After reaching the end of Route 66 in Los Angeles, it was time to point the truck east and begin the journey back toward our home base in the Chicago suburbs. Rather than retracing our steps as quickly as possible, we used the return trip to revisit a few favorite…
While passing through Springfield, Missouri on our three-month Route 66 road trip, we made time to visit the Springfield Botanical Gardens. Located within Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, this beautiful collection of themed gardens is one of the best free things to do in Springfield, Missouri. Whether you’re interested in flowers,…
Route 66 RV Ranch is a privately owned RV park located just off Interstate 40 in Amarillo, Texas. Its convenient location, well-maintained facilities, and easy access to everything in town have made it one of our favorite stops along the historic Route 66 corridor. In fact, this is now the…
Pacific, Missouri is one of the most charming stops along Route 66 in Missouri and home to several of our favorite attractions on the Mother Road in Missouri. Located less than an hour from St. Louis, this historic town combines classic Route 66 nostalgia with scenic overlooks, local museums, and…
After nearly two months of following Route 66 from the Chicago area to the Pacific Ocean, we finally reached Los Angeles. This stop marked the western end of our three-month Route 66 adventure that would eventually take us all the way back home to Chicagoland again. Los Angeles is one…
Joshua Tree National Park was one of the side trips we added while driving Route 66, and it ended up being one of my favorite stops of the entire journey. I’ll admit that part of the appeal was simply that I got to spend a few days wandering around a…
Disney and Pixar’s Cars might be an animated movie about talking cars, but many of the places and people that inspired it were very real. Before creating Radiator Springs and its colorful cast of characters, the Pixar team took multiple research trips along Route 66, meeting business owners, exploring small…
If you’re looking for things to do in Lebanon, Missouri, the Route 66 Museum is a great place to start. Located inside the local library, this free museum explores the history of transportation through the Ozarks, the development of Route 66, and Lebanon’s role along the Mother Road. During our…
One of our favorite ways to remember a place is by bringing home something that was actually made there. Oklahoma has no shortage of local businesses creating everything from small-batch foods and handcrafted pottery to cookbooks, board games, and barbecue products. Many of them have great stories behind them too,…
During our three-month Route 66 road trip, we visited quite a few car museums along the Mother Road. That probably isn’t surprising considering Route 66 and classic car culture go hand in hand. From vintage cruisers and restored classics to flashy muscle cars and movie vehicles, there are car museums…