4 Reasons to Visit the Birthplace of Route 66

The legendary U.S. Route 66—which has been called the Main Street of America, the Mother Road and the Will Rogers Highway—was born on April 30, 1926, when a telegram from Springfield, Missouri, traveled to Washington, D.C., requesting the iconic name for the stretch of highway between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Today, this city in Missouri’s heartland is a great place to relax, grab delicious eats, learn about history, and experience its Mother Road connection at the annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival.

You’ll get a taste of Americana

Springfield’s burger joints are big on local flavor. Don’t miss Taylor’s Drive-In, a local hangout since 1947. The small, cash-only lunch spot was once a stop on Springfield’s drive-in circuit, and it still serves fresh-ground burgers and milkshakes near Route 66. Another option is the downtown Steak ’n Shake, the only Steak ‘n Shake in the nation still offering curbside service. For a perfect date night, head to Black Sheep Burgers and Shakes for eclectic a la carte burgers and booze-laced shakes made with Andy’s Frozen Custard, which has a cult-like following in southwest Missouri.

Catch a show in a vintage entertainment venue

Restored to the grandeur of its 1920s heyday, the Gillioz Theatre is a popular venue for community happenings.

Head to downtown Springfield for music and entertainment with a dash of history. Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque, which housed the country’s second-largest stage when it opened in 1923, features distinctive terra cotta polychrome turrets. Down the street is the colorful Gillioz Center for Arts and Entertainment, which was built along Route 66 in 1926, fell into disrepair and was restored to its original grandeur in 2006. Springfield is also home to the Springfield Little Theatre, the oldest civic theater in the state.

Spend an afternoon museum hopping

The Route 66 Car Museum sits on Springfield’s College Street. A trip through time—by car—the museum houses more than 60 vehicles, including Jaguars, Rolls Royces, a 1963 Morgan once owned by Desert Storm General Norman Schwarzkopf, and the truck from the movie The Grapes of Wrath. If cars aren’t your thing, there are more than 15 other museum options for just about everyone, including the Springfield Art Museum, the History Museum on the Square and the Rose O’Neill Museum, which features a massive collection of O’Neill’s famous Kewpie Doll collectibles.

Celebrate in style at the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival

One of the best ways to honor Springfield’s Main Street of America connection, this annual summertime event—it’s typically held in the middle of August—offers a variety of fun things to do, see and experience. Included are opportunities to take in some of the city’s coolest buildings, a parade and vintage cars and motorcycles that drive visitors downtown. Concerts also fill the weekend, along with historical presentations and Route 66 exhibitions.

Take a picture-perfect day trip

Just 25 miles west of Springfield, the Gay Parita, a revived Sinclair gas station, is a hit attraction on the Mother Road.

For history enthusiasts, Springfield is an ideal starting point for a visit to the so-called ghost stretch of Route 66. This approximately 60-mile trip between Springfield and Carthage, Missouri, has scenes from another time: crumbling buildings line the Mother Road, offering great photo opportunities. Some of the sights include Gay Parita, a reconstructed service station from the 1930s; the tiny ghost town of Spencer; gas pumps resolutely standing alone in a field; and storefronts and garages that are frozen in time.

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