Route 66 Centennial Guide

Illinois, Rebuilt from Chicago to the Mississippi River. We went back through all 55 Illinois sites, one by one, to make your drive better from the first mile. More Accurate Navigation ------------------------------ Rechecked every Illinois location against multiple sources Corrected map pins, including Rossi's Service Station in Braidwood, which now takes you to the building instead of an empty field Fixed fifteen street addresses so directions open cleanly in Maps Every Illinois Story, Rewritten ------------------------------ Every Illinois site has a fully rewritten history, checked against published sources New details, corrected dates, and fuller stories of the families and characters behind each stop Stories now follow your westbound drive, pointing you to the next stop down the road Fresh audio narration for every Illinois site Up-to-Date Visitor Tips ------------------------------ Updated notes, phone numbers, and visiting advice so you know what to expect before you pull in Current details on sites that have changed, closed, or found new life Get your kicks. The Mother Road starts here.

Oklahoma overhaul. Fixed GPS coordinates at four sites, including Route 66 Rising in Tulsa, which had been routing travelers three miles short, plus 14 address corrections. All 48 Oklahoma site histories were rebuilt from primary sources and brought current for 2026: the rebuilt Ribbon Road, the reopened Pony Bridge, the Blue Whale's new visitor center, and newly relit neon in Bristow, Canute, and Sayre. Also updated admission prices, hours, and directions.

2.7 Places to Eat & Drink — Corrections This update fixes the Places to Eat & Drink screen. As new stops were added to the guide in recent updates, some listings drifted out of alignment, and a few descriptions ended up attached to the wrong establishment. All 44 entries have been rechecked and corrected, and three sites that were never meant to appear on this screen have been removed. The screen now stays accurate on its own as the guide grows, so this won't recur in future updates. Thanks for the reports, and safe travels on the Mother Road.

What's New — Version 2.6 Site totals were adjusted in "How This App Works". ———————————————————— From v 2.5 in August: Five new Illinois sites, from Chicago to the Mississippi River: • Castle Car Wash (John J. Murphy Filling Station), Chicago — The little limestone castle on Ogden Avenue, built as a Standard Oil filling station in 1927 and a Route 66 landmark ever since. • Dixie Truckers Home, McLean — The truck stop that fed the Mother Road from 1928 and became the original home of the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame. • Route 66 Sign Museum at Ace Sign Co., Springfield — A working sign shop's collection of rescued neon and painted signage from Illinois roadsides. • Rt 66 Skyview Drive-In, Litchfield — The last original drive-in theater still operating on Illinois Route 66, screening films since 1950. • Nite Spot Cafe, Fairmont City — A 24-hour truckers' café from 1947 whose mid-century neon survived a demolition order and now stands as one of the road's rarest sign artifacts.

What's New — Version 2.5 Five new Illinois sites, from Chicago to the Mississippi River: • Castle Car Wash (John J. Murphy Filling Station), Chicago — The little limestone castle on Ogden Avenue, built as a Standard Oil filling station in 1927 and a Route 66 landmark ever since. • Dixie Truckers Home, McLean — The truck stop that fed the Mother Road from 1928 and became the original home of the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame. • Route 66 Sign Museum at Ace Sign Co., Springfield — A working sign shop's collection of rescued neon and painted signage from Illinois roadsides. • Rt 66 Skyview Drive-In, Litchfield — The last original drive-in theater still operating on Illinois Route 66, screening films since 1950. • Nite Spot Cafe, Fairmont City — A 24-hour truckers' café from 1947 whose mid-century neon survived a demolition order and now stands as one of the road's rarest sign artifacts.