Route 66 through Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma

There’s nothing like the beckoning open road, especially when there’s nostalgia involved. And there’s no more iconic US highway than Route 66. After all, it officially opened in 1926 as a 2,448-mile road linking Chicago with Santa Monica. Passing through eight states and three time zones, it was the Mother Road of roads, America’s main street traversed by families, drifters, dreamers and the destitute, leaving motor courts, diners, gas stations and cheap attractions in their wake.

Driving the entire route was long on my bucket list, especially before it cruised into its 100-year anniversary in 2026, when carloads of Route 66 enthusiasts from around the world will hit the road. But for many years I had to content myself with trips closer to home, tracing Route 66 through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, as well as Illinois and then Texas and New Mexico. That’s my message: You don’t have to do it all.

What surprises me is how many international tourists have taken to the entire Mother Road, some on motorcycles and others in Cruise America RVs, seeing a slice of American life as they journey westward and experience changing landscapes from woods to fields to flat plateaus, eat different foods from pizza to barbecue to Mexican, and listen to music starting with jazz and sliding into country.

One restaurant owner in Missouri told me they received visitors from literally all over the world, from Spain, Greenland, Australia, Italy, and many other countries. He added that “most don’t speak English, but they go all the way.” He also said someone walks the entire route every year.

Besides what I’m able to provide here, there are many more attractions that will lure you out of your car as you travel on Route 66 through Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. But I’m also captivated by what I see from my car. There are pole barns, abandoned cars and farm equipment, re-purposed gas stations serving as diners or visitor centers, roadside attractions now dead and forgotten, motel skeletons, houses caving in on themselves, and vacant businesses. What I like most is that Route 66 often traverses right through Main Street in many small towns.

US Highway 66 was officially decommissioned in 1985, doomed by faster four-lane Interstates. But interest in the old road never died. As much as 85% of it is still drivable, even though the old highway itself has often been updated beyond recognition or has been incorporated into state and Interstate highway systems. And it isn’t constant. It goes from blacktop to old cement. It has changed course hundreds of times and been killed in places. Some segments are so patched up and rough, you can’t drive much faster than they used to. Sometimes it’s almost impossible to follow. But occasionally you find yourself on a long unbroken stretch, a narrow road with no shoulders that spirits you straight into the past.

Luckily, signage is good on Route 66 through Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Route 66 in Missouri

Missouri has more than 280 miles of Route 66, running from St. Louis diagonally across the state to southeast Kansas. It loosely weaves along Interstate 44, sometimes parallel, other times wandering off into small towns. The following highlights are the order you’ll reach them starting in St. Louis, but there are many other arresting sights that will draw your attention.

You’ll see signs for motels no longer there, RV parks, storage units, cemeteries, churches, and modest 20th-century homes that were here during Route 66’s heyday, some primly maintained, others with rusted old cars and junk outside, lots with American flags. Plan on at least one overnight to do the drive justice.

St. Louis

In St. Louis, be sure to see the Chain of Rocks, a significant landmark on Route 66 ever since its 1929 construction over the Mississippi River linking Illinois with Missouri. Today it’s a pedestrian bridge.

Then it’s on to St. Louis’ (if not Missouri’s) most iconic structure: the Arch, completed in 1965 to commemorate the city’s role in westward expansion. It’s still the nation’s tallest human-built monument, 630 feet tall and 630 feet wide from base to base. I have many childhood memories passing it by on family trips from Kansas to Florida, but with a carload of kids, my father never once considered stopping. Maybe that’s why I’ve ridden the Arch tram to the top three times.

The Arch is part of the 91-acre Gateway Arch National Park, where you can watch a documentary about the Arch’s complicated construction (it’s designed to sway up to 18 inches to withstand winds up to 150 mph and earthquakes), visit an expansive underground museum that covers 200 years of St. Louis history, and visit the Old Courthouse (site of the infamous Dred Scott case, which ultimately ended in one of the Supreme Court’s worst decisions, stating that enslaved people were not citizens of the United States and therefore could not expect any protection from the federal government or the courts).

