Setting Priorities

Planning What to See and Do 

Soulsby Service Station in Mt. Olive, Illinois

We travel a lot, and I’ve always planned our travel myself. Planning our Route 66 road trip took by far the most time of any trip I’ve ever planned. Why?

To begin with, as I mention in my overview, Route 66 doesn’t exist anymore. US Route 66 was decommissioned by the Federal government in 1985. By then interstate highways had been built right on top of long stretches of Route 66. Today the two-lane roads that we think of as Route 66 exist only in fragments here and there. If you think you’re going to get on Route 66 in Chicago and get off in Los Angeles, well, no, the trip is a lot more complicated than that.

Second, what’s left of Route 66 isn’t always well identified. Yes, Google Maps labels some stretches as “Historic Route 66” or “Old Route 66.” And some state Route 66 associations have erected directional signs. But some older fragments of Route 66 and some Route 66 attractions like abandoned motels and old bridges aren’t identified on Google Maps, don’t have directional signs, and aren’t shown on state paper maps. So figuring out the locations of some of the things you want to see can take time.

Third, there are several Route 66s. The original Route 66 was created in 1926 from existing roads, which meant that some stretches of Route 66 were initially zigzags rather than direct routes. As traffic grew, new stretches of Route 66 were built to straighten out curves, level out hills, better handle increased traffic, and bypass towns overwhelmed by traffic. In some places both older and new stretches of Route 66 still exist and they can be miles apart. This makes planning more complicated. When you have a choice, do you want to drive the 1926 “alignment” or the 1942 “alignment” (or both)?

Finally, Route 66 has few essential “must sees” that everyone should visit. Many vacation trips have must-sees, like Times Square in New York and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. While there are a number of stops on Route 66 that enthusiasts consider iconic, there’s truly nothing that’s absolutely essential for a first-time visitor to see. Instead, Route 66 has a huge number of things to consider seeing and doing. (We found something we enjoyed seeing roughly every 5 to 10 miles on average.) No one can see everything unless they’re willing to spend months on Route 66. So, unless you have unlimited time and want to see everything, you’ll enjoy your Route 66 road trip a lot more if you reflect on why YOU and your travel companion(s) want to drive Route 66. Think about what YOU all most want to see rather than using someone else’s list. That takes time, but you’ll enjoy the trip a lot more!

Here’s a checklist to start you thinking about your priorities. Maybe print this out and put checks by the things you’re especially interested in and two or three checks by the things that you’re most looking forward to.

¨  I want to drive it simply because it’s a classic American road trip.

¨  I want to see America’s heartland, and a Route 66 road trip looks like a great way to do that.

¨  I want to see the landscape and scenery more than what’s been built on it.

¨  Old Route 66 relics—neon signs, old motels, and so on—bring back memories of road trips when I was young.

¨  I want to experience, as much as I can, how people traveled 75-90 years ago.

¨  I like talking with people I meet along the way.

¨  I like to take photos (or videos) of everything I see.

¨  I love kitschy Americana—the tackier, the better!

¨  I want to see jumbo roadside objects like “muffler men.”

¨  I like walking around small towns.

¨  I like browsing gift shops.

¨  I like visiting museums.

¨  I like stopping at visitor centers for local information.

¨  As long as I’m in the region, I’d like to see major local attractions even if they aren’t right on Route 66 or part of the historic Route 66 experience, like the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, or the huge Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri.

¨  Neon signs are cool.

¨  I’m intrigued by old bridges.

¨  I want to see old Route 66 roads—the older, the better.

¨  I want to see old gas stations.

¨  I like to eat at vintage diners and restaurants.

¨  I like to try regional dishes.

¨  I want to see—and maybe stay overnight at—vintage motels.

¨  Abandoned buildings can be really interesting.

¨  I like to see old buildings “fixed up,” even if they don’t look the same as they originally did.

¨  I don’t care how old something is—I’m more interested in how fun it is. I’d like to see some of the newer fun Route 66 attractions, like the Uranus Fudge Factory in St. Robert, Missouri, and the World’s Largest Rocking Chair in Fanning, Missouri.

¨  I’d like to get some exercise during the trip by periodically stopping and walking. (Note that Route 66 isn’t really an outdoor trip. Much of Route 66 has no walkable trails nearby. If walking outdoors is important to you, you’ll need to take out time to seek out walkable stops when you plan your trip.)

¨  I want to leave time for the unexpected, such as something a visitor center staffer suggests that wasn’t on our list.

 In our case, we realized that our biggest interests center on history. We wanted to experience vintage Route 66 and to learn about some key regional historic events that we weren’t familiar with. And we like walking, so we looked for opportunities to walk.

To give us time for those priorities, I had to cross a lot of other things off our list. Some choices were easy. We weren’t particularly interested in seeing kitschy Americana, except for the giant “muffler men” and some fun water towers. We also weren’t interested in seeing newer (non-historic) Route 66 attractions. But some choices were harder. I crossed off several stops that looked interesting but would have meant a time-consuming detour off Route 66. And we stopped at only a couple of museums simply because visiting them took so much time. As I’ve said, you can’t see everything.

Your priorities will be different, of course—that’s my point. Think about what YOU and your travel companion(s) are most interested in seeing and doing, and prioritize your stops so your trip focuses on your interests. If you take some time to do this, you’ll love your trip!