Get your kicks on Route 66. Immortalized by the Nat King Cole song, Route 66 is the ultimate American road trip experience. The historic highway has come to symbolize freedom and the search for a better future. Here’s what you should see on an Illinois Route 66 road trip.
Illinois Route 66 Road Trip
Route 66 History
Route 66 opened on 11 November 1926, although the iconic road signs were only erected a year later. This iconic road connected 8 American States, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Also known as the Mother Road, the Will Rogers Highway and the Main Street of America, Route 66 linked many farming communities. Diners, motels and gasoline stations sprung up along the route. In the 30s, when crops were affected by dust storms, known as the Dust Bowl, people temporarily migrated West via Route 66. In 1939, John Steinbeck penned his classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, referring to the classic highway: “66 is the mother road, the road of flight.” When historic Route 66 first opened, only 800 miles were paved. The Illinois and Kansas sections of the highway were completely paved by 1929, and the whole route was paved by 1938.
Over the years, sections of US 66 were replaced by the Interstate Highway System. In 1985, the original Route 66 was officially decommissioned from the United States Highway System. Luckily, sections of the iconic highway have been designated a National Scenic Byway and new signage has...