But the most popular thing to do is to take the tram to the top of the Arch, providing 30-mile panoramic views on clear days.

Like many sections of Route 66, there are many alignments through St. Louis, but unless you’re writing a guidebook and have to do them all, your best bet might be driving westward on Chippewa Street. That let’s you fuel up on the sweet stuff at the Donut Drive-In, so tiny you’ll join the queue outside to savor what some say are the best donuts on Route 66. Not to be outdone and just down the road is Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, an institution first in Florida and then here since 1941, famous for frozen custards so thick you can hold them upside down.

Before heading out of town, stop by the National Museum of Transportation to see automobiles that were on the road during Route 66’s heyday, as well as a section of the wonderful Coral Court Motel, which I included in my Frommer’s St. Louis & Kansas City guide book but was unfortunately torn down in 1995. For train buffs, the museum also houses more than 70 locomotives, half of which are one-of-a-kind or sole survivors.

The rest of Route 66 in Missouri

Missouri does a good job with Route 66 signage to keep you on track, though it’s fairly uneventful out of St. Louis until you get to one of the state’s most famous natural wonders, Meramac Caverns. It opened in 1933 as one of the nation’s first must-see roadside attractions and still wows visitors on 1-mile walking tours. Along the way you’ll pass underground lakes, formations enhanced by colored lights, and an overwhelming number of stalactites (which I remember as those growing down from the ceiling so they have to hold “tight”) and stalagmites. You’ll also hear stories about the “Ballroom” (so huge people parked their cars there), Jesse James, Lassie and Tom Sawyer, but I’ll let you learn more on your own tour. There are stairs to climb, so families with young kids or members with limited mobility might wait for Fantastic Caverns, south of Springfield, which offers tram tours.

Farther down the road is Cuba, a town of about 3,350 people. Nowadays there are plenty of Route 66 towns with murals, but Cuba may have started back in 2001. There are now more than a dozen depicting Cuba’s history, from the Civil War and local businesses to guests ranging from Harry Truman to Bette Davis.

“Get Your Kicks on Route 66.” There are more than 200 renditions of this famous song, composed in 1946 by Bobby Troup and performed, among others, by Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Chuck Berry, and the Rolling Stones. And of course, what child of the ’60s didn’t watch Route 66, which followed the antics of two attractive guys driving around the country in a Corvette convertible? We all wanted to be them.

As you head west, Route 66 hits the rolling hills and woods of the Ozarks as it skirts the northern edge of the Mark Twain National Forest. Along the way you’ll pass Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ, which opened in 1929. Unfortunately, it closed in 2019 with plans to reopen under new management, but that never happened.

Because Route 66 was known for roadside attractions designed to lure motorists off the highway, it should come as no surprise that new diversions vie for the tourist dollar. Uranus, open since 2015, is hard to miss with its gaudy signs right on Route 66 and a stone’s throw from Interstate 44. The pit stop capitalizes on its made-up name, but the weirdest thing here is the Uranus Sideshow Museum. It makes Ripley’s Believe it or Not! seem tame. Crude displays are mostly of freak animals, including a six-legged pig, two headed goat, a three-headed turtle, and other anomalies, but whether they’re real or fake is up to viewers’ discretion. Probably the freakiest thing is the museum’s sword-swallowing desk clerk. Otherwise, stop in Uranus for fudge, ice cream, or photographs.

Springfield calls itself of “The Birthplace of Route 66” because it was here that the name of the new highway was officially decided. You can learn all about it at Springfield’s History Museum on the Square, but mostly the town is a good place to bed down for the night. Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven, open since 1938 but modernized, is a convenient choice. Looking more the part is Rockwood Motor Court with cute memorabilia and six Ozark sandstone cabins; open since 1929, it claims to be the oldest-operating court on Route 66 (I’ve lost track how many places claim to be the oldest of something). And even though my travel companion and I had forsworn all chain accommodations and restaurants along Route 66, we had dinner at Steak ‘n Shake because of the chain’s ties to Route 66 (furnishings of the original 1934 restaurant are in the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, IL). This one has been here since 1962 and still features curbside service and diner decor.

