A Route 66 Illinois Road Trip: The Best Attractions To See

What happens when three travel writers embark on a road trip? It can only amount to laughter, therapy, adventure, and a whole lot of magic.

The destination was Kansas City, Kansas for the annual Midwest Travel Network’s conference.

My pal and fellow travel writer and author Theresa and I decided to carpool to the conference.

While I love taking my own road trips…

Theresa, AKA The Local Tourist, is the QUEEN of road trips, having traveled all over the US along back roads and byways to discover roadside riches. When she suggested taking it slow and travel the stretch of Route 66 through Illinois and Missouri, I was down for that.

But what are the best things to see on Route 66 in Illinois?

I love exploring small towns and back roads, but usually forgo the slower route when I travel. Just because I crave getting from point a to point b rather quickly. My destination is usually the focus of my trip. Often, I am pulling a camper and want to be assured I have plenty of room to maneuver through gas stations.

Anyway, Theresa is an expert on Route 66. So, I left the plan to her since I knew NOTHING of this famed highway.

Theresa then ran into Veronica from Hip Grandma Life at a book signing event and since she was also going to Kansas City, asked if she wanted to carpool with us since she didn’t want to drive herself.

It was set, the three travel writers taking on historic highway Route 66. It was the makings of a fantastic adventure. We even had a hashtag. #hiptouristadventure, a mashup of all our blog names.

To save a little time, our starting point on the “Mother Road” began in Joliet.

A brief history of iconic Route 66.

Route 66 was commissioned in 1926. The Illinois section runs north to south, ending at St. Louis and then heads east and west from there to Santa Monica on the shores of the Pacific. It’s 2448 miles from downtown Chicago at the start of the route to California. It traverses through eight states. Route 66 is a slice of historic Americana. The backbone to which this country was built. A route down memory lane full of roadside attractions, old time filling stations, and retro diners inviting road weary travelers to stop and have a burger, fries and my favorite, the chocolate malt.

What I found was it’s the people along the way that escalated the charm of the route, to be its standout feature. For this, I was glad to be with two extroverted travelers. Because of their ability to make conversation with people everywhere we went, we made friends along the way. Everyone was welcoming, and more than willing to join in our fun along the way.

For a map of the entire Route 66 road trip, this link will take you to a Google map complete with attractions, lodging, and more. Thank you to WasteLandFirebird on Reddit.

Quirky Roadside Attractions Was the Focus Of Our Two Day Route 66 Road Trip

Our time frame was leaving on Monday, pick up Route 66 at Joliet, then stop at some of the best stops along the way. Our focus was roadside attractions, with a few food stops along the way. We had a limited amount of time, so we had to be choosy about our stops and how much time we spent at each. We would then spend the night depending how far we get, hitting the road early Tuesday morning and make the hotel in Kansas City, Kansas before dark Tuesday night.

It was an ambitious undertaking, but we would adjust as we felt we needed to.

The following are the things we stopped for broken into the two days. Theresa had Veronica and I read a blog post she had previously written about the route. This gave us a list of things that we could pick from that we wanted to see. We knew we couldn’t stop at everything, so our focus was on roadside attractions and historic landmarks.

The Best Things We Saw In Each Town

Joliet

We jumped on Route 66 in Joliet. Unfortunately, since it was Monday the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center were closed, so we had to skip that.

204 North Ottawa Street

We stopped at Route 66 Park and got our first glimpse of Jake and Elwood (the Blues Brothers) on top of Rich and Creamy, a restored ice cream shop, which is an example of the many that once lined the historic route.

The park has a variety of public art installations and informational kiosks about Route 66. We also glimpsed Collins Street Prison, a famed movie setting in the “Blues Brothers” movie.

920 North Broadway Street

The next roadside attraction we came upon was The Blues Brothers’ 1974 Plymouth Fury perched high above the road at Route 66 Food N Fuel. This makes a great photo op, either stop and capture, or capture on the drive by!

2401 S. Chicago Street

Wilmington

We HAD to make sure we stopped at all the Muffler Man fiberglass statues along the way. The Gemini Giant at Launching Pad was our first. We were like giddy schoolgirls hopping out of the car and taking advantage of the photo op. We even caught the attention of a local resident who pulled her car in the parking lot offering to take a photo of all three of us. Jamie was just one of the fabulous people we met along the way. We told her our mission and after she expressed her want to join us (but couldn’t) her daughter took a photo of the four of us and away we were.

810 East Baltimore Street

Next was a drive by the famous Sinclair Dinosaur. These dinosaurs of the Sinclair service stations are an iconic symbol of the American road trip. The original Dino held its perch on top of this station and eventually was taken down and disappeared. They bought the current Dino as a replacement from another Sinclair station in Tennessee.

200 East Baltimore Street

By this time, you may need an ice cream stop. Lickety Split Ice Cream Shoppe is next on the route. We kept driving to our next stop for lunch instead.

507 East Baltimore Street

Braidwood

Our only stop here was at the Polk-A-Dot Drive-In. We spent almost a half hour there. We grabbed food and since there were a lot of photo ops here; it was a great resting spot. You’ll know you’ve hit the right place by the ginormous Elvis out front. Jake and Elwood make another appearance, plus Superman, a vintage photo book, and Marilyn Monroe. Plus, the diner itself makes this a must stop.

Bonus Tip: Get a malt while you are here!!

222 North Front Street

 

Godley

The next stop was in Godley at the Illinois Route 66 Mining Museum. Many stops were closed since it was a Monday, but we still stopped and read the informational kiosk in the front of this museum.

150 South Kankakee Street

Gardner

One of our favorite stops! Head down Center Street and stop at The Shop On Route 66. You’ll find a very welcoming gentleman that wants to take photos of everyone that stops in. Inside this cute shop, you’ll find tons of Coke memorabilia. You can purchase a Route 66 T-shirt here and the route passport. Don’t forget to sign the guestbook!

And make sure you look down at the road on Center Street. You’ll see painted Route 66 road signs with each state’s name on them. A fabulous photo and video op!

315 N. Center Street

Don’t miss the 2 Cell Jail just down the street. Another great photo op, this jail was built in 1906! Just follow the sign.

Center Street

Dwight

We had to stop at the Dwight First National Bank to see this Frank Lloyd Wright designed building. It is now the only one of his three designed banks that are still standing. If you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, stop here.

122 West Main Street

The Amber/Becker Texaco Station is the next stop. This was the longest operating gas station from 1933 until 1999. It spent some time under renovation and is now a Route 66 Visitors Center. There are quite a few photo ops here.

417 West Waupansie Street.

Odell

Now I’m a sucker for campers, but when that camper is a tiny 1953 Winnebago canned ham, I am in heaven. Theresa barely had the car in park before I bounded out of the passenger side when I spotted this small gem displayed alongside the Standard Oil Gasoline Station in Odell.

400 South West Street

Cayuga

Watch for the Meramec Caverns Barn, or rather what’s remaining of the Meramec Caverns advertisement sign painted on the side of a barn. There is a pull off from the highway to capture a photo of one of two barn advertisements left on the Illinois portion of Route 66.

Pontiac

Pontiac has over 20 murals in the historic downtown area. So, I would suggest taking your time and walk around and enjoy the fruits of the 2009 Walldog’s Summer Bash. It’s almost like you are walking down a lively old time main street.

Take a walk farther towards the square and you’ll see the Livingston County Courthouse. Then strike a pose with one of the many Abraham Lincoln statues along Route 66.

112 West Madison Street

By this time, it was getting to be late afternoon, and we had a date to meet our friend Shelly at Cozy Dog in Springfield. We had to carefully choose the things we wanted to see.

Lexington

The one thing we wanted to see was Route 66 Memory Lane. This one mile stretch of road is reminiscent of the 1940’s. There’s a vintage billboard and Burma Shave signs. You are supposed to park and walk it if you want except during special events when it is open to drive on.

Towanda

The original Route 66 included this deadly curve appropriately called Dead Man’s Curve. Once you drive it, you’ll see why it was rerouted after the 40s.

Normal

Next stop was Ryburn Place at Sprague’s Super Service. This was just a quick stop, which was also closed. I spotted a Little Free Library across the parking lot and couldn’t resist placing one of my Beatrice The Little Camper children’s books inside for young readers.

305 Pine Street

We skipped a lot after this, but we stopped by Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup only to find it closed.

5257 Historic US 66 Funk’s Grove

Mclean

The Dixie Truck Stop is the oldest in Illinois. We stopped briefly to read the informational kiosk across the road. We also went inside the Mclean Depot Train Shop. This shop is a train lover’s dream, full of model railroad kits and items.

501 Main Street (truck stop)

200 East Dixie Road (train shop)

Atlanta

Who can resist a selfie with the 19-foot-tall man holding a hot dog AKA the Bunyon Statue! This was the second of our eagerly awaited “muffler men.”

103 Southwest Arch Street

From there, we walked over to the Atlanta Public Library and Clock Tower. They built this octagon shaped building in 1908. It makes it a wonderful photo op. Hopefully, when I visit next, it will be open. I would have loved to see the inside.

100 Southeast Race Street

There are also several Walldog murals around downtown Atlanta.

After Atlanta we were running out of time, so we didn’t stop until we rolled into Springfield.

Springfield

Next stop was Springfield and meeting Shelly at Cozy Dog Drive-In. This was a must do for all three of us. Corn dogs on Route 66! This place is a destination, with all the photos and memorabilia everywhere. They also have some Route 66 souvenirs for sale. We arrived with a half hour to spare. We each had corn dogs and fries.

2935 South Sixth Street

Our final roadside attraction for the night was just down the road from Cozy Dog Drive In in the parking lot of a strip mall. The giant Pink Elephant with a martini glass was a great way to close out day one of our road trip on Route 66.

We got an early start the next morning after having breakfast at our hotel in Springfield. Our first stop was our third “Muffler man,” the Lauterbach Giant at the Lauterbach Tire and Auto Station.

Fun Fact: A tornado damaged this giant causing it to be “beheaded” in 2006. The owners of the shop repaired him.

1569 Wabash Avenue

Auburn

This 1.4 mile of Historic Brick Road completed in 1931 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Can you imagine having to drive miles on a road like this?

Snell and Curran Roads

Virden

We did a drive by of the Virden History Mural as we rolled through this small town.

105 East Jackson

Carlinville

The most magnificent courthouse in Illinois is the Macoupin County Courthouse. We stopped at the Macoupin County Jail, famous for its Civil War cannonballs in the walls. The jail is across the street from the courthouse. The jail was used from 1869 to 1988.

205 East First South Street

Litchfield

Here we hit up Jubelt’s Bakery for on the road bakery snacks. Yum!!! I highly recommend stopping here! Also across the street is the famous Ariston Cafe. This is said to be the oldest cafe on Route 66 and has been in operation at its current location since 1935.

303 and 413 North Historic Route 66

Mt. Olive

Soulsby’s Service Station is the most original station along the stretch of Route 66 through Illinois. Its bright yellow pumps and white exterior make it one of the coolest looking stations on the route.

710 West First Street

Staunton

Trucking memorabilia, a vintage filling station, and VW Rabbits half buried in the dirt. This is Henry’s Rabbit Ranch. A fun stop that puts the quirky in roadside attractions. We thought it was cool.

1107 Historic Old Route 66

By this time, we were skipping a lot of things simply because we were out of time. We continued along, hoping to make it in plenty of time to Kansas City. While we had planned on continuing in Missouri, we knew that would not be possible. Our next stop was a quick one to…

Livingston

Here we stopped briefly to snap some photos of the huge Pink Elephant at the Pink Elephant Antique mall.

908 Veterans Memorial Drive

Collinsville

We had two places we wanted to see here. The Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower and Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.

The water tower stands 170 feet and is the world’s largest catsup bottle. It’s quite the site!

The mounds are the site of the largest native American settlement north of Mexico. You can climb Monk’s Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the America’s. It is a marvel and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

800 South Morrison Avenue (catsup bottle)

30 Ramsey Street (Cahokia Mounds)

Our last stop on Route 66 in Illinois was in for lunch.

Granite City

For lunch, we stopped at Teri’s Route 66 Diner for a classic burger and fries. What we found was friendly people and lots of laughter. Cindy was the one behind the counter taking our order. She was so wonderful as we again shared our story with the whole diner. One patron, Lorraine, offered to be our photographer as we posed under the sign and in the photo booth inside the diner. We found out all their meat comes in fresh every day, so no frozen burgers here! This place was an unexpected delight on our trip.

The burgers were delicious!

3121 W Chain Of Rocks Road

Unfortunately, walking the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was impossible with our time crunch.

Once we crossed the Mississippi River, we made one stop in Missouri at Route 66 State Park, but after that it was back on the interstate in the direction of St. Louis to make it to Kansas City by nightfall.

For someone who had never driven one mile on Route 66, I became hooked on this road trip with my two friends. We had a lot of laughs along the way, trying to fit as much as we could into our days. It made me add driving the rest of Route 66 on my bucket list. I gained a renewed appreciation for the back roads and small towns that are the backbone of this country.