Take a Trip Down Route 66

The road trip is the classic summer vacation and Route 66 is the classic road trip. Kidzworld gives you the 411 on how to get your kicks on Route 66!

Route 66 - History

Route 66 - often known as the "Mother Road" or the Will Rogers Highway - is 2,400 miles (3,862 km) of awesome asphalt and was built in 1926 as one of the original federal routes. The highway originally ran from LA to Chicago through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, St. Louis, and Illinois until it was "decommissioned" in 1985. Don't worry though, you can still drive on a little piece of history on the portions of the road that have been designated a National Scenic Byway of the name "Historic Route 66".

Route 66 - Hollywood Highway

Route 66 has been mentioned in tons of songs and featured in even more films. Just a few examples of its pop-culture status are the song (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66, the NBA Development League basketball team, the Tulsa 66ers, and the K-Mart brand of jeans - Route 66. Even the Disney movie Cars featured this famous highway and was originally titled Route 66.

Route 66 - Places to See

McDonald Brothers Hamburger Stand in San Bernardino is the site of the original McDonald's and is now a museum.

The Mojave Desert in southern California used to be the most dreaded part of Route 66 but now is just a great place to spot cacti. Watch for rattlesnakes!

The Grand Canyon isn't on Route 66 but it's only an hour north of the highway so it's definitely worth a visit!

Cadillac Ranch is an absolute must-see in Texas. Check out all the half-buried Cadillacs in the desert!

The Route 66 Museum is located in Clinton, Oklahoma.

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