About 25 miles west of Springfield is Gay Parita Sinclair Filling Station, opened in 1930, razed by fire in 1955 and now replicated in all its former glory. Mainly, it’s a photo opp, popular with travelers on Route 66, including international motorcyclists.

Next up is Carthage, an historic town with an attractive courthouse, a Civil War battle site, and imposing Victorian homes.

But my favorite thing in Carthage ever since I laid eyes on it more than 25 years ago is Red Oak II. This wonderful architectural museum was born from the inspiration of Lowell Davis, a whimsical artist who gave new life to about 30 old structures he moved here, including homes, businesses (some of which belonged to Davis’s relatives), a one-room schoolhouse, an old fort, and a Phillips 66 station. Spread throughout are old cars, farming equipment, and sculptures.

Kansas

The Sunflower State has only 13 miles of Route 66, the shortest among the Mother Road’s eight states but also the only state that doesn’t have an Interstate messing with it. That translates into some nice stretches of Route 66 punctuated by three small towns.

First up is the old mining town of Galena, which used to be a bustling town of 30,000 but has dwindled down to some 2,700 souls. It still has some fine buildings. For a meal with Route 66 appeal, consider Cars on the Route, a diner located in a 1930s Kan O Tex service station, complete with rusty cars outside reminiscent of Pixar’s animated Cars, including a 1951 International Harvester tow truck that inspired the character Tow Mater in the film.

Nearby is Gearhead Curios, located in a 1939 Texaco gas station and packed with souvenirs ranging from car memorabilia to license plates. You’ll be greeted by statues of Betty Boop, Bob’s Big Boy, and a 22-foot, green-uniformed Texaco giant, based on the Muffler Men used for advertising during Route 66’s heyday.

Between Riverton and Baxter Springs, look for the Marsh Arch Rainbow Bridge, built in 1923 and the only drivable bridge of its kind on the route.

Why do I feel the pull of the open road? Maybe from when I was a kid, when we piled into the car for long Sunday drives or or took long road trips to visit relatives in distant states. We’d whizz by shanties in the South, people standing on street corners, roadside attractions, and I always wondered and fantasized about those we passed, what their lives were like. My dad never stopped. Maybe that’s why I always do. Heck, maybe it’s why I became a travel writer.

Oklahoma

During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, Route 66 carried countless “Okies” and others desperate for a better life, a migration immortalized in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Later, after World War II and through the ’50s, towns along Route 66 experienced their first tourism boom as optimism swept the country and people began going on vacations, spurring entrepreneurs to open cafes, tourist traps, campgrounds, motor courts and trading posts.

There are eastern and western parts of Route 66 in Oklahoma that are among my favorite stretches of the road. With more than 400 drivable miles, more of Route 66 exists here than in any other state, representing Americana at its best (Arizona claims it has the longest stretch with 487 miles, but I didn’t clock them). Like Missouri’s, it’s well marked and also runs diagonally across the state, mirroring I-44 from Commerce to Texola. You can easily spend three days in Oklahoma.

One of the most historic stretches of Route 66 runs 15.46 miles from Miami to Afton. Completed in 1922, it’s the only remaining 9-foot section of original pavement on old Route 66, probably because it was taken out of service in 1937.

If you didn’t eat at Waylan’s, you have another chance at Clanton’s Cafe in Vinita. Now in its fourth generation of the Clanton family, it claims to be the oldest family-owned restaurant on Route 66 in Oklahoma, starting in 1927 as the Busy Bee Cafe. It offers flash-fried calf fries (read testicles), chicken fried steak, sandwiches, pot roast and more.

A small sidetrack between Vinita and Foyil brings you to a rather eccentric tribute to folk art,  Totem Pole Park. It features “The World’s Largest Concrete Totem Pole,” built by Ed Galloway almost entirely by hand during his retirement and dedicated to American Indian culture. Be sure to take a peak inside the 11-sided Fiddle House, which served as Galloway’s studio and showroom and showcases some of the 300 fiddles Galloway fashioned from different woods.

But what really catches the eye is the 80-foot-long Blue Whale outside Catoosa, built in the 1970s and once a popular stop for families wanting to swim. Now it’s a rather happy-looking beached whale, no swimming allowed. A visitor’s center is planned for 2026.

Tulsa

Tulsa, in my opinion, is one of Oklahoma’s most attractive cities, due in no small part to its many neon signs, lavish art deco buildings spurred by all the wealth created by the oil industry, and a 28-mile stretch of Route 66. There are lots of Route 66 memorabilia and relics here, like the 1924 Blue Dome on Elgin, Oklahoma’s first 24-hour gas station; a former Phillips 66 gas station at 6th and Elgin, now home to Avis Rent-A-Car; and the Warehouse Market Building at 925 S. Elgin, built in 1929.

I’m not sure how all the other towns feel about Tulsa’s proclamation as the “Capital of Route 66,” but there’s no denying the town is very much into the famous road, with signage emblazoned everywhere. It was in Tulsa I had the privilege of meeting Michael Wallis, an American journalist and expert on Route 66, back in 2014 during my first stint on Route 66 in Oklahoma. Author of the classic Route 66: The Mother Road and the voice of the sheriff in Cars, he said that after Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, “towns had to have a gimmick to get tourists. But it kept Route 66 from becoming generic.” He also said, “Life starts at the off ramp.”

There are lot’s of things to do in Tulsa, including the Philbrook Museum of Art, at home in an Italian Renaissance 1927 villa with an impressive array of art and 23 acres of gardens, and the Gilcrease Museum with one of the most astounding and comprehensive collections of Indian and Western art I’ve seen (closed for a major overhaul until fall of 2026).

But no trip to Tulsa would be complete without visits to the Woodie Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center, located side by side. Folk singer Woodie Guthrie was born in Oklahoma in 1912 and became the voice of the Dust Bowl, the Depression, and anti-fascism. My favorite part of the museum is the virtual reality set allowing you to experience Black Sunday, April 14, 1935, when dust was so thick over a parched land that birds fell from the sky (later, at the Arizona Route 66 Museum in Kingman, I learned that the Dust Bowl affected 90 counties and more than 97 million acres of land and blew away 1 billion tons of topsoil, the equivalent 3 Empire State Buildings). Although few of Woodie’s 3,000 songs were recorded, he influenced everyone from John Lennon to Bob Dylan. The Bob Dylan Center contains lots of photographs, album covers and videos.

Tulsa to Oklahoma City

Then it’s on the road again, listening, perhaps, to Woodie Guthrie’s “Will Rogers Highway,” which brings to mind jalopies, family campgrounds, and the Dust Bowl. The 100-mile segment from Tulsa to Oklahoma City was one of the first completed sections of the entire Route 66 and remains one of the most popular.

Hungry? Stop by the Rock Cafe in Stroud, open since 1939 but looking different from my first meal there in the ’90s. That’s because a tragic fire left only four standing walls, fireplace and, thank goodness, the original grill. Burgers, chicken fried steak, and Jaegerschnitzel with Spaetzle are popular items, but be sure to take a look at memorabilia from the movie Cars; owner Dawn Welch served as the inspiration for the character of Sally. For lodging, consider the Lincoln Motel in Chandler. first built in 1939 and with cute cottages that were common during the days of motor courts.

Near Arcadia are two landmarks you can’t miss–literally and figuratively–one old and the other contemporary, both now woven into Route 66 lore. The Arcadia Round Barn was constructed in

1892 in a singular round form because it was thought tornadoes would pass it by. In any case, it’s still there. It served as shelter for cattle, oxen, and mules; the upper floor was popular for barn dances. After it fell into decay through neglect, it was resurrected in the 1990’s by a volunteer group known as the “over-the-hill” gang because most of the volunteers were older than 65. Today it serves as an interesting gift shop selling Route 66 memorabilia and antiques (be sure to go upstairs for a look at its round ceiling).

Then go to Pops, which stocks a cool 650 different kinds of soda, souvenirs, and food ranging from sandwiches and salads to the ubiquitous chicken-fried steak. You can also fuel up on gas.

Easier to miss is the quirky Ok County 66, a workshop/gallery/junk yard owned by talkative retiree John Hargrove, who grew up on Route 66 and caters to his artistic streak by duplicating vehicles, like the 1920 Model T race car and the 1932 Ford roadster he’d always wanted, as well as iconic Route 66 memorabilia. “Everything I do,” he said, “doesn’t make sense.” If the gate to his uphill property is open, you’re welcome to come and look around. Stopping here was a highlight of my day.

In Oklahoma City, the state’s capital and largest city, there’s plenty to see along its 51 miles of Route 66, including the ornate 1937 Tower Theater and the Gold Dome Building (built in 1958 as the fifth geodesic dome in the world but vacant for decades). Stop by the First Americans Museum, which opened in 2021 to celebrate the history and culture of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. If you have kids, head to the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Oklahoma City to the Texas border

Head out of Oklahoma City hungry, because after passing silos emblazoned with “YUKON’S BEST FLOUR,” you’ll find yourself in El Reno, famous for its onion burgers at diners like Robert’s Grill, which dates to 1926, and Sid’s Diner.

“They started making ‘em during the Depression when the price of meat rose,” explained a local sitting at the counter of Johnnie’s Hamburgers and Coneys, “so they substituted onions and it became popular.”

The burgers are made by smashing thinly fried onions right into the meat while they’re on the grill, and while there are other items on the menu, why bother? We had them for breakfast.

Route 66 continues its western stretch north of the I-40 with one of the best-preserved cement sections. The area has a hardscrabble look even today, dusty with oil pumps and wind turbines in the distance. Breaking up the scenery is the 3,944-foot-long Pony Bridge, completed in 1933 with 38 identical pony trusses that made it both economical and strong.

There was nobody else on the road between Bridgeport and Hydro. Just past Hydro is the old Lucille’s Service Station, built in 1929 and named for the woman who ran it for more than 50 years.

The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton is one of my favorites of the many museums devoted to the Mother Road (my other favorites are in Kingman AZ and Pontiac IL). Pat Smith, director of the museum, said it distinguishes itself as the largest museum dedicated to the entire history of Route 66.

“Our museum tells the right history from its conception in the 1920s to the end of the 1980s,” Smith said.

If you have time, you’ll learn all you want to know about how the rise of automobiles shaped travel, the filling stations that serviced them, accommodations ranging from campsites and cabins to motels, the Dust Bowl, and the birth of the parking meter to address congestion along Main Streets in many towns.

When you’re done, ask the museum for the printout for directions continuing west on Route 66, which will take you all the way to the Texas border. (Stay tuned for future blogs covering the rest of the route)

I’ve read it takes about two weeks to drive all of Route 66, but I can imagine taking longer. There’s so much to see, an accumulation of years, people and events that somehow keep on living, even if only in our imagination.

For more on the Mother Road, see my blogs BEST SPOTS ON ROUTE 66 IN ILLINOIS and Highlights of Route 66: Secrets of Texas and New Mexico.

For more on Missouri, read my blogs The German in Hermann, Missouri, The Hermann Wine Trail, and Rocheport a 1950s Time Capsule.