glamorous side of full-time RV life: grocery shopping and settling in for the week. Not every day on Route 66 is nonstop sightseeing, but honestly that mix of iconic roadside attractions and everyday RV routines has become one of our favorite parts of traveling full time.
Tuesday: Museums, Neon Signs, and Classic Route 66 Kingman
After finishing up work for the day, we spent the evening exploring downtown Kingman and ended up really loving this stretch of Route 66. Out of all the towns along Route 66 in Arizona, Kingman does a great job of balancing tourist attractions with actual local history. There’s enough to do to easily fill a day or two, especially if you enjoy museums, vintage signs, roadside architecture, and classic diners.
We started at the Kingman Visitor Center, which is located inside the old Powerhouse building right along Route 66. If you’re collecting Route 66 passport stamps like we are, this is one of the stops where you can get your passport stamped. They also gave us a tiny piece of turquoise with the passport, which was such a fun little souvenir and felt very Arizona.
Inside the same building is the Arizona Route 66 Museum. We’ve been to quite a few Route 66 museums at this point, and while this one isn’t the biggest, it’s probably one of the better designed ones we’ve visited. The exhibits walk you through different eras of Route 66 history, from early wagon trails and dusty auto camps to the golden age of American road trips. There were also some really neat artifacts throughout the museum, and we especially liked the sections where you can still see parts of the original powerhouse structure incorporated into the building.
The museum then transitions into the Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum. The museum was started by the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation, which is headquartered in Kingman. It’s fairly small, but there were definitely a few memorable pieces in there. My personal favorite was Willie Nelson’s Rolls Royce-themed golf cart!
Our admission also included entry to the Mohave Museum of History and Arts, so we walked over there next. This museum focuses more on local history and life in northwestern Arizona over time. It has a lot of the classic regional museum topics you’d expect- Native American history, early white settlers, mining and commerce, schools, transportation, and famous locals like Andy Devine. It was a nice contrast to the Route 66 museum because it gave more context for what life in this area was actually like outside of just the highway itself.
After the museums, we spent some time wandering around downtown Kingman taking photos. One thing I really loved about Route 66 Kingman was the signage. There are so many great vintage signs, murals, old motel fronts, and little details everywhere you look.
We finished the night with dinner at Mr D’z Route 66 Diner, which I had originally saved after seeing it in a TikTok video before our trip. The whole place is incredibly cute and colorful, and since pink and blue are basically my dream color combination, it immediately felt like my exact aesthetic. Thankfully the food lived up to the vibe too, because sometimes roadside diners are all atmosphere and no substance. But everything we had was actually really good, which made it even better.
Wednesday: Hiking the White Cliffs Wagon Trail
On Wednesday, we headed out for a hike on the White Cliffs Wagon Trail, just outside of Kingman. The trail follows part of an old wagon route from the late 1800s that was once used to transport ore from nearby mines down to the railroad. If you’re looking for more unique things to do in Kingman beyond the usual Route 66 attractions, this is absolutely worth adding to your list.
The coolest part was being able to still see the original wagon wheel tracks carved directly into the stone. Some of them are incredibly deep and well preserved, which makes it easy to imagine heavily loaded wagons slowly working their way through the desert over a century ago. It’s one of those places where the history feels very tangible instead of just being something you read on an informational sign.
Another feature we thought was especially interesting were the “stubbing post” holes carved into the rock alongside the tracks. We hadn’t seen anything like this before on our travels. The holes were used to place posts that helped control the wagons as they moved up and down the steep hills, basically acting as part of an early braking system. Learning little details like that always makes me appreciate how difficult travel and transportation in the Southwest must have been before modern roads existed.
Beyond the history, the area itself was just gorgeous. The desert landscape around Kingman has this rugged, wide-open beauty that feels very different from northern Arizona’s forests and mountains. There were rocky hills, tons of cacti, and surprisingly colorful wildflowers blooming while we were there. It also ended up being really good botanizing, which is honestly one of my favorite unexpected parts of spending time in the desert. We spotted all kinds of cacti and desert plants along the trail, and everything felt especially alive thanks to the spring blooms. Between the scenery, the history, and all the plants, this ended up being one of our favorite outdoor activities in Kingman.
Thursday: Distillery Drinks and a Classic Route 66 Diner
By Thursday, we were fully settling into our rhythm in Kingman, Arizona, so our evening plans revolved around two very important Route 66 activities: eating and drinking.
We started the night at Desert Diamond Distillery, which is known as Arizona’s oldest craft distillery. The distillery is located a little outside of downtown Kingman near the airport, and it ended up being one of those places that feels instantly welcoming the second you walk in.
Josh ordered a tasting flight so he could try several of their spirits, while I went straight for a margarita that ended up being genuinely amazing, definitely one of the better margaritas I’ve had in a while. But the best part of the evening was probably just hanging out and talking with the owner for a while. He was incredibly friendly and seemed genuinely excited to chat with travelers passing through town, which honestly feels very fitting for Route 66. We also met some other full-time RVers who were staying overnight at the distillery through Harvest Hosts. We had actually looked into staying there ourselves because it seems like such a fun Harvest Hosts stop, but since we were spending most of the week in Kingman we needed full hookups for the camper.
After drinks, we headed back into town for dinner at Rutherford’s 66 Family Diner. This was exactly the kind of old-school Route 66 diner we always hope to find while traveling. Thankfully the food actually lived up to the atmosphere too. Everything we had was really good, and the prices were super reasonable too. Between Rutherford’s and Mr D’z earlier in the week, Kingman seriously ended up having some of our favorite diners along Route 66 in Arizona.
Kingman, Arizona Part 2: Unexpected Returns
Apparently Route 66 Kingman wasn’t quite done with us yet, because we actually ended up returning twice after our original stay thanks to ongoing truck problems.
The first time was while we were staying in Laughlin. Our truck started making noises again that we thought had already been fixed back in Flagstaff, so we drove back over to Kingman to have it checked out. That visit was pretty uneventful overall since most of the day revolved around dropping the truck off and waiting around at Meineke. Since we suddenly had a few unexpected free hours in town, we ended up walking from the repair shop to the movie theater and seeing Project Hail Mary.
Then, after Josh flew back from a work trip he took from Nevada, we found ourselves back in Kingman again for the exact same truck issue. At that point, Kingman was starting to feel less like a stop on our Route 66 road trip and more like a temporary second home. This time we stayed another night at the Kingman KOA Journey, and thankfully the repair process moved much faster. Since we unexpectedly had some free time, we decided to make the most of it and explore a little more of downtown Kingman.
We spent part of the afternoon wandering through a few antique and vintage stores downtown. There were vintage signs, old Route 66 memorabilia, random desert collectibles, retro kitchenware, and the kind of weird little treasures that make antique stores fun even when you aren’t actually shopping for anything specific.
Later, we walked over to Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery for dinner. I had actually tried some of their beers before when we visited the Grand Canyon the previous fall, so it was fun finally getting to visit one of their actual locations. Josh ordered a spirits flight while I got one of their beers, and we shared a pizza for dinner. The toppings were really good and flavorful, but the crust was so thin that every slice immediately collapsed the second you picked it up. It definitely wasn’t bad overall, honestly just a little tweaking to the crust situation and it would’ve been excellent.
At this point Kingman had become one of those places tied to both really fun Route 66 memories and the less glamorous realities of traveling full time. Between roadside diners, vintage neon signs, antique stores, museums, distilleries, and multiple truck repair appointments, we ended up seeing a much more complete picture of the town than we ever originally expected to.
More To Do on Route 66
Be sure to check out all our Route 66 trip recaps, activity guides, campground reviews and more:
