The Mother Road

You need to get in a car and drive "to have a great time" - not - "to make great time".

For more than three decades, Route 66 was America's main east-west artery, pointing the nation toward all the promise that California seemed to hold. John Steinbeck dubbed it "The Mother Road." It has been immortalized in song and word. Route 66 has earned the title of the Main Street of America because its bends and curves sought out rather than avoided the hearts of the towns through which it passed. Route 66 has changed the lives of countless people who have decided to follow their dreams of traveling somewhere new and exciting.

We have step-by-step directions of the scenic route and GPS satellite mapping to help as you take the historic journey down America's legendary highway from Chicago to LA. For those of you who have little time to plan your trip, (or for the many people that come from other countries to take the trip and see the real America) don't miss the last minute travel overview. Route 66 is part of the American Dream and road tripping is the ultimate expression of freedom in America.

Travel The Mother Road

Route 66 is an ideal low-cost vacation. Even if gas prices are high, you’re going to save as much money or more sleeping along the Mother Road’s inexpensive mom-and-pop motels and eating at the cheap mom-and-pop cafes. Also, driving on Route 66 tends to be at a lower speed, so most vehicles will burn less gas.

Serendipity

Route 66 Maps - Trip Planning

• Here It Is! The Route 66 Map Series (Multiple Fold-Out Roadmaps) Packaged set of eight fold-out roadmaps, one for each Route 66 state. Inexpensivse and easy-to-follow.
• Route 66: EZ66 Guide for Travelers Maps and directions are comprehensive.
•  
• Laminated Map-Guide AAA map showcasing the best of America's Mother Road.
• Quick Access Route 66 Nicely detailed and laminated. Best single-sheet scaled map of Route 66.
• Top Search Results for "Route 66 Maps" Get them before they become unavailable.

Route 66 Books and Guides

• Route 66 Adventure Handbook, Third Edition Helpful handbook to guide drivers full of interesting side trips and fun stops.
• Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Route 66 Lost & Found : Ruins and Relics Revisited where the author finds vintage photographs of businesses along Route 66, then shoots a photo — often from a similar perspective — of that same business in the current day. The text that accompanies the photos provides a concise and informative history of the property.
• Route 66: Traveler's Guide and Roadside Companion A treasure trove of Route 66 related anecdotes and reproductions of period maps.
•  
• Route 66: The Mother Road 75th Anniversary Edition A best selling must read by Michael Wallis.
• Motorcycle Guide to Route 66 Get your motor running on two wheels down Route 66.
• The Complete Guidebook and Atlas to Route 66 Detailed information for the serious traveller.
• Route 66: The Illustrated Guidebook to the Mother Road Excellent guidebook with over 200 color photographs. Listings for radio stations, cafes and favorite motels.
•  
• Route 66 Food
• Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide Ranked eating and lodging sites. It is a no-frills publication, but it contains key information for all the best motels and restaurants along the road, including addresses, phone numbers, Web sites and lots more. Some real gems uncovered.
• Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food Hilarious adventures and misadventures hunting America's best roadside food.
• Roadfood Experience the vintage motels and the good restaurants. If you're planning any road trips this summer, this is a glove-box essential.
• The Route 66 Cookbook: Comfort Food from the Mother Road Deluxe 75th Anniversary Edition
• Hogs On 66: Best Feed and Hangouts for Roadtrips on Route 66 Harleys and Route 66 mixes food, fun and the freedom of the road.
•  
• Road Trip Fun
• A Guide Book to Highway 66 60-year-old guidebook to the Mother Road. Fun read.
• I'm Feeling Lucky! Most popular results (bestsellers)
• Eccentric America Weird, wacky, and outrageously fun things to see and do in the USA. This cool guidebook points you to odd festivals, off-beat environments, and eccentric people in all 50 states.
• New Roadside America: The Modern Traveler's Guide to the Wild and Wonderful World of America's Tourist An irreverent but fond look at highway oddities.
• Roadside Attractions: Cool Cafés, Souvenir Stands, Route 66 Relics, & Other Road Trip Fun This book puts the fun back into travel.
• Amazing America A state by state guide to the strange, wacky and weird.
• Legendary Route 66: A Journey Through Time Along America's Mother Road Learning about history should always be this much fun.
• Pocket Drive-In Locator Special sections highlight Route 66 drive-ins
•  
• Worth a Look
• Route 66 (Enthusiast Color) Terrific book of evocative imagery.
• The Ballad of Route 66 is an essay originally from Vanity Fair (November 2002) that tells of Hitchens’ journey across historic Route 66 in a Corvette. It appears in the anthology of "Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays."
• Tales From the Coral Court: Photos & Stories from a Lost Route 66 Landmark History and first-person accounts of this famous no tell motel.
• American Route 66: Home on the Road Santa Fe photographers travel for three years on American's most legendary trail.
• Along Route 66 An unforgettable collection of images that immortalizes the great American odyssey.