Gallup is one of our favorite stops along Route 66. It has been called the “Indian Capital of the World,” and it’s a great place to learn about the Navajo and other tribes. A lot has been invested in making Gallup an appealing destination. (Route 66 through Gallup is still called Route 66. That tells you something about how people here feel about Route 66!) You can download a 64-page visitor guide here. Gallup also has an app for visitors! Search for "Visit Gallup NM" in your app store. The app is full of information on Gallup’s attractions. It has several walking tours…or you can build your own.
As you approach Gallup on Route 66 from the east, you’ll start to see old motels and neon signs. The gem of these is the El Rancho Hotel at 1000 Route 66.
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| El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico |
The El Rancho Hotel has a great neon sign.
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| El Rancho Hotel's sign |
The lobby looks like a National Park lodge.
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| The El Rancho Hotel lobby |
The El Rancho Hotel was built in 1937, when many Western movies were being filmed around Gallup. Many movie stars stayed here. Today the lobby and mezzanine are full of photos of movie stars. We had a lot of fun browsing them all.
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| Some of the hundreds of photos in El Rancho's lobby and mezzanine |
About three-quarters of a mile past El Rancho is downtown Gallup. This is a historic district, and there’s a lot to see within a few blocks. So it’s a great place to park and walk around.
We started our walking tour at the Gallup Cultural Center at 201 Route 66
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| Gallup Cultural Center |
A statue honoring the Navajo code talkers is out front.
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| Navajo code talker statue outside the Gallup Cultural Center |
The Gallup Cultural Center was once the Santa Fe Railway Station, and Amtrak still stops here. On the left side was once El Navaho Hotel, a Harvey House designed by Mary Jane Colter and built in 1918. Sadly, it was torn down in 1957. My post on Winslow, Arizona, has more on the Harvey Houses and Mary Jane Colter.
We had a really nice lunch in Angela’s Café in the Gallup Cultural Center. If you are traveling west on Route 66, there are very few restaurants along the next 95 miles (until Holbrook, Arizona), so Gallup is a good place to get something to eat.
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| Angela's Cafe in Gallup Cultural Center |
After lunch we explored the museums and galleries upstairs in the Gallup Cultural Center. There is an exhibit of the art of local tribes, an exhibit about the Harvey Houses, and an exhibit about the history and culture of the Gallup area. We found a diorama on Route 66! A bigger exhibit on Route 66 is under development.
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| Route 66 diorama in Gallup Cultural Center |
There is also a diorama that’s a tribute to the role of railroads in Gallup’s history.
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| Railroad diorama in Gallup Cultural Center |
Gallup is the first town we visited on Route 66 where trains are a huge part of the town’s life and history. Trains run through some eastern Route 66 towns like Cuba, Missouri, but from Gallup through California huge double-decker trains seem to pass along Route 66 every few minutes.
A block west of the Gallup Cultural Center, at 101 Route 66, is the former White’s Café. It's a beautiful brick building built in 1928.
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| Former White's Cafe in Gallup |
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| Silver Dust Trading Company mural in Gallup |
At 223 Route 66 is a Route 66 icon: Richardson’s Trading Post.
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| Richardson's Trading Post in Gallup |
Richardson’s Trading Post opened in 1913, selling Native American arts, especially Navajo rugs. Today it is huge, covering at least half a block. Its neon signs are still amazing.
At 236 Route 66 is the former Palace Hotel. It was built in 1905 in a style called Richardsonian Romanesque, with arches and "rusticated" stones.
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| Former Palace Hotel in Gallup |
At 301 Route 66 is the Rex Museum. It was once a brothel and later a grocery.
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| Rex Museum in Gallup |
At 405 Route 66 is the Lexington Hotel with very cool neon signs. It now provides transitional housing.
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| Lexington Hotel in Gallup |
After the Lexington Hotel, we turned left of South 5th Street, then left again on West Coal Avenue to continue our walking tour. At the corner, at 416 West Coal Avenue, is John’s Used Cars…with a muffler man cowboy!
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| "Muffler man" cowboy at John's Used Cars in Gallup |
A mural honoring Native American trading is at 237 West Coal Avenue.
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| Native American trading mural in Gallup |
At 230 West Coal Avenue is a beautiful art deco building housing City Electric Shoe Shop.
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| A beautiful art deco building in Gallup |
A mural honoring Gallup’s annual Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial is at 206 West Coal Avenue.
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| Inter-Tribal Ceremonial mural in Gallup |
The beautiful El Morro Theater is at 207 West Coal Avenue.
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| El Morro Theater in Gallup |
The El Morro Theater was built in 1928. It was designed by the same person who designed the KiMo Theater in Albuquerque. Its style is Spanish Colonial with Pueblo Deco touches. The coffee shop on the left has a great sign!
On the left side of the building at 200 West Coal Avenue is a huge mural honoring the Navajo code talkers.
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| Navajo code talkers mural in Gallup |
From here we walked back to Route 66, then three blocks east back to our car at the Gallup Cultural Center. We then continued west on Route 66 toward the New Mexico-Arizona border.
As you can see, there’s a lot to see in Gallup! We really enjoyed our visit. Gallup’s historic district is well worth stopping and walking around, not just driving through.
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