Skip to content

Keep a little mystery in your trip planning: flip this switch on and Explorer Picture Mode shows a stylized version of every place instead of the real photo, so you can go by the description and reviews first and picture it your own way -- turn it off again any time, or reveal the real photo for just one place at a time from its own page.

Create a free account to pick your own style (Vintage, Oil Painting, Illustration, and more) and have it remembered next time you visit.

Route 66

7.4 /10
Editorial rating
/10
traveler ratings

Overview

Changed
No country is complete without its own set of historic landmarks. Oftentimes, these landmarks have been established for a purpose that is far from being a landmark. But, over the years, the popularity and its contribution to the culture and history to that particular country could not be disregarded that it eventually is granted this noble distinction.

In the United States, one particular historical landmark is the infamous Route 66. Stretching over 2,400 miles that begins in Chicago, Illinois and ends in Los Angeles, California, Route 66 cuts through the states of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Hailed by John Steinbeck as the "Mother Road", Route 66 was one of the first major highways that were constructed in the country as a result of the growing demands of the rapidly changing need of the American people. It provided Americans a means to be able to travel across the country with ease, and has been one of the major factors that have led to the surge of migrants to the state of California.

Today, Route 66 is still lined with numerous motels, diners and filling stations which have been immortalized in the many vintage postcards that are sold within this area. Despite the fact that Route 66 has now been decommissioned and much of the route has been turned over to be developed as business districts, there are continuous efforts to keep this historical landmark alive in each of the states it had once been a vital part of in order to keep the memory of this route immortalized in literature and songs alive.

Quick Facts

    Visit Responsibly

    Changed

    Plan Your Visit

    Changed

    See traveler photos →

    Publishing will make these pending changes visible on the live